30 Years Since the Disability Discrimination Act
ADDED:
Flag raising ceremony at 11am on 16th July 2025
2025 marks 30 years since the DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) became law in the UK, in 1995. It has since been superseded by the Equality Act which became law 15 years later.
Why was the DDA put in place?
Prior to the DDA many disabled children were sent to specialist schools. An example being Hatchford Park school in Cobham, Surrey. This was a London owned boarding school where many children and young people attending were sent from the London area for schooling. It was much rarer for disabled children to be included in mainstream education and were not always offered the same academic opportunities in the specialist schools.
In the 1980s and 1990s, disabled people started to organise to fight for rights to work, education and transport. Things many nondisabled people take for granted. The Direct Action Network was born, called Desperate DAN, and disabled people protested around the UK so they could have some rights similar to nondisabled people. ‘Rights not charity’ and ‘Nothing about us without us’ became two of the strong mantras of the time and continue in disability activism today.
Interested in seeing a bit more about the protests?
Click the links below to watch more on Youtube:
https://youtu.be/ngkx8ASyWaY?feature=shared Direct Action Network (DAN) Part 1
https://youtu.be/Omy2B50TScA?feature=shared Direct Action Network (DAN) Part 2
https://youtu.be/xBTPYQac9EI?feature=shared Direct Action Network (DAN) Part 3
https://youtu.be/VWEN9cclKA8?feature=shared Direct Action network (DAN) Part 4
What did the DDA do for disabled people?
The DDA brought into law rights for disabled people in the UK for the very first time. The law gave disabled people rights to education, employment and travel on public transport. Up to this point, many disabled people were unable to join mainstream education. Getting a job was much harder for many disabled people as employers could choose to not hire disabled people without significant consequence. Buses, trains and tubes were all inaccessible to those with mobility impairments, especially wheelchair users. Whilst some rights were brought in, many campaigners did not feel they went far enough. As with the Equality Act enforcing the rights is a civil matter and therefore very hard to ensure that those rights were and are enjoyed by all disabled people. Many campaigners felt the law that was passed fell way short of their demands and the needs of disabled people.
What is the current situation?
Whilst the DDA and the Equality Act have given disabled people rights, these have not been easily enforceable for many. That is where being a member of a union like UNISON helps especially for those of us in the workforce.
Many disabled people are now using their civil legal routes to enforce claims of discrimination and inaccessibility. There are legal firms supporting disabled people to do this, as well as many campaigners who have produced guides on how to enforce rights to access and reasonable adjustments.
Many people will be aware of the current threats to disabled people’s finances and benefits via the national press. There are rises in the amount of negative press about disabled people and it is becoming increasingly more difficult for many disabled people to exist, both financially and free from hate and discrimination.
What Next?
Surrey County UNISON branch are organising an event to commemorate the Disability Discrimination Act.
ADDED: Flag raising ceremony at 11am on 16th July 2025
Followed by a hybrid event:
16th July from 12pm
Woodhatch and online
You can sign up for tickets here:
https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/b2b6a340-5783-41cd-8c54-ec0e3ebd13b2@d961b545-104c-4ed0-8582-1f570f0595cd
We will be welcoming Sue Elsegood, Carlo Salvatore and Mik Scarlet to the event, disabled people who were all active in the 1990s for a panel discussion hosted by Ellie Waple. Joining the panel will be Vikki Walton-Cole and members of ATLAS to discuss what the DDA has meant to them and what disability rights could or should look like in the future.
Sue Elsegood – National Disability Arts Collection & Archive
(1) Carlo Salvatore | LinkedIn
(1) Mik Scarlet | LinkedIn Mik Scarlet – The Official Mik Scarlet Website
We look forward to seeing you there. We recommend that all attendees try to watch some of the Direct Action Network videos in advance of the event.