Disability Discrimination, Medicine and the Law

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 introduces important rights for disabled persons, and duties for employers of over 20 employees and all UK providers of goods and services. No longer is it lawful to discriminate against disabled persons on the basis of their impairments. The main aim of this work is on the key aspects of the employment provisions which raise complex areas of debate. A number of important areas are examined. The statutory definition of disability is explained and potential problems highlighted. A duty of "reasonable adjustment", requiring employers to assess and accomodate the needs of individual disabled persons, is analyzed with reference to case law from the US. The concept of justifiable discrimination is considered and the significance of competent health and safety risk assessments is identified and discussed.