Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA)

Since December 1996 it has been unlawful for service providers to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of their disability. Since October 2004 service providers have had to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the physical features of their premises in order to overcome physical barriers to access to disabled persons and to comply with new regulations.

What does this mean to you?

By utilising our considerable experience in the field of disabled access auditing we can answer these questions for you. Through answering these questions and auditing arrangements within your organisation we can assess your compliance. The audit report will detail where improvements for access are required, together with cost effective solutions.

Who are service providers?

It is easy with shops to see they provide a service to the public but what about more obscure examples? Service providers include:

Local councils, Government departments
Emergency services
Charities and volunteer organisations
Hotels, restaurants and pubs
Post Offices, Banks etc.
Solicitors and accountants
Training organisations

The following points detail some of the considerations required within the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

Establish a positive policy on the provision of services
Inform all staff dealing with the public that it is unlawful to discriminate against disables people
Train staff to understand the service providers policy towards disabled people
Monitor the implementation and effectiveness of such a policy
Provide disability awareness training
Address acts of disability discrimination by staff as part of disciplinary rules and procedures
Have a customer complaints procedure easily accessible by disabled persons
Consult with disabled customers, staff and organisations
Review regularly whether services are accessible to disabled persons
Review regularly the effectiveness of the policy and of reasonable adjustments that have been made

Centec can help you ensure your legal compliance in this area and together we can work to ensure you comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

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