Department for Work and Pensions
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Disabled people reap the rewards of the Disability Discrimination Act
Public knowledge of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) increased significantly between 1996 and 2006, and according to new research released today, the Act has improved the lives of disabled people across the board - from their access to public transport to shopping at their local grocer.
The research uses data from the Disability Module of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Omnibus Survey between 1996 and 2006 which looked at awareness of the Act, access to goods and services, access to transport (2005, 2006) and renting or buying a home.
It shows that over 70% of people are now aware of the Act by name, compared to only 40% in 1996, a year after DDA was first introduced.
Other key findings of the research are:
* 77% of disabled people reported that they did not have any problems using public transport
* 79% of disabled people in paid work said they had no trouble accessing goods and services compared to 59% of those not in paid work
* 80% of disabled people had no difficulties when shopping
* Less than 1% said they had been refused the sale or rental of a property because they were disabled
* Awareness of the Act was higher among the wider population than among disabled people
* Those over 65 years old were less likely to know about the Act.
Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, said:
"It is reassuring that awareness of DDA increased considerably between 1996 and 2006, as it plays an important part in protecting disabled people from discrimination in all areas of their lives. I'm particularly pleased to see the Act making a real difference to the everyday lives of disabled people - whether it's getting on a bus or going to the corner shop.
"The Government has shown its commitment to enforcing the civil rights of disabled people by significantly improving the original Act in 2005. It means that those with long term illnesses such as cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV infection, are now protected from discrimination. Public bodies also now have to actively promote the equal rights of disabled people.
"It is unacceptable that anyone is discriminated against or is excluded from using a service because of their impairment. We will continue to champion the rights of disabled people as we move towards giving them the same choice and control over their lives as the rest of the population."
Notes to Editors
1. The Disability Discrimination Act
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was passed in 1995 and aims to end the discrimination that many disabled people face. It protects disabled people in a range of circumstances, including employment, education, transport and the provision of goods, facilities, services and premises. Only those defined as disabled under the Act are entitled to its protection. Some provisions became law for employers in December 1996 while others have been added over time. The DDA 2005 amended the 1995 Act to place a duty on public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. The Disability Equality Duty came into force on 5th December 2006.
2. ONS Omnibus Survey
The Omnibus Survey is conducted monthly by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It asks approximately 1,500 to 2,000 adults questions on a number of different topics that vary from month to month. Data for the ONS Omnibus survey is collected by face-to-face interview, from a stratified random sample of individuals aged 16 years and over, living in private households in Great Britain.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) funds a module on the ONS Omnibus survey that asks questions regarding the self-reported health and disability status of respondents. The main aim of the disability module on the ONS Omnibus Survey is to provide details of the experiences of disabled people in their day-to day lives and of the level of awareness across the whole population of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA 1995).
3. Definition of disability used in the report
For the purposes of this analysis the definition used for a disabled person is someone who is likely to be covered by the DDA, which is calculated in the dataset by individuals' responses to the first six questions in the disability module of the ONS Omnibus Survey. This figure is not to be considered as a measure of prevalence of disability but instead it identifies a population that are likely to be covered by the DDA.
Office for Disability Issues Research Report 001 - The Disability Discrimination Act:
Analysis of Data for the ONS Omnibus Survey 1996-2006 is published on 19 February 2008. The reports are available on the ODI website http://www.officefordisability.gov.uk
Website http://www.dwp.gov.uk
