Disability A–Z

Discrimination is treating, or suggesting to treat, someone negatively because of a personal characteristic protected by the law. This includes bullying someone because of a protected characteristic. These personal characteristics are things like age, race, disability, physical features and political beliefs.

Direct discrimination

Direct discrimination happens when a person, or a group of people, is treated less positively than another person or group because of their background or certain personal characteristics. For example, it could be ‘direct age discrimination’ if an older applicant is not considered for a job because the employer assumes that they aren’t as familiar or comfortable with new technology compared with a younger person.

Indirect discrimination

Indirect discrimination happens when there is a rule or policy that is the same for everyone but has an unfair effect on people who share a particular characteristic. For example, it could be indirect disability discrimination if the only way to enter a public building is via a set of stairs because people with disabilities who use wheelchairs wouldn’t be able to enter the building.

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