The Disability Discrimination Act: Evaluation

The Disability Discrimination Act: Evaluation 

The Disability Discrimination Act was propounded to provide and preserve rights for the physically challenge, especially as it relates to usage and accessible to ICT tools and facilities. Discuss. 

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) introduced new laws aimed at ending the discrimination that many disabled people face. The Act gave disabled people new rights of access to goods and services, education, employment, transport and accommodation. It was however amended in 2005 to include provisions for digital and information technology (ICT). 

The DDA makes Disability Discrimination unlawful and provides people with disability and their associates the right to lodge a complaint if they feel Disability Discrimination has occurred.

The Act generally provides for the Disability Equality Duty (DED) which places a statutory duty on public bodies to have due regard to the need to:

1. promote equality of opportunity between disabled persons and other persons

2. eliminate discrimination that is unlawful under the DDA

3. eliminate harassment of disabled persons that is related to their disabilities

4. promote positive attitudes towards disabled persons

5. encourage participation by disabled persons in public life

6. take steps to take account of disabled persons’ disabilities, even where that involves treating disabled persons more favourably than other persons.

In the light of this, the rights of disabled persons are duly guaranteed.

Similarly, in respect of physically challenged persons having adequate and undenied access to ICT facilities and tools, it has been quite effective in the following circumstances.

The DDA requires that organizations take reasonable steps to ensure that their ICT is accessible to individuals with disabilities. This includes making sure that their websites, software, and hardware are designed to be accessible to individuals with a range of disabilities, such as visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments. For example, websites should be designed to be usable by individuals using a screen reader, and software should be designed to be usable by individuals with limited mobility. 

Continuous accessible Internet services and unfettered access to digital materials or applications, including social media, therefore, offer a veritable alternative to persons with disabilities, including persons who are blind, or visually impaired, or otherwise print disabled, to keep relevant and meaningful engagement and conversation with their immediate and outside environment, thereby contributing to stabilizing their mind and helping them to maintain healthy mental health.

Additionally, the Act provides that organizations should ensure that their ICT is compatible with assistive technologies, such as screen readers and magnifiers, to help individuals with disabilities access the information they need.

The DDA also requires that organizations provide appropriate training and support to employees with disabilities to help them use ICT effectively. This can include providing training on the use of assistive technologies, as well as providing accessible documentation and support materials.

In addition, the Act requires that organizations make reasonable adjustments to their ICT systems and processes to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not at a substantial disadvantage. This can include providing alternative ways of accessing information, such as through a phone or email, or providing additional support to help individuals with disabilities use ICT.

Overall, the DDA is an important legislation that helps to ensure that individuals with disabilities have equal access to ICT, and that organizations take steps to make their ICT systems and processes accessible. The DDA is an important tool in promoting inclusion and accessibility in the digital age, and it helps to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not left behind in the digital world.

In conclusion, the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is a crucial legislation in the United Kingdom that aims to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities by preventing discrimination in areas such as employment, education, and access to goods and services, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The DDA requires organizations to take reasonable steps to ensure that their ICT systems and processes are accessible to individuals with disabilities and to make reasonable adjustments to their ICT systems and processes to ensure that individuals with disabilities are not at a substantial disadvantage.