RNID: For deaf and hard of hearing people.

The DDA covers most companies, organisations, public bodies and individuals that are involved in:

  • employing people with disabilities (apart from the Armed Forces)
  • providing goods, services or facilities (including insurance)
  • selling or renting property (such as houses, flats or offices)
  • providing education (schools, colleges and universities) to people with disabilities.

What is a service provider?

Under the DDA, service providers are most individuals, companies or organisations that offer goods, facilities or services within the UK to the public or to a section of the public. Some service providers are not covered by the DDA such as manufacturers, private clubs and some areas of public transport.

The DDA says service providers must not discriminate against people with disabilities. It also says service providers have to make reasonable adjustments so that disabled people do not have serious difficulties using their services.

Our factsheet Loop and infrared systems for people managing public venues provides detailed information on how to make a venue more accessible for people who are deaf.

What type of employment is covered?

The DDA covers people in full-time, part-time and temporary work. It also covers self-employed people and people looking for work.

You can find more information about all of the issues explained on this page in our employment factsheets.

Your responsibilities as an employer

The DDA applies to all employers of all sizes, including small businesses with less than 15 staff, except for the Armed Forces.

As an employer you are legally responsible for preventing discrimination in the workplace. It is unlawful to discriminate against disabled people. The DDA says that employers have to take reasonable steps to make sure that disabled people are not at a disadvantage when trying to do their job.

If you have a member of staff who is deaf or hard of hearing, we can help by providing you with information and advice. You should consider applying for our Louder Than Words charter mark, which is our charter of best practice for organisations offering services to the public. It ensures that they are offering a high quality, deaf aware service to deaf and hard of hearing customers, service users and staff.

Guidance on providing sign language interpreters

The leaflet Guidance on providing British Sign Language/English Interpreters under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 gives general information about British Sign Language (BSL), its users and BSL/English interpreters. It explains the duty to provide BSL/English interpreters (opens new browser window) and gives practical examples.

The quick reference guide is a summary of the guidance. You can see signed video clips of the quick reference guide with examples. 

The guidance is aimed at employers, trade organisations and service providers. Advisers will find the information useful. It is also of interest to BSL-users who want to know more about their right to a sign language interpreter.

More information

See our factsheets for more information about the DDA and employing deaf people.