Summary of Act
| Disability Discrimination Act | Summary of Act |
Disability Discrimination Act (1995)
Countryside managers and other service providers with responsibilities for access and informal recreation must also be aware of the implications of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). The Act makes it unlawful for service providers to treat disabled people less favourably than they would treat other people, for a reason related to their disability, when offering or providing goods, services and facilities. Some provisions of the Act came into force in 1996 and 1999, whilst others will come into effect in 2004. Further details of the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) and its possible implications for the management of access in the countryside are outlined in Appendix 2.
Access in the Countryside
Key Implications of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) . From 1 October 1999, but prior to 2004, where a structure on a path is a barrier to access by disabled people, service providers have a duty to find a reasonable alternative method of providing access.
From 2004, where a structure on a path makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for a disabled person to gain access, service providers have a duty to take reasonable steps to remove, alter or avoid it, if access cannot be provided by a reasonable alternative method.