DISABLED people, said to make up one in seven of the UK's population, are about to have more rights than ever before.

New laws will mean that failure to grant these rights could lead to heavy fines.

Steps, wall tile and stair colours, parking, direction signs and even web sites, as well as wheelchair access, are coming under greater scrutiny, in addition to the need for a more sensitive approach to the treatment of the disabled.

On 1 October this year, Part III of The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 will come into force and bring in a wide range of new measures. The DDA already stipulates that it is unlawful for both service providers and employers to treat disabled people less favourably than others because of a disability.

By October service providers will be required to have made 'reasonable adjustments' to their premises to overcome 'physical barriers' to access to ensure that, as far as possible, disabled customers are treated in the same way as non-disabled customers.

"The question of what exactly is reasonable and what constitutes a disability will have to be tested in the civil courts," says Jane Henshaw, head of building surveying and architecture at Strutt & Parker's office in Lewes, Sussex.

"What is clear is that October is not far away and anyone affected should be looking into this matter urgently. They would do well to bear in mind, too, that the disabled have considerable spending power."

Service providers include shops, libraries, restaurants, pubs, clubs, gyms, cinemas, theatres, swimming pools, hotels, hospitals, banks and small businesses. They must understand their legal duties under the act and are strongly advised to seek a consultation, or 'access audit'.

Disability extends far beyond having to use a wheelchair. The Disability Rights Commission (DRC) says one in seven people have a disability of some sort.

They include:

- blind and partially sighted people - people who are deaf or have heavily impaired hearing - those who are facially disfigured - people with long-term illnesses or hidden impairments, e.g. arthritis, asthma, diabetes or Alzheimer's disease - people with learning difficulties such dyslexia - mental illness past or present

A key aspect of DDA Part 111 is the overcoming of 'physical barriers' to access, such as a lot of steps and a car park lacking spaces for the disabled.

A recent NOP survey, commissioned by the DRC showed that the biggest obstacles the disabled face are steps to the entrances of buildings (45 per cent) and being unable to use disabled parking spaces (39 per cent).

Yet there are around 8.6 million disabled people in Britain with an annual spending income of more than £50 billion. The cost of complying with the DDA is not necessarily high, though.