Lesson video

Hello, my name's Ms Willow, and I'm going to be your teacher for today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called Disability in modern Britain, and it fits into the unit Communities: How can we better understand and respect people with disabilities? During this lesson, we are going to be talking about discrimination, so we recommend that you have an adult with you for the duration of this lesson.

If at any point you do feel worried or uncomfortable, it's really important that you stop the lesson and that you speak to an adult that you trust.

Okay, let's make a start.

By the end of today's lesson, you'll be able to explain how the Equality Act 2010 protects people with disabilities, and you'll be able to describe reasonable adjustments that promote inclusivity.

Before we get started with today's lesson, we need to go over some ground rules.

These help make sure that everyone feels safe and comfortable during today's lesson.

First of all, Laura says that we need to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should always listen properly before we make any assumptions or before we decide how to respond.

When we disagree with someone else, it's important to challenge the statement and not the person themselves.

Next, Andeep says that we need to respect each other's privacy.

It's okay to discuss examples, but we shouldn't use any names or descriptions that could identify anyone, including ourselves.

If we want to share a story, we can refer to someone as my friend.

This means that we can share our story without giving away any identifying information.

Izzy says we can choose our level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or to join in with discussion.

We should never put anyone on the spot.

And finally, Jacob reminds us that we need to not have any judgment.

We can explore any beliefs and misunderstandings that we have about a topic without fear of being judged by others.

We're now going to take a look at the keywords for today's lesson.

First of all, we have Equality Act of 2010.

This is a UK law passed in 2010 that aims to protect individuals from unjust treatment.

Next we have discrimination.

This is when people are treated unfairly or differently because of things like their race, gender, or beliefs.

And next we have reasonable adjustment.

These are changes made to remove or reduce barriers experienced by people with disabilities.

Today's lesson is split into two learning cycles, how does the law protect people with disabilities and how can we include people with disabilities? Let's make a start on our first learning cycle, how does the law protect people with disabilities? Lucas has a physical impairment which means that he is a wheelchair user.

While they're on a day out at a museum, Alex and Lucas arrive at some stairs.

What do you think could be an issue? Pause the video, and you might want to talk to the people around you about this question or have a think to yourself.

You might have said that Lucas can't get to the top floor without a lift.

The building's design disadvantages people with his disability.

Lucas says, "This means that I don't have the same opportunity as Alex to explore the next floor of the museum," because it's not accessible by a lift.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Is this statement true or false? People with disabilities might not always get the same opportunities as other people.

What do you think? Is this true or false? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is true.

People with disabilities might not always get the same opportunities as other people.

Think back to our scenario with Lucas and Alex.

Because the museum didn't have a lift, it meant that Lucas was unable to explore the top floors of the museum.

As a wheelchair user, he wasn't able to use the stairs.

So let's have a look at what does the UK law say about disabilities.

Ms Walsh says that, "After many years of people campaigning for equal rights, the Disability Discrimination Act came into force in the UK in 1995.

This law was the first of its kind and it set out to protect people with disabilities from many different forms of discrimination." Ms Walsh says that, "Many years later, the Equality Act 2010 replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

This updated law was introduced in the UK to ensure that people with any protected characteristics, including disability, were not discriminated against or treated unfairly." So some other protected characteristics include things like sex, ethnicity, age, religion, and maternity and pregnancy.

"According to the Equality Act in 2010, someone is considered to have a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment that makes it significantly harder for them to do everyday things, and this difficulty lasts for 12 months or longer." The nine protected characteristics are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation.

It's against the law to discriminate against or treat someone unfairly in the workplace or in wider society because of any of these protected characteristics.

They're called protected characteristics because they're protected by the Equality Act 2010.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

Which of the following are amongst the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010? Is it A, race or ethnicity; B, disability; or C, profession? So this is the job that someone might have.

Which of those are among the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010? Can you remember? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that the correct answers are A and B.

Race or ethnicity and disability are both amongst the nine protected characteristics in the Equality Act 2010.

Well done if you remembered this and if you got this right.

There are two different types of discrimination that it's important to be aware of.

There's direct discrimination and indirect discrimination.

Direct discrimination is, for example, when a person with a disability is treated differently or unfairly compared to a person who doesn't have a disability.

So this is an example of what direct discrimination could look like.

"I applied for a promotion at work recently, however, I didn't get the role.

My manager felt that I wouldn't be able to keep up with the demands of communication because I'm visually impaired.

