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The Equality Act 2010 aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination.
The Equality Act also provides rights for people not to be directly discriminated against or harassed because they have an association with a disabled person.
This can apply to a carer or parent of a disabled person. In addition, people must not be directly discriminated against or harassed because they are wrongly perceived to be disabled.
More information about the Equality Act, and how you can obtain copies of the Act, can be found on the Government Equalities Office website.
In the Act, a person has a disability if:
For the purposes of the Act, these words have the following meanings:
People who have had a disability in the past that meets this definition are also protected by the Act.
There are additional provisions relating to people with progressive conditions.
People with HIV, cancer or multiple sclerosis are protected by the Act from the point of diagnosis.
People with some visual impairments are automatically deemed to be disabled.”
