Resource Memo 

Resource Memo. The objective of the video as a learning tool is to inform others of the law that protects disabled people in employment and how to adhere to the legislations in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 was introduced to protect people with disabilities from discrimination..

Before we discuss the various types of discrimination that a person with a disability may face, it is critical to first understand the definition of disability as defined by the Equality Act 2010. A person is considered disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a significant and long-term negative impact on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities (CIPD, 2021). The term disability is broad and covers people with long-term illnesses that impair their ability to carry out normal daily activities, such as cancer, schizophrenia, dyslexia, and a variety of other long-term conditions that are likely to last more than a year. A person with a disability in the past that has lasted for 12 months, or more is still covered by the Equality Act..

Although there are about 7 million people with disabilities in the UK, only half of them are employed. Organisations would benefit from including disabled people in their staff because of their talent and buying power that disabled people can provide, therefore it is in the organisation’s interest to create fair and inclusive workplace culture. The Equality Act 2010 states that employers are legally required to make ‘reasonable adjustments for example, flexible hours, flexible duties, adapting premises and equipment and so on (RMBF).

The Equality act also protects disabled people from being asked to disclose their disability at job interviews unless they are offered a job. Organisations are legally required to protect disabled workers from discrimination and According to the Equality Act 2010, there are six types of disability discrimination (Equality and Human Rights Commission): direct discrimination indirect discrimination failure to make reasonable adjustments discrimination arising from disability harassment victimization.

the organisation must ensure diversity and equality training because mistakes and lack of knowledge account for a lot of discrimination that takes place in the workplace against disabled people ( Burte , 2019). The disability confident scheme is a good place to begin developing an inclusive culture in which disabled people feel valued and heard (woods, 2021). similarly, conscious workshops that challenge stereotypes about disabled people and raise awareness are fundamental approach that promotes better work environment for disabled people and organizational performance. In addition to training, line managers must deal with disabled people individually and take into consideration their lived experience and make reasonable adjustments accordingly because disability affects different people differently and it might not be visible (CIPD, 2021).

Another good measure is to appoint a disability champion, as was done at the London 2012 Paralympics, which was a success story in terms of disability inclusion, and it is time that same spirit is applied to the workplace (woods, 2021). The National Strategy for disabled People launched by the Prime Minster is also helpful way to improve outcomes for disabled people because disabled people organisations are at the forefront of this campaign (The disability Unit). The voluntary framework that helps organisations record and report disability and mental health illness in the workplace is said to lead to greater transparency in terms of having open conversations with disabled people about their concerns and potential (Power, 2019)..

In conclusion, although disabled people are protected by the Equality Act 2010, more could be done by organisational level and on government policy level to close disabled people employment gap, improve job opportunities and support disabled people to thrive and progress in their careers ( Suff , 2021)..