The Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act makes it a legal requirement to reasonably give the disabled equal rights of access to or within commercial or public buildings. The Sesame system can provide the answer and has already solved the wheelchair access problem in a major Bank in the West End of London, a prestigious Livery Hall in the City of London, a Civic Town Hall in Wales, a large National Trust property in Sussex and a School Of The Future in Devon.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed in 1995 to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. It protects disabled people in:
- Employment
- Access to goods, facilities and services
- The management, buying or renting of land or property
- Education
Some sections of the The Disability Discrimination Act became law for employers in December 1996. Other sections were introduced over time.
For service providers (e.g. businesses and organisations)
- Since December 1996 under the The Disability Discrimination Act it has been unlawful to treat disabled people less favorably than other people for a reason related to their disability
- Since October 1999 under the The Disability Discrimination Act they have had to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, such as providing extra help or making changes to the way they provide their services;
- Since October 2004 under the The Disability Discrimination Act they have had to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access.
For education providers, new duties came into effect in September 2002 under Part IV of the DDA amended by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (SENDA). These require schools, colleges, universities, and providers of adult education and youth services to ensure that they do not discriminate against disabled people.
Under Part IV of the DDA amended by the SENDA, the duty to provide auxiliary aids, through reasonable adjustment, came into force in September 2003.
