Disability Discrimination Act 1995

In England, Wales and Scotland this law was replaced by the Equality Act 2010. In Northern Ireland it was not. The DDA, updated by later laws including SENDO in 2005, is still the law that protects your child from disability discrimination Equality Act 2010 The law that protects disabled children from unfair treatment in England, Wales and Scotland. Your child does not need a diagnosis to be covered. Read the full definition of Equality Act 2010 there.

In practice it works in a similar way to the Equality Act: schools and services must not treat your child unfairly because of a disability, and schools must take reasonable steps so your child is not put at a substantial disadvantage. If you live in Northern Ireland and read advice that quotes the Equality Act, similar protection usually exists for you, but under the DDA instead.

Your child does not need a diagnosis for the law to protect them. What matters is the effect their difficulties have on everyday life.