Disability Discrimination Act 2005
From Democracywiki
Central Lobby
December 2005
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005, which received royal assent in April 2005, took effect on 5 December.
The Act strengthens and supplements rights and duties established under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. It also brings in other changes that give extra protection to disabled people. These include:
- the extension of the DDA to private clubs with 25 or more members;
- sanctions for publishers of discriminatory adverts;
- a simpler process for people who think they have been discriminated against when using services; and
- new protection for local councillors.
People diagnosed with cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis (MS), but not yet showing signs of their illness, will be protected for the first time under the 2005 Act. This means that employers and organisations providing services to the public will not be able to discriminate against people who discover that they have one of these illnesses.
The Department of Work and Pensions estimates that around 250,000 people in Great Britain with HIV, multiple sclerosis and cancer will be covered by the new rules.
