26 May 2004 - Changes to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and Your Business
If you provide goods, facilities or services to the public or if you employ fewer than 15 people, you need to know about important changes to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) from 1 October 2004.
From 1 October 2004 some new duties will come into force all about physical access. If there are any physical barriers that are preventing disabled people from using your service, you may have to make reasonable adjustment to make your services more accessible by removing, altering or helping people avoid these barriers . Where this is not possible, you may have to provide the service in a reasonable alternative way.
For the first time employers with fewer than 15 staff are covered by the employment duties of the DDA, meaning that like larger companies, you will need to make sure you don’t discriminate against disabled employees or job applicants because of their disability and you may have to consider making reasonable changes to your workplace or employment policies.
If a disabled person believes that you have discriminated against them because of their disability, you could be taken to an employment tribunal or have a civil case brought against you. You may have to pay compensation if the tribunal or court decides that you have discriminated unlawfully.
You can find out more information on these new changes on the Disability Rights Commission website here.
There is also a fact sheet produced by the TUC which you can access here: Trades Union Congress - October 2004: the Disability Discrimination Act and your Business
