Following Disability Pride Month, we look to the past, present and future to examine how rights for people with disabilities in the workplace have developed in the UK and could develop further, before giving some practical steps for employers.
A brief history of disability laws
Disability law was driven by the rise in awareness of disability discrimination after the First and Second World Wars. In particular, the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 Act introduced some (quite limited) measures aimed at helping disabled people, including quota systems for many employers – and included a legal definition of a “disabled person.” Since then, legislation has evolved significantly. The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 was a key milestone, making it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people in employment and introducing the concept of ‘reasonable adjustments.’ The Equality Act 2010 now consolidates and strengthens these anti-discrimination laws and governs disability discrimination in employment today.
Current disability employment gap
Despite some progress over the past years, a recent briefing describing the ONS’ statistics indicates that the disability employment gap remains a significant issue in the UK. As at the last quarter of 2023, the employment rate for disabled people stands at 54.2%, compared to 82% for non-disabled people. This means that the ‘disability employment gap,’ i.e., the difference in the employment rate of disabled people and people who are not...
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