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Disability Act 2005

Access to Services (Section 26)

A "service" means a service or facility of any kind provided by a public body which is available to or accessible by the public generally or a section of the public and, without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, includes-

1. the use of any place or amenity owned, managed or controlled by a public body
2. the provision of information or an information resource or a scheme or an allowance or other benefit administered by a public body
3. any cultural or heritage services provided by such a body, and
4. any service provided by a court or other tribunal

This section of the Act requires that, with effect from 31 December, 2005, where a public body provides a service it shall--

(a) "where practical and appropriate", ensure that the provision of access to the service by persons with disabilities is integrated,

(b) "where practical and appropriate", provide assistance, if requested, to persons with disabilities in assessing the services if it is satisfied that this is necessary to comply with (a) above, and

(c) "where appropriate", ensure the availability of persons with appropriate expertise and skills to give advice to the body about how to ensure that its services are accessible to persons with disabilities.

The Act also requires public bodies to authorise at least one of its staff members to provide or arrange for and co-ordinate the provision of assistance and guidance to persons with disabilities in accessing its services. The people so authorised will be known as Access Officers.  (As a public body the Office of the Ombudsman is also required to appoint an Access Officer.  Here is a link to our Access Officer's details.)

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