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About us
In September 2003 “Disability East Ltd” was established - forming a regional partnership between charities for disabled people - to pool knowledge and share expertise. The partner charities of Disability East are located in the 6 counties and 4 unitary areas of the East of England: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk with Luton, Peterborough, Southend and Thurrock.
Disability Discrimination Acts
The Disability Discrimination Acts (DDAs) 1995 and 2005 aim to integrate all people with any type of impairment into mainstream society. Because the Acts address the rights and obligations of service providers and consumers they tend to be multi-layered and complex.
Our aim
Our aspiration is that the DDAs will benefit & satisfy both user and provider.
While we recognise that raising expectations beyond what is achievable will disappoint consumers and frustrate providers, we will not accept excuses made simply to avoid reasonable provision of quality and accessible services for all.
Our approach
Disability East members are all Charities and Social Enterprises, some with over 50 years of experience. We take a pragmatic view of achieving the achievable, considering cost and benefit, and working as a partner colleague in preference to confrontation.
User rights
We support disabled people, their partners, carers and dependants in achieving equality of service by providing:
- easily understood and accessible information
- access to training
- help to clubs, support groups and individuals to overcome institutional discrimination, through legal routes if no other way is available.
Service providers’ needs
Like other statutory and commercial enterprises we also want to provide quality services, within budget, to the widest number of people. We offer support to others by the provision of:
- services of qualified and insured Access Auditors and Customer Care Trainers, who give practical advice based on pragmatic experience
- an information service, where service providers will be signposted or given specific advice to achieve compliance with the DDA
Call us on:
0844 499 8404
