More about the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)

The scale of opportunity

There are more than 10 million disabled people in the UK, and more than 50 million in Europe and the same number in the USA alone. Few of them will travel or enjoy their leisure time alone, which means that by addressing the needs of the disabled individual, a much wider customer base is attracted. That is a massive, lucrative market waiting to be serviced.

The cost

Investing in what may be the last major untapped market in tourism and complying with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, will probably cost a lot less than you think. We can help you identify where your business is now and establish the most effective and cost-efficient way ahead. So, if you own or manage a hotel, guest house, bed and breakfast, restaurant, farm stay, visitor attraction, or indeed any business seeking to welcome disabled customers, let us our skilled and dedicated team guide you to success!

The benefits

Service providers offering a genuinely accessible environment and service are in big demand. A high level of customer loyalty is also a feature of this sector of the market. Investing in access to your services and products will be a smart move.

A brief overview of the Disability Discrimination Act

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed in 1995 to introduce new measures aimed at ending the discrimination which many disabled people face.

It protects disabled people in the areas of:

• employment;
• access to goods, facilities and services;
• the management, buying or renting of land or property;
• education.

Some of these measures became law for employers in December 1996. Others will be introduced over time.

For service providers (e.g. businesses and organisations):

• since December 1996 it has been unlawful to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability;
• since October 1999 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;
• from October 2004 they may have to make reasonable adjustments to the physical features of their premises to overcome physical barriers to access.