This is discrimination as I've been given reduced opportunities simply because of my impairment." So this is an example of direct discrimination, someone with a disability being treated unfairly compared to a person who doesn't have a disability.

Indirect discrimination, on the other hand, is when a person or an organization makes decisions whereby people with disabilities are left at a disadvantage.

So here's an example of what this could look like.

"My local council recently produced leaflets for an election campaign.

To save money and paper, they used a small font which is very difficult for me to read due to my visual impairment.

This is discrimination as I now have less of an opportunity to stay informed ahead of casting my vote." This would be an example of indirect discrimination, because it puts people with disabilities at a disadvantage compared to people who don't have a disability.

Ms Walsh says that, "If someone experiences discrimination due to a disability, whether that's direct or indirect, there are several ways to address this.

They might choose to speak directly with the person or organization involved, but they don't have to handle it alone.

There are many charities and organizations that can provide specialist advice and support in these situations.

Formal complaints or legal action are also options, and people can choose the approach that feels right for them and the situation." Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

Is the following an example of direct or indirect discrimination? "I have profound hearing loss and wear a hearing device.

My company has just moved to a new office, however, there is no hearing induction loop, which means that I struggle to hear in meetings properly." So is this an example of direct or indirect discrimination? Can you remember? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this is an example of indirect discrimination.

An organization has made a decision whereby a person with a disability is left at a disadvantage.

Well done if you said the same thing.

Let's put your learning from this learning cycle into practice, and we're gonna move on to our first practice task.

I'd like you to write one paragraph to answer the following questions.

Question one, what is the Disability Discrimination Act 1995? Question two, what is the Equality Act 2010? And question three, what is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination? Can you write one paragraph to answer these questions? Pause the video, and we'll go through a model answer in a few minutes.

Okay, let's see what your paragraph could have looked like.

The Disability Discrimination Act came into force in the UK in 1995 after many years of campaigning.

It was the first law of its kind and it set out to protect people with disabilities from many different forms of discrimination.

In 2010, however, the Equality Act replaced this earlier law.

This updated law was introduced to ensure that people with any protected characteristics, including disability, were not discriminated against or treated unfairly in the workplace or in wider society.

Discrimination can be direct or indirect.

Direct discrimination is when a person with a disability is treated differently or unfairly compared to a person without a disability.

Indirect discrimination, on the other hand, is when an organization makes decisions that put people with disabilities at a disadvantage compared to people who don't have a disability.

Well done if your answer looked anything like this or had some of the same ideas.

It's now time to move on to our second learning cycle, how can we include people with disabilities? Historically, not all viewpoints have championed the belief that society should be adapted to include people with disabilities.

Ms Walsh says that, "Thankfully, these attitudes have changed for the better over time." In modern Britain, we now strive for better access, equal rights, and more inclusion for people with disabilities." Some of the changes in improvements to support people with disabilities in modern Britain include something called the Blue Badge Scheme.

This was first introduced in 1971, and this scheme is designed to help people with severe mobility issues, so this means that they struggle to move their body, to access goods and services by parking close to their destination.

There's also the Access to Work scheme.

This was introduced in 1994, and this scheme gives financial support to help people with disabilities to find or stay in employment.

There's also the Personal Independence Payment.

This is called the P-I-P or PIP.

It was introduced in 2013, and this scheme can help to cover extra living costs for everyday tasks, such as cooking and cleaning or mobility needs as well.

We also have more of an awareness about Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, often called S-E-N-D or SEND.

Since the passing of the Children and Families Act of 2014, financial support is available in education to assess and make provisions for children and young people with SEND and disabilities.

There's also the British Sign Language Act.

This was introduced in 2022, and this change in law recognizes British Sign Language, or BSL, as an official language in England, Wales, and Scotland.

This ensures that information is more accessible for BSL users.

There's also been an increased awareness of invisible disabilities, and the government is continuing to increase awareness and reduce the stigma around invisible disabilities, such as autism and anxiety.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing with this learning cycle.

Which of the following are some of the measures in place in the UK to support people with disabilities? A, the Yellow Badge Scheme; B, Access to Work; or C, the British Sign Language Act? Which of those are some of the measures that are in place in the UK to support people with disabilities? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that B and C are correct.

The Access to Work scheme and the British Sign Language Act are both some of the measures in place in the UK to support people with disabilities.

