Disability
Definition of Disability
What that means is that they have a disability or a long-term health condition that has an impact on their day to day lives. People in these circumstances and some others (such as people with a facial disfigurement) are likely to have rights under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
It is important that people have rights – people with cancer, diabetes, multiple sclerosis and heart conditions; people who have a hearing or sight impairment or a significant mobility difficulty, caused for example by arthritis, can be treated unfairly. The same is true of people who have mental health conditions or learning difficulties.
It is widely accepted that disabled people generally have fewer opportunities and are more likely to be discriminated against or disadvantaged than non-disabled people.
Everyone has a fundamental human right to independent living but this right is often denied to them living in a society which uses the ‘Medical Model’ of disability. This defines people by their impairments and the problems they face when seeking equality. Portsmouth City Council seeks to improve the independence of disabled people by using the ‘Social Model’ of disability, which means that the Council continues to strive to make all the improvements it can by removing the physical and attitudinal barriers that may limit the independence of people with disabilities.
More on Disability Equality
Disability Discrimination Act 1995The Disability Equality Duty (DED) (Disability Discrimination (Amendment) Act 2005)
One City Many Abilities
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