She added that the research showed only nine cases had been brought under another part of the DDA which relates to goods and services. She said this was because people could get support from unions and arbitration services for employment cases whereas others were basically on their own. In October, stricter provisions over goods and services are being introduced. Medical model Ms Hirst added that the study showed that the government's definition of disability was flawed. It is a totally medical model and it does not work.
Medical models are difficult to prove.
Judges often have stereotyped views. She added that the average compensation for discrimination was about 2,000. She claimed this was lower than for other forms of discrimination. But she hoped the creation of the Disability Rights Commission would address this and other general discrimination issues. A spokeswoman for Mind said she was not surprised that mental health problems were behind many of the complaints.