Employment: Autism

(asked on 24th June 2020) - View Source

Question

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ensure that employers are providing reasonable workplace adjustments for autistic employees in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.


Answered by
Kemi Badenoch Portrait
Kemi Badenoch
President of the Board of Trade
This question was answered on 29th June 2020

The Equality Act 2010 (the Act) places obligations on employers in relation to disabled employees. An employer is required to make reasonable adjustments to any element of a job which may place disabled people at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. It is advisable for a disabled person to discuss with an employer or educational provider what reasonable adjustments they would require, since action is dependent on employers having knowledge of a person’s disability.

The Equality and Human Right Commission enforces the Act and provide guidance on reasonable adjustments: https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/multipage-guide/reasonable-adjustments-practice

The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) provides authoritative and impartial advice free to employees or employers in relation to employment discrimination issues via their website (http://www.acas.org.uk) and telephone helpline 0300 123 1190 or text relay service 18001 0300 123 1190. Acas also provides employees and employers with Early Conciliation to help them resolve/settle their workplace dispute without going to court.

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