Disabled endure 'shockingly high' level of discrimination

Almost a quarter of disabled people are still regularly suffering from discrimination, a charity said today.

Leonard Cheshire Disability said there were "shockingly high" levels of discrimination despite the presence of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The charity said common complaints included difficulty in using public transport, a lack of user-friendly facilities and not enough information being made available for disabled people.

A spokesman from the charity told the BBC: "We found a remarkable level of discrimination and inaccessibility in shops and services, particularly given the Disability and Discrimination Act first came into force 15 years ago.

"We actually found that 40% of disabled people in Britain were able to identify difficulties or problems they have experienced accessing goods and services in the last 12 months.

"And significantly 23%, nearly a quarter of disabled people said they had been discriminated against while trying to access goods and services in the past year, so really shockingly high levels of discrimination and inaccessibility given how long we have had anti-discrimination legislation."

The spokesman said the Equality Act which will be introduced later this year should help to make a "significant difference" to how disabled people are treated.

He said: "It might make it a little bit easier for disabled people to challenge discrimination when they face it."