January 29, 2003—The British government plans to publish a draft disability Bill later this year, which it believes will significantly extend rights for disabled people in the UK. Among the planned new initiatives will be changes to the Disability Discrimination Act, affecting the public sector, transport, and premises, and meaning some widening of the definition of disability. Work and Pensions Secretary Andrew Smith announced the commitment on the launch of the European Year of Disabled People.
FMs will be most affected by the changes in the DDA covering premises access, according to a report in Workplacelaw Network. The access rights protection for disabled people will reportedly be extended. The DDA Employment sections may also be changed to make the DDA applicable to small employers (under 15 employees), and the definition of disability will be widened to specifically include blind and partially sighted people.
