Disability rules are amended

Changes to the definition of disability in UK law are to take effect on 5 December, when the first parts of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 (DDA) come into force.

Unlike the old DDA, the new Act covers people with cancer, HIV infection and multiple sclerosis from the point of diagnosis. It also removes the old requirement that a mental illness must be "clinically well-recognised" to be covered.

However, following lobbying by the Disability Rights Commission (DRC) and other bodies including Macmillan and CancerBACUP, the government has not restricted the types of cancer that are covered from the point of diagnosis.