The Equality Act 2010 is a law that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.
This includes, among other things, making sure that all
Deaf people and hard of hearing customers can access your business in the same way as someone without a disability.
Doing this could mean that you have to adapt your premises or change how you deliver customer service to ensure that it’s not discriminatory.
The Act also requires employers to do their best to avoid unjustified disadvantages for disabled people when recruiting, managing conditions at work, promoting opportunities and dealing with health & safety. Here, we take a closer look at the Equality Act 2010 and some of the things that, as an employer, you need to be aware of.
What is the Equality Act 2010?
The Equality Act covers everyone in the UK and protects people from harassment, discrimination and victimisation. There are nine protected characteristics under this Act:
- Age
- Disability
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage or civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
The Act also highlights several types of discrimination, including direct or indirect discrimination, discrimination by association or perception, harassment and victimisation.
While its main intention is to protect people from discrimination based on disability, it’s not just for people with disabilities. It applies to any person who has a physical or mental condition that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
The Act states that businesses cannot discriminate against these people in the provision of goods, services, facilities or public transport, or access to premises, education, employment opportunities or vocational training.
It also makes it unlawful for service providers to ask questions about disability unless it is directly related to the service being provided.
How does the Equality Act 2010 affect Deaf people?
Many Deaf people still experience issues with audism – the belief that the ability to hear makes one superior to those with hearing loss. The Equality Act covers this type of discrimination.
Audism is a form of discrimination that’s usually unintentional. Deaf activists coined the term in the 1970s.
It describes the societal bias towards people who don’t have hearing loss.
It can show up in different ways, including the attitudes of hearing people – “Speak up!”, “What?”, “I can’t hear you!” – or the attitudes of service providers – “I don’t have any deaf employees on staff!”.
Much like other forms of discrimination, audism can present itself in many ways, including exclusion, lack of accessibility or even intentional disruption to a person’s sign language or other communication methods.
Failure to use a
BSL interpreter in a setting where a Deaf person needs to communicate, or having preconceptions – or lowering your expectations – of a person just because they are Deaf, are both examples of Audism.
How can you make your business more accessible to Deaf people
To break down communication barriers, businesses must become more inclusive and accessible. With the rise in Zoom and Teams video calls over the past two years, Deaf people are once again faced with a communication barrier.
If they rely on lip reading, a video conference call can become challenging, with buffering, unsynced sound, and background noise being picked up on a microphone.
Failure to provide adequate communication options for Deaf people discriminates against them, whether it’s direct or indirect, and you could find yourself in breach of the Equality Act.
Deaf and hard of hearing people often have to work even harder to secure employment opportunities and prove their worth, mainly due to the lack of Deaf awareness among employers.
Applying for jobs can lead to numerous questions and concerns like ‘will the employer be able to provide an interpreter if I get to the interview stage?’ and ‘will I get the support I need from my fellow employees and managers?’.
Businesses should also ensure
Deaf awareness training is provided for all employees. Basic sign language should become a necessity, and Deaf people must be given the support they need to communicate in all settings without difficulty.
There are around 11 million people with some form of hearing loss in the UK, many of whom have skills, expertise and experience that would make them an asset to any business.
You can make a difference and create a more inclusive work environment with Deaf awareness training. Sign Solutions can help ensure your recruitment, training, and employment processes are as accessible and inclusive as possible.
To find out more about our recruitment support services, give us a call on 0843 178 0773, email
bookings@signsolutions.uk.com or contact us via a
BSL video interpreter.
