Disability Equality Duty and the DDA

The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) became law in 1995.  Its aim was to end the discrimination faced by disabled people in relation to Employment, Goods and Services, Education, Transport etc.

In December 2006, the DDA was amended to include new duties and responsibilities for public authorities (e.g. central or local government, schools, health trusts and emergency services).  This means that all 10 local authorities within Greater Manchester have a legal duty to build disability equality into the services they provide.

These legal responsibilities include:

• to publish a Disability Equality Scheme
• involve disabled people in producing the Scheme
• demonstrate they have taken action to implement the scheme
• report on what progress has been made
• review and revise the Scheme

In drawing up their Disability Equality Schemes, public bodies must actively involve disabled people in both developing and reviewing the scheme, and must describe how disabled people were involved in the production of the Scheme.

Below we have created links to the Schemes of each of the 10 local authorities in Greater Manchester. Also, at the end of the section there are some links on further reading about both the Disability Discrimination Act and the recently introduced Disability Equality Duty:

Local Authority Disability Equality Schemes

Bolton

Bury

Manchester

Oldham (Equality and Diversity Team - Tel: 0161 770 4166 or E-mail: equalities@oldham.gov.uk)

Rochdale

Salford

Stockport

Tameside

Trafford

Wigan

Further Reading:

Disability Equality Duty (from "Directgov")

Disability Equality Duty (from "Disability Rights Commission")

Disability Discrimination Act (from "Directgov")

Disability Discrimination Act (from "YourRights")