DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (ReferenceDRC-062) issued by The
Government News Network on 19 February 2008
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