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Equality Act guidance    

The Equality Act

The UK Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination against individuals with protected characteristics, such as a disability, in order to safeguard them from unfair treatment.

The Act prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in public life and broader society, including employment, education and access to services. In Northern Ireland, this protection is provided under the Disability Discrimination Act (1995). 

Two female nurses providing care to a cat in a clinical setting.

Employers' obligations under the Equality Act 

The Equality Act states that employers must make reasonable adjustments to remove or reduce any disadvantage related to an employee’s disability.

The recent Disability and Chronic Illness in Veterinary Work and Education (2024) survey found variable levels of awareness of the Act among respondents, with 65% reporting little or no knowledge of the legislation and 81% of managers stating that no education or training was provided by their workplace.

Resources

Below, you'll find a wealth of resources to help you understand the Equality Act 2010 and its provisions. This includes information on disability discrimination and the duty to provide reasonable adjustments.

  • Disability Discrimination, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)  
    A brief introduction to the law and disability discrimination. 
    The law on disability discrimination (5 minute read) 
  • Disability Discrimination, Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) 
    This page provides a comprehensive overview of disability discrimination under the Equality Act 2010, with examples. It also includes two videos:
    Disability discrimination | EHRC (10 minute read) 
  • What is discrimination arising from disability? Equality law: discrimination explained, EHRC 
    This short video explains the law in relation to discrimination arising from disability 
    What is discrimination arising from disability? | EHRC (3.11 minute watch) 
  • Disability discrimination law: employment rights, NI Direct Government Services
    This page explains the legislation in Northern Ireland, where the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) applies.
    Disability discrimination law: employment rights (10 minute read)

  • Discrimination in the Workplace factsheet, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) 
    This factsheet 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. 
    Discrimination in the workplace | CIPD (30 minute read) 
 

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