30 years on from the Disability Discrimination Act: A personal reflection

As we mark 30 years since the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) was introduced, I’ve been reflecting on my 35+ years as a self-advocate and activist. I’ve seen important changes over the decades, but I’ve also seen how far we still have to go.

The DDA came into effect in the 1990s after a long campaign by the disability rights movement. I was proud to be a part of this movement and have continued to advocate ever since. It was a big moment and a starting point – a significant one. It gave people with learning disabilities legal protection from discrimination for the first time. That was historic. It helped raise awareness that discrimination against disabled people existed—and that something had to be done about it.

One of the most ground-breaking things it did was introduce the idea of “reasonable adjustments.” These are changes that services, employers, or housing providers must make to include disabled people. As I often say, reasonable adjustments are essential if we’re going to get people with learning disabilities into paid jobs and help them succeed in them. I don’t think I’d have achieved what I have in my career without them. They also matter when it comes to finding and living in housing that works for people.  As an advocate of the Social Model of Disability (opens new window), I would argue it is society that needs to adapt to us – like it does for everyone else.  

I would argue that when the DDA was absorbed into the Equality Act, it lost some of its identity and focus [read more about the Equality Act in Andy Shipley’s Housing LIN blog for more information HYPERLINK ONCE PUBLISHED]. But it did help more people begin taking the rights of disabled people seriously. What gave me the most hope, though, was the launch of Valuing People in 2001, A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century (opens new window). For the first time, it felt like there was a real effort to include people with learning disabilities in decisions that affected their lives.

However, since 1995, progress has been slow. More recently, the COVID-19 pandemic made that painfully clear. People with learning disabilities were not prioritised for vaccines, even though they were at higher risk.

That said, we are in a better place. There’s more accessible information available, like easy read tenancy agreements, that have made it possible for people to be involved in decisions about where they live and who with. More people with learning disabilities are now living in their own homes, being part of their communities, and building meaningful relationships. Though we must not forget about the people that aren’t being given the choice or control over their lives to be able to do this.

Despite there being much that still needs to change, I’m hopeful. More people with learning disabilities are speaking up and working with others for Good Lives (opens new window) including disabled people having the same and equal choices on where they live as non-disabled people. Another 30 years on from the DDA, I believe we will see more progress—and maybe, just maybe, true equality will finally be a reality.

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If you found this of interest, the Housing LIN curates a dedicated page on better housing choices for people with a learning disability and autistic people here.

This is the second in a series of Housing LIN guest blogs leading up to the 30th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act. The series will end in an extended HAPPI Hour webinar on Tuesday, 11 November 2025, where contributors will share expert insights and assess progress on disability, accessible housing, and the built environment.

Information about our next series of free HAPPI Hour sessions and how to sign up as a delegate will appear on our Forthcoming Events pages.