D.D.A. guide: Who does the D.D.A. protect?
Disability Rights
D.D.A. guide: Who does the
D.D.A. protect?
The definition of "disability" in the DDA includes:
- Physical
- Intellectual
- Psychiatric
- Sensory
- Neurological,
and - Learning
disabilities, as well as - Physical
disfigurement, and - The
presence in the body of disease-causing organisms.
This
broad definition is meant to ensure that everyone with a disability is
protected.
The
DDA covers a disability which people:
- Have
now, - Had
in the past (for example: a past episode of mental illness), - May
have in the future (eg: a family history of a disability which a person
may also develop), - Are
believed to have (for example: if people think someone has AIDS).
The
DDA also covers people with a disability who may be discriminated against
because:
- They
are accompanied by an assistant, interpreter or reader, - They
are accompanied by a trained animal, such as a guide or hearing dog,
or - They
use equipment or an aid, such as a wheelchair or a hearing aid.
The
DDA also protects people who have some form of personal connection with
a person with a disability like relatives, friends, carers and co-workers
if they are discriminated against because of that connection or relationship.
For example, it is unlawful discrimination if:
- A
parent is refused a job because the employer assumes he or she will
need time off work to look after a child with a disability - People
are refused access to a restaurant because they are with a friend who
has a disability - A
carer of a person with a disability is refused accommodation because
of his or her association with the person with a disability - A
worker is hassled about working with a person with a disability.
Harassment
because of disability, such as insults or humiliating jokes, is unlawful
in employment, education and in the provision of goods, services and facilities.