Considering that one in five people in the UK report having a disability, employees need to be aware of their legal protections and employers need to ensure they fulfil their duties. Moreover, statistics show that only half (53 per cent) of people with disabilities are employed, compared to 82 per cent of non-disabled people, and addressing disability discrimination in the workplace is a great first step towards tackling the employment gap and the inequality that stems from it.
The Equality Act 2010 not only protects those with disabilities from being discriminated against in the workplace, but also provides a more expansive definition of disabilities than people generally realise. This includes hidden disabilities such as mental health conditions or learning difficulties, as well as other conditions like cancer or HIV infection. This is important to note, as approximately 70 per cent of disabilities are invisible and so employers should be aware that these are correspondingly covered by the Act.
