Disability equality in the workplace has been given a boost with the introduction of legislation that will transform the lives of one in five.

The new Disability Equality Duty (DED) came into force this week, meaning that about 45,000 public bodies will have to consider the needs of disabled people when planning their services. It is similar to the race equality duty introduced by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act, covering the 10 million people who have rights under the Disability Discrimination Act.

The new duty has been introduced to tackle discrimination faced by disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. For example, disabled people are less likely to receive a full education, less likely to get a job, more likely to be discriminated against in the health service and to be a victim of crime than non-disabled people.

Disability Rights Commission Chairman, Bert Massie, said: "The DED will have a major impact on the lives of disabled people and will radically shift the way public authorities deliver their services. Public bodies – from the local library to the NHS – will have to consider what disabled people need when planning their services. This is a step-change away from individual disabled people having to complain about discrimination after an incident has taken place."

From now, publicly funded organisations with specific duties under the DED need to publish a Disability Equality Scheme that shows how they intend to fulfill the new duty. The scheme has to detail how a public body intends to eliminate unlawful discrimination and promote equality of opportunity. The Disability Rights Commission will be scrutinising these schemes from 5 December 2006.

Guidance on the DED for public sector bodies is available at www.dotheduty.org.