Disability Discrimination
Claims

Tribunal proceedings in relation to a disability discrimination claim must be brought within 3 months of the discriminatory act (or last discriminatory act) complained of.

The Equality Act (EA) 2010 makes it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people in employment. The legislation protects disabled persons against the following: direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, failure to carry out reasonable adjustments, harassment, and victimisation. We have specialist disability discrimination solicitors who can handle these type of cases for you.

Direct Discrimination

This occurs where someone is treated less favourably than someone else who is not disabled solely because of their disability. There is no defence to this form of discrimination. Direct discrimination includes associative discrimination (where an employee is treated less favourably because they are associated with another person who is disabled) and discrimination by perception (where an employee is treated less favourably because others perceive them to be disabled even if they are not).

Indirect Disability Discrimination

This occurs where a provision, criterion or practice is applied to all, but places those with a particular kind of disability at an unjustifiable disadvantage. An example would be where an employer releases a new staff handbook incorporating new company procedures, but fails to make it readable by blind and partially sighted staff (i.e. by, for example, failing to release a braille or audio copy and by failing to deploy other means of ensuring that blind and partially sighted employees were aware of its contents), thereby leaving those members of staff unaware of the company’s new rules and procedures.

Discrimination Arising From Disability

This is a new type of claim which has been introduced by the EA 2010 in which those with a disability can bring a claim where they feel that they are being discriminated against by their employer in terms of being treated less favourably as a result of an issue arising in consequence of their disability. This was brought in to counter the problems caused by the decision in the case of London Borough of Lewisham v Malcolm (2008). As a result of the Malcolm case, disability-related discrimination (the old type of claim which has now been replaced by the new type of discrimination arising from disability) became much harder to prove because in that case, it was decided that the correct comparator was a non-disabled person with similar circumstances. Essentially, what this meant was that employers were able to defeat disability-related discrimination claims because they were able to show that a comparator would have been treated in exactly the same way. The new type of claim of discrimination arising from disability attempts to eliminate this problem. It removes the need for a comparator and the employee now simply needs to show that the less favourable treatment relates to something arising in consequence of their disability. Nevertheless, an employer will have a defence if they can demonstrate that the less favourable treatment is a proportionate means of achieving a legitimate aim or they were unaware of the disability.

Failure To Carry Out Reasonable Adjustments

Under the DDA 1995 and EA 2010, employers must make reasonable adjustments where a requirement or procedure and/or any aspect of their premises, place a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage in comparison with non-disabled persons. This obligation only applies where the employer is either aware of or reasonably ought to have been aware of the disabled person’s disability. Accordingly, disability discrimination cannot be justified where a reasonable adjustment would have prevented the discrimination from occurring. Whether an adjustment is reasonable is determined by reference to its effectiveness, its cost, the practicability of implementing it, and the wealth and size of the employer. Employers can obtain assistance to fund reasonable adjustments, such as under the Access To Work scheme, and this must be taken into account when determining whether a potential adjustment is reasonable. Ignorance of sources of financial assistance is no defence as a prudent employer who would have been expected to have made reasonable enquiries.

Harassment

This is defined as unwanted conduct that violates the victims dignity or which creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for them. Furthermore, with the introduction of the EA 2010, an employee can bring a claim of harassment even where it is not directed at them personally, so long as they can show that the harassment created an offensive environment for them to work in.

Victimisation

It is unlawful to treat a person less favourably because they have made allegations or brought proceedings under the DDA 1995, the EA 2010, or because they have helped another person to do so.

Bringing A Disability Discrimination Claim

A tribunal claim must be made within three months of the discriminatory act (or last discriminatory act) complained of. Unlike in unfair dismissal claims, employees do not have to have had at least 2 years continuous service with the employer to be entitled to bring the claim. Should the employees claim be successful, the tribunal can make recommendations and award compensation. Should the employer fail to comply with recommendations made by the tribunal for action to reduce discrimination without reasonable justification, the tribunal can award additional compensation on top of what it may have already awarded. Furthermore, for claims brought from October 2010 onwards, Tribunals can now demand that employers implement changes to prevent further discrimination taking place. Compensation awards in discrimination cases are unlimited and unlike in unfair dismissal cases, there is no such thing as a ‘basic’ or ‘compensatory’ award. Instead, the award normally comprises the following:

• Injury to Feelings: Comprise separate awards for hurt feelings, aggravated damages, and injury to health. The criteria for assessing compensation for hurt feelings were set out by the Court of Appeal in the case of Vento v Chief Constable of West Yorkshire (No.2) (2003), as subsequently amended, the most recent amendments being made with effect from the 6th April 2026. As a result of this, there is a top band of £62,900.00 plus for exceptionally serious cases (for cases presented between the 6th April 2025 and the 5th April 2026, the band is £60,700.00 plus), an upper band of £37,700.00 to £62,900.00 for serious cases (for cases presented between the 6th April 2025 and the 5th April 2026, the band is £36,400.00 to £60,700.00), a middle band of between £12,600.00 to £37,700.00 (for cases presented between the 6th April 2025 and the 5th April 2026, the band is £12,100.00 to £36,400.00), and a lower band of between £1,300.00 to £12,600.00 for less serious and one-off cases (for cases presented between the 6th April 2025 and the 5th April 2026, the band is £1,200.00 to £12,100.00). The Court in Vento stated that awards for less than the lower band should be avoided. An injury to health claim can be pursued, but should there be a separate award for it, the tribunal has to ensure that there is no element of duplication. Finally, aggravated damages can also be awarded, although awards for this element do not usually exceed £5,000.00 – £10,000.00 and are only awarded should the employers conduct have been especially cruel and malicious.
• Loss of Earnings: Normally makes up the bulk of the claim and includes both actual and future loss of earnings. Future loss can be extensive where psychiatric injury has been sustained as a result of the discrimination and makes it difficult for the employee to obtain new and appropriate employment.
• Injury to Health (Personal Injury): Is most commonly for psychiatric injury. Nevertheless, where a claim for personal injury is included, the employee loses the right to bring a claim in the civil courts for it.
• Ancillary Losses: These can be for items such as the cost of looking for alternative employment and pension loss.
• Interest: Interest on the compensation award can be claimed

We have offices in Wilmslow,  Manchester,   Liverpool,  Warrington,  Chester,  Cardiff,  Birmingham,  Leeds,  Shrewsbury,  Sheffield,  Exeter,  London,  Nottingham,  Bristol,  Nantwich,  Stoke-on-Trent,  Preston,  Knutsford,  Alderley Edge,  Cheadle,  Didsbury,  Wythenshawe,  Gloucester,  Cheltenham,  Worcester,  Halifax,  Cannock,  Coventry,  Truro,  Salisbury,  Basingstoke,  Oxford,  Northampton,  Matlock, and Leicester.