The Equality Act 2010 (Previously known as DDA)

DDA and how it all began

The Disability Discrimination Act was passed in 1995, over 20 years ago. It is the most influential piece of Government legislation concerning disabled access. This Act was the first of its kind to call for gradual improvements in the way that employers, owners and property managers of public buildings achieve equal access for all members of the public. An estimated 10 million people in the UK now have rights to fair treatment in employment, education and all customer services. Before the DDA was introduced many disabled people were excluded from society, there was a severe lack of access to many public services but the DDA helped remove physical barriers and improve access for all.

The DDA required building owners and service providers to make reasonable 'adequate' provision to ensure independent and equal access. The Act was introduced in three successive parts:

Part 1 - Dec 1996 - Recognise overall problem
Part 2 - Oct 1999 - Start making reasonable adjustments
Part 3 - Oct 2004 - Deadline for making reasonable adjustment

In 2006 the Disability Rights Commission announced a 2006 deadline which required public bodies to actively promote disability equality. In 2007 a new Commission for Equality and Human Rights made changes and the legislation required all buildings with public access to ensure disabled access to all services.

The Platform Lift Company have worked in partnership with many public services including Educational establishments, Restaurants and the Retail Industry helping them comply with the DDA by providing access for all.

The Equality Act 2010 - Access for all  

The Equality Act was introduced in 2010, Society now recognised that everybody not just disabled people, should have access to all public buildings. Steps and stairs can be a problem for any of us using wheelchairs, pushchairs, shopping trollies, walking frames etc.

How does the Equality Act affect your business?

The Equality Act applies to all service providers providing goods and facilities in the UK. Reasonable provisions and/or adjustments must be made to overcome physical features that obstruct the less able to access facilities.

It is the duty of the service provider to remedy the situation, i.e.

• Remove the feature
• Alter it so it no longer has that effect, or
• Provide a reasonable alternative access route making the service in question available to the less abled in another way.

A simple platform lift can overcome the issue of a steps. See our full range of products. We have solutions for every environment. Please give us a call to discuss how we can help you comply with the equality Act and make your building accessible to all.