Rewriting history: the case of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995

Abstract

The Disability Discrimination Act was 20 years old in 2015 and received much attention, being presented as a cause for celebration. In what follows I suggest that this is far from being an accurate assessment of its impact and go on to suggest that it was not achieved as a result of a broad consensus but rather the product and ultimate betrayal of the hopes and dreams of disabled people ourselves. As such, my version of this history has important lessons for disabled people ourselves.