What the law says 

On this page

• Disability Discrimination Act
  
• Human Rights Act
  

Disability Discrimination Act

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 aims to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. This Act has been significantly extended, including by the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. It now gives disabled people rights in the areas of:

• employment
• education
• access to goods, facilities and services
• buying or renting land or property, including making it easier for disabled people to rent property and for tenants to make disability-related adaptations

The Act now requires public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. It also allows the government to set minimum standards so that disabled people can use public transport easily.

Human Rights Act

The Human Rights Act brings into UK law the rights you have under the European Convention on Human Rights. If you experience discrimination on the grounds of disability, you may have a case under both the Human Rights Act and the Disability Discrimination Act.

Example
In a court hearing, where necessary information about the case has not been made accessible, you could bring a claim under the DDA for failing to provide accessible information – and also under the Human Rights Act, for failing to allow you to have a fair hearing.