Discrimination is a daily reality for people with disability.

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It accounts for almost half of complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission and touches every part of life: employment, education, housing, transport and access to public spaces.

People with disability are often denied access to technology like ATMs, transport such as air travel and taxis, and venues including pubs, sporting grounds and even dance floors. These barriers reflect how society responds to impairment and defines disability.

This is not just about isolated incidents. It's about a system built on ableism.

Like sexism and racism, ableism perpetuates inequality. It assumes typical abilities are required for everyday life, devalues people with impairment and treats them as outside the norm. Our systems are built around this narrow concept. Ableism leads to discrimination by omission and low expectations.

In truth, no one has every skill for every situation. Impairment is part of human diversity. What disables us is not the impairment itself but how society responds.

Australia's Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), introduced in 1992, aimed to eliminate discrimination. It has barely changed since 2009 and is failing to meet its purpose. Court decisions have made it harder to prove discrimination, and the Act is reactive rather than preventative.

The Disability Royal Commission called for major reform. The Australian government has now announced a review to consider 15 recommendations and other changes to improve outcomes for people with disability.

This is a pivotal opportunity to modernise the Act and tackle ableism head-on.

First, the DDA should impose a positive duty on organisations to prevent discrimination,........

© Canberra Times