1. Does the Disability Discrimination Act affect me?

If you are involved in any business or organisation which:

• provides a service;
• offers facilities; or
• supplies goods

to the public, whether paid for or free, then the Disability Discrimination Act affects you. The Act refers to you as a service provider.

This includes:

• shops and restaurants
• banks and building societies
• hotels and guest houses
• theatres and cinemas
• sport and leisure facilities
• insurance companies
• telecommunications and broadcasting services
• and many others.

It also includes public services such as:

• hospitals
• doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries
• departments of both central and
• local government
• libraries and museums
• places of interest (such as historic buildings)
• churches, or other places of worship
• bus and railway stations.

But it does not include transport vehicles or providing education.

If you are involved in selling, letting or managing land or property, you should follow this link.

You have to bother. If you break the law you might end up in court.

Every day disabled people face difficulties that most non-disabled people have no idea about. It’s not just about ramps, wide doorways and accessible toilets for wheelchair users. It’s about all disabled people and the way they are treated.

You probably treat your disabled customers as well as you treat everybody else. But there are some service providers who don’t. The Disability Discrimination Act aims to put this right.

There are a large number of disabled customers in the population and they choose where they spend their money. If you are positive and welcoming in your approach and provide a good service, you will attract not only disabled customers but also their friends, relatives, carers and colleagues. Word will soon get around that you are positive about disability.

1.5 What do I need to know?

As a service provider, you need to know how the Act may affect your business. Not all of the duties on service providers begin at the same time. This booklet explains the first duties to be introduced on 2 December and gives examples of situations that disabled customers face every day. The later duties are mentioned on page 28. This booklet gives general guidance only and should not be treated as a complete and authoritative statement of the law.

The Government has issued a Code of Practice, prepared by the National Disability Council, which gives practical advice on how to comply with the law. It can also be used in evidence in legal proceedings under the Act. For more details follow this link.

There are also other publications which give information about the Act. There is a list by following this link.

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Last updated: January 07, 2002.