The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) is civil law affecting the whole of the UK.
If a service provider discriminates for a reason which relates to a disability - without justification - they risk being sued. Many already have been.

You are likely to discriminate if you treat a disabled person “less favourably” but the DDA itself does not offer prescriptive guidance. In other words it tells you what you shouldn’t do but doesn’t tell you how to achieve this aim. For that, you need to refer to other guidance and legislation.

At Ingersoll Rand, not only do we support the aims and scope of the DDA but, most importantly, we have a full understanding of the associated guidance. Foremost amongst these are British Standard BS 8300:2001 Amendment No. 1 'Design of buildings to meet the needs of disabled people' and The Building Regulations (England & Wales) Approved Document M:2004.

So the guidance is in place - but you need expert advice to be able to apply it. Every application needs to be judged on its own merits to arrive at the best solution. There is no ‘cut & paste’ solution.

This is where our experience can prove invaluable – after all, as a truly global company, we have been helping US specifiers with the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) for over 17 years.

Key Design Considerations - what can we offer?

• Accessibility - door opening forces
  Mechanical and electromagnetic products; assisted and fully automated door systems to satisfy          any given situation
• Door Furniture - size, shape, finish and tactile quality
  A wide portfolio designed to suit both aesthetic and practical needs
• Visual Contrast - Light Reflectance Value (LRV)
  Practical advice based on independently validated research allied to an unrivalled choice of finished metal and coloured nylon product
• Relative Temperature - 'not cold to the touch'
  One of very few manufacturer's able to offer steel-cored nylon products which fully satisfy this requirement...and the only one to offer built-in anti-bacterial protection (see Normbau Microban)

For more information on the Disability Discrimination Act please click here.