Equality Act and Disability Essay Example for Free

Equality hazard and Disability EssayThe primary purpose of the Act is to systemise the complicated and numerous array of Acts and Regulations, which formed the basis of anti-discrimination law in Great Britain. This was, primarily, the Equal Pay Act 1970, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the pass Relations Act 1976, the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and three major statutory instruments protecting discrimination in employment on grounds of worship or belief, cozy orientation and age. This legislation has the same goals as the four major EU Equal Treatment Directives, whose provisions it mirrors and implements. 1It requires equal treatment in access to employment as well as private and public services, regardless of the protected char scraperistics of age, hindrance, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. In the case of gender, there are special protections for pregnant women. However, the Act allows t ranssexual people to be barred from gender-specific services if that is a proportionate instrument of achieving a legitimate aim. 2 In the case of disability, employers and service providers are under a duty to make reasonable adjustments to their workplaces to overcome barriers experienced by handicapped people. In this regard, the Equality Act 2010 did not change the law. Under s.217, with limited exceptions the Act does not apply to Northern IrelandDefining disability under the equalties act this is the part of the legal aspect of my job as a TA supporting students with individual needsUnder the Equality Act 2010 you are handicapped if you have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term negative effect on your ability to do usual daily activities.What substantial and long term mean- substantial is more than minor or trivial eg it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task like getting dressed long-term means 12 months or more eg a breathing condition that develops as a result of a lung infection There are special rules about recurring or fluctuating conditions, for example, arthritis.Progressive conditionsA progressive condition is a condition that gets worse over time. People with progressive conditions can be classed as disabled. However, you automatically meet the disability definition under the Equality Act 2010 from the day youre diagnosed with HIV infection, cancer or multiple sclerosis. What isnt counted as a disabilitySome conditions arent covered by the disability definition. These include addiction to nonprescribed drugs or alcohol. To find out about the conditions which arent covered, download the Equality Act Guidance