The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 service providers are required to make “reasonable adjustments” for disabled people. These include
(1) providing extra help or making changes to the way in which services are provided, and
(2) adjusting the physical features of the premises to overcome physical barriers to access.
What is reasonable is ultimately to be decided by the Courts and over time the body of case law will indicate how the Act is to be interpreted on this point.
One question which is commonly asked by optometrists is “Do I have to provide a sign language interpreter or a hearing loop for hearing impaired patients?” There is not requirement to provide either of these. The requirement is to make reasonable adjustments to the way in which you provide the service, and it may not be reasonable to incur the expense of providing a hearing loop or a sign language interpreter when this is far greater than the fee that the patient will pay.
You should consider with hearing impaired patients what is a reasonable way to communicate with them. It might be sufficient to write questions down for them or find another reasonable alternative.
For guidance on what is reasonable in any particular set of circumstances, contact the Disability Rights Commission – see contact details on our Disability Discrimination webpage.