Instead of the Yellow Badge Scheme, there's the Blue Badge Scheme.

Well done if you said the same thing.

We're now going to talk a little bit about reasonable adjustments and what these are and why they're important for people with disabilities.

Society can continue to support and promote inclusivity for people with disabilities in many different ways, and Ms Walsh tells us that one of these ways is by making reasonable adjustments.

"This is when an organization makes the necessary changes to ensure that a person with a disability is not at a disadvantage, and that they have the same opportunities as those without disabilities." The museum that Alex and Lucas visited at the start of our lesson has made reasonable adjustments during refurbishment, and the building is now more accessible.

There's now ramps leading into the building and lifts, which mean that people with mobility aids, like Lucas, who uses a wheelchair, can now access all of the exhibitions just like the other visitors.

Lucas now says, "Now I can visit every floor, just like anyone else." Other examples of reasonable adjustments in schools or the workplace may include, for example, more time for a pupil to sit tests or exams, colored paper for dyslexic pupils, ear defenders for people with sensory needs, adapted equipment, so for example, a height-adjustable desk.

Another example of a reasonable adjustment could be printouts in accessible font and accessible car park spaces.

There's also flexible working hours for employees that can be considered to be a reasonable adjustment, and having the ability to work from home can also be a benefit for some people with disabilities.

Let's do a check for understanding to see how you're doing.

I'd like you to fill in the missing words below by remembering what Ms Walsh said.

Ms Walsh said, "Reasonable adjustments involve an organization making the necessary changes to ensure that a person with blank is not at a blank and that they have the same blank as those without disabilities." Can you remember what the missing words were in what Ms Walsh said? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Okay, let's go through each word one at a time.

So one missing word was disability, the next was disadvantage, and the last missing word was opportunity.

So Ms Walsh should now say, "Reasonable adjustments involve an organization making the necessary changes to ensure that a person with a disability is not at a disadvantage and that they have the same opportunities as those without disabilities." Well done if you said that these were the missing words.

Some people wrongly believe that people with disabilities need constant help.

Ms Walsh says that, "With reasonable adjustments and support to overcome barriers, many people with disabilities can live independent and fulfilling lives." Let's do a check for understanding, and I'd like you to decide if this person is correct.

"People with disabilities need constant help." What do you think? Is this person correct? Pause the video, talk to the people around you, or have a think to yourself.

Well done if you said that this person is incorrect, but why? You might have said that this person is incorrect because with reasonable adjustments and support, many people with disabilities can live independent and fulfilling lives without needing constant help.

Well done if you said this or something similar.

We're now moving on to our final practice task, and well done for your hard work.

I'd like you to complete the missing information on the table on the next slide to summarize the many changes and improvements modern Britain has seen for people with disabilities.

Here's what our table looks like.

Can you fill in the blanks so that this table is correct? Pause the video, and we'll go through what you might have said in a few minutes.

Okay, so let's see what your completed table might look like.

For the Blue Badge Scheme, the aim of the initiative is that it's designed to help people with severe mobility issues to access goods and services by parking close to their destination.

Access to Work was the name of the government initiative.

That is financial support to help people with disabilities to find or stay in employment.

For the Personal Independence Payment, the P-I-P or PIP, the aim of this is to cover extra living costs for everyday tasks, like cooking and cleaning or mobility needs.

SEND support, that often comes from the Children and Families Act 2014.

The aim of this was that financial support is available in education to assess and make provisions for children and young people with SEND.

And finally, the government initiative the British Sign Language Act.

The aim of this initiative was to make information more accessible for those with hearing impairments who use BSL to communicate.

While done if your table looked like this.

We're now going to summarize the key learning from today's lesson.

In today's lesson, we've learned that people with disabilities might not always get the same opportunities as people without.

The Equality Act 2010 replaced the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.

It was introduced in the UK to ensure that people with any protected characteristics, including disability, do not face discrimination.

In modern Britain, there have been many changes and improvements over the years to support people with disabilities, such as extra funding.

Society continue to support and promote inclusivity for people with disabilities in many different ways, for example, by making reasonable adjustments.

And finally, when people with disabilities are given support to overcome barriers, many can live independent and fulfilling lives.

In today's lesson, you might have found that you've got some worries or questions, and if you do, it's really important that you share these with a trusted adult.

There's also some resources on the screen that are there to help you too.

Well done for your fantastic hard work in today's lesson.

I hope to see you in another lesson soon.