Blog

Discrimination is defined as the unjustified distinctions and treatment of a certain group of people, or an individual, based on aspects of a person’s identity and lifestyle such as the reasons presented within the Equality Act 200, known as protected