DDA reforms will end blanket bans on people with diabetes and asthma in emergency services

Campaigners believe changes to the Disability Discrimination Act will end blanket bans on people with diabetes and asthma working in the emergency services.

Amendments to the legislation that came into force on October 1 remove exemptions from the employment provisions of the 1995 Act for small businesses, police forces and fire-fighting.

" These changes are excellent news for people with diabetes and have been helped along by much of the campaigning work done at Diabetes UK," said Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of charity Diabetes UK.

" Blanket bans assume all people with diabetes are the same and this is simply not the case. I hope that this will put an end to any discrimination in the emergency services for people with diabetes."