Legislation and Guidance

Changes to the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) over the last few years are of particular relevance to the education sector. The DDA (2005) requires public bodies to promote disability equality. HEIs, FECs and other organisations had to produce a Disability Equality Scheme (DES) by December 2006.

• Making the Duty Work - DRC guidance on the DED PDF or Word
• DDA (2005)
• DDA (2005) - explanatory notes - OPSI
  

Guidance and support for educational providers:

The Special Educational Needs & Disability Act amended part 4 of the DDA and covers all public educational providers. It has been the key piece of legisation on disability and education in recent years.

The higher education sector has also been influenced by section 3 (students with disabilities) of the Quality Assurance Agency's (QAA) code of practice and the HEFCE's guidance on base-level provision.

Funding arrangements in higher education consist of non-means tested non-repayable grants (the Disabled Students' Allowances) that individual students can claim and mainstream institutional funding provided by the HEFCE.

Codes of practice

• Post-16 code of practice - for providers of post-16 education and related services
• Code of practice for schools
• Code of practice on DDA part 3 - relates to non-educational services e.g. sports centres, catering facilities

• Trade Organisations and Qualifications Bodies - also relates to professional bodies

Other information on disability rights:

• Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
• Human Rights Act
• Information from Skill on the DDA part III and IV - (Further guidance and a self test quiz on the DDA 1995 and SENDA 2001)