‘You don’t look disabled’

Did you know that many people believe ‘real’ disability can be seen and anyone not visibly impaired is not really a disabled person? Even though seventy percent of people’s impairments are unseen? Do your managers and team leaders know how disability discrimination can occur in the workplace, what they should do about it and how they can reduce the chances of further discrimination? Two new guides might help

In December 2015, ACAS published ‘Disability discrimination: key points for the workplace’. The TUC also published guidance ‘You don’t look disabled’: supporting members with invisible impairments.

The ACAS guide ‘Disability discrimination: key points for the workplace’ offers employers, senior managers, line managers, HR personnel, employees and union reps a grounding into how disability discrimination can occur in the workplace, how it can be dealt with and how to reduce the chance of future discrimination. The guide covers the different types of discrimination that can occur, how it can happen and key areas where it can happen (including recruitment, sickness absences, training and redundancy).

The ACAS guide also clarifies issues such as asking questions about health, what is acceptable and unacceptable terminology and confidentiality. And you may also find helpful, the sections on managing mental health and taking positive action.

You can download the ACAS guide here

The TUC guide ‘You don’t look disabled’: supporting members with invisible impairments points out that only a very small percentage of disabled people use wheelchairs or assistance dogs, or are otherwise identified by visible evidence of impairment. But many people believe that ‘real’ disability can be seen and that anyone who is not visibly impaired is not really disabled. Time and again the words ‘you don’t look disabled’ are used to show disbelief – and at the same time, to challenge an individual’s right to ‘reasonable adjustment’, often associated with a view that the disabled person is wrongly gaining an unfair advantage.

One consequence is that many people who are entitled to legal protection against discrimination and to ‘reasonable adjustments’ are discouraged from coming forward to seek such adjustments from the employer. Often, it can be disabled people themselves who do not recognise that a condition they have, that means they need support or adjustments to enable them to function the same as their colleagues, may count as a disability in the law. Sometimes, especially with mental health conditions, those affected are afraid that the stigma associated with their condition means that they would lose their job and have great difficulty finding another.

The TUC guide provides a number of interesting case studies for staff to consider

You can download the TUC guide here