I had a brief look but could only find the 2005 available in full. 🙂
Marc,
In the main it is the 2005 ammendments to the Act you need, it was during this Act that diabetes became classed as a disability.
Essentially the body of the DDA is the enforcement of all organisations to make reasonable changes to account for disabled persons, in the past blindness, deafness, wheelchair users were quite clearly covered by the Act, however, the 2005 Act sought to expand and clarify who was included in the definition of disabled and how the Act applied to in terms of those who were required to make changes to accomodate disabled people.
Pubs, restaraunts and private/public landlords where some of the parties specifically drawn in, as to were shops and more public services, including taxis and public transport (although personally speaking announcement displays on trains have a long way to come!), for example in the case of the deaf, either having a display on a shopkeepers till facing the customer and clearly visible, e.g. not with a chewing gum display rack in front of it, or writing down the amount in order for a deaf person to understand clearly. Failure to do so is direct contravention of the DDA.
From the perspective of diabetes, this includes making reasonable adjustment for the taking of breaks, questionably there is coverage for hospital appointments and even absence from work due to illness directly attributed to your diabetes. This does begin to over-ride some employment law in the case of employers, e.g. if you suffer night-time hypos and are late to work while you correct your levels, the employer needs to account for this and make, as the Act suggests reasonable and practicable adjustments where appropriate.
In some instances the employer, shop, public service etc may not be able to adjust to your disability and under the DDA if they have shown that to the best of their ability there isn't anything else they can do, then they cannot be challenged, usually case under the DDA goes to tribuneral with a confidentiality clause attached to any outcome - often because it is feared many people would claim under the DDA if they saw there were payouts of ?3,000 or more in some cases for seemingly minor claims.
For full copies of the Acts I'd suggest HMSO (Her Majestys Stationary Office) as they hold print titles on all government publications - although some Acts seem not to be held in print, the Road Traffic Act of various years being one such Act.
Still so much of the DDA is considered for the 'visible' disabilities, the blind, the wheelchair bound et-al and not the invisible disabilities, diabetes, deafness and the such like.
