Disability inclusion
Discover how disability inclusion can transform your workplace. Learn practical steps, legal essentials, and strategies that could benefit every member of your team.
Equality Act guidance
The UK Equality Act 2010 protects people living with a disability from discrimination in employment, education and public services. It also sets out employers’ responsibilities to create fair and inclusive workplaces.
What the Equality Act covers
The UK Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against people with protected characteristics, including disabilities. It applies across employment, education, healthcare and access to services. In Northern Ireland, similar protections come from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Despite this legal framework, our 2024 survey on disability and chronic illness in veterinary work and education found significant knowledge gaps. Of those who completed the survey, 65% reported little or no knowledge of the Act.
Employers' obligations under the Equality Act
Employers must make reasonable adjustments for employees and job applicants living with disabilities. Adjustments should remove or reduce workplace barriers that put people with disabilities at a substantial disadvantage.
Examples of reasonable adjustments include:
- Flexible working arrangements
- Equipment or software modifications
- Changes to the physical workspace
- Adjusted duties or responsibilities
Our survey highlighted a significant training gap – 81% of managers reported receiving no workplace training on disability legislation. This knowledge gap may place practices at legal risk. It also limits their ability to support disabled team members effectively.
Practical resources
These resources can help you understand your obligations and implement best practice.
- A brief introduction to the law and disability discrimination from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) (approx. 5 min read).
- A comprehensive overview of disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010 from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) (approx. 10 min read).
- What is disability discrimination? (EHRC) (3.31 minute watch)
- What is the duty to make reasonable adjustments? (EHRC) (6.15 minute watch)
- What is discrimination arising from disability? Equality law: discrimination explained, EHRC | EHRC (3.11 minute watch).
- NI Direct guidance on Disability Discrimination Act employment rights in Northern Ireland (approx. 10 min read).
- CIPD factsheet on workplace discrimination, including disability and reasonable adjustments (approx. 30 min read). This provides a detailed overview of discrimination in the workplace, the different types of discrimination, and how they apply to protected characteristics, including a section on disability and reasonable adjustments.