Disabled people have rights to help them achieve disabled independence and it is important that they are aware of their rights. Laws and acts have been passed to ensure equality and prevent discrimination, which include:
The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act was introduced in 2010. The act replaced most of the Disability Discrimination Act. The Equality Act assures legal rights for disabled people and covers areas including:
- Employment
- Education
- Buying and renting land and property
- Access to services and goods (this covers a range of services, including public and private services)
- Public bodies
The act also protects people who may be discriminated against as a result of their relationship with a disabled person; this includes their parents and their carers.
According to the Equality Act, a person is classed as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment, which affects their ability to carry out day to day activities.
Day to day rights
The Equality Act is designed to completely eradicate discrimination and protect disabled people. The act contains notions that cover day to day activities and everyday services. This includes services provided by shops, hotels, pubs and restaurants, doctors’ surgeries, courts, churches and other places of worship and voluntary groups.
The Equality Act requires service providers to make adjustments to accommodate disabled people. This may include widening doorways, installing lifts and ramps, producing written papers and instructions in a variety of different formats, installing an induction loop for people with hearing impairments and providing training for employees so that they are equipped to deal with disabled customers and clients.
Rights in employment
Disabled people have the same rights at work as other people, to ensure disabled independence. Employers are not allowed to discriminate against disabled people during the application process or when they come to work at a company. If an employee feels that they are being treated unfairly they can take action by contacting the Employment Tribunal.
Rights to education
Schools and colleges are not allowed to discriminate against disabled pupils and students. Institutions cannot refuse to admit students on the grounds that they are disabled and they must make adjustments to accommodate disabled students and facilitate their learning.