Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) which came in to full effect in October 2004 and is one of the most far-reaching and widely publicised to come on to the statute books for some time. In essence it  grants disabled persons  the right to easy access to and within most non-domestic buildings in the country. It differs from previous legislation in so far as it grants this right to all persons with disabilities and not just employees for buildings with public access.

Where there is no existing lift or a lift cannot be upgraded to meet the new DDA standards it is necessary to install a product to convey disabled persons to and from the upper floors of the building.

Whilst the legislation itself does not offer specific guidance on the requirements for lifts, the following checklist is fairly comprehensive and provides a good indication as to whether your lift will make a disabled person smile or wince. 

1) Would a blind or deaf person be able to find the lift without needing assistance ?

2) Is the lift cab big enough to accommodate a wheelchair

3) Is there enough space outside the lift to manoeuvre a pram or wheelchair  

4) Are the landing pushbuttons easy to reach for wheelchair users

5) Are the lift car operating panel pushbuttons easy to reach for a wheelchair user

6) Does the lift emit an audible signal or announcement when it stops at a floor

7) Are the pushbuttons in the lift car illuminated

8) Do the buttons in the lift car have tactile or braille markings

Score : 0-3   The lift requires major work or possible replacement

Score : 4-5    Some substantial alterations are probably required

Score : 6-7    A minor facelift should suffice

Score : 8       Congratulations ! Your lift is likely to be fully compliant    

Where it is practical to upgrade a lift to meet legislative requirements, we can provide a solution using our DDA upgrade kit.   

Alternatively, we offer a range of platform lifts with and without enclosures and also for installation on staircases.