Find out about the legislation that is in place to promote civil rights for people with disabilities and protect people with disabilities from discrimination.
This article is mainly about the Disability Discrimination Act itself. You can find out about your rights in different areas of life, including accessing and using the services of shops, cafés and banks from the link below.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 aims to end the discrimination that faces many people with disabilities. This Act has been significantly extended, including by the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order 2006 (DDO). It now gives people with disabilities rights in the areas of:
The legislation requires public bodies to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities. It also allows the government to set minimum standards so that people with disabilities can use public transport easily.
The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM) website offers further information, including details on the changes made by the DDO 2006.
The Equality Commission for Northern Ireland (ECNI) website has plenty of information on disability discrimination including a section called 'you are now covered' which highlights the changes made under the DDO.
The Act is published on the website of the Office of Public Sector Information.
The DDO 2006 is also published on the website of the Office of Public Sector Information.
Print versions of the legislation are published by the Stationery Office (TSO) and can be bought. The ISBN number is 0105450952 for the 1995 Act and ISBN 0110800206 for the 2006 Order.
People with disabilities
