Disability Equality Duty

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New legislation has amended the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to place a duty on all public authorities, including the Department, to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. The duty will have a significant impact on the way in which all public services are run and on improving the lives of disabled people.

The duty has two elements:

General Duty

  • the need to eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the DDA;
  • the need to eliminate harassment that is unlawful under the DDA;
  • the need to promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons; and
  • the need to take steps to take account of disabled person's disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.

Specific Duty

  • preparation and publication of a disability equality scheme (DES); and
  • publication of an annual report stating how it has implemented its DES.

More information about the Department's Disability Equality Scheme and the annual reporting process can be found here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/sr/disabilityequalityduty/disabilityequalityscheme/

For more information about the duty and its implications, please see the Disability Rights Commission's web site www.dotheduty.org.

The duty sits alongside existing duties on race (see www.dft.gov.uk/about/sr/diversity/res/) and complements other strands of forthcoming equality legislation.