The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 was amended in 2005. The amendment places a general duty on all public authorities to have ‘due regard’ to the need to:
Promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons
Eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disability
Eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the Act
Promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons
Encourage participation by disabled persons in public life; and
Take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disability, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favorably than other persons
The fundamental aim of the general duty is to eliminate unlawful disability discrimination in the way public bodies (including local authorities) carry out their functions. In order to achieve this aim public bodies will need to take a proactive approach in mainstreaming disability equality into all decisions and functions.
What is the Disability Equality Scheme?
The Disability Discrimination Act (2005) imposed both a general duty (as listed in the introduction) and specific duties on all Local Authorities. Developing a Disability Equality Scheme is one of the main specific duties Local Authorities need to comply with. The Scheme should detail how local authorities will meet their general and specific duties. An integral part of the Scheme is to publish a three-year action plan that details the work Spelthorne Borough Council will take to promote the various facets of the general duty. Each year we will evaluate the action plan to determine how effectively the points have been delivered. We will publish the results on the Councils website.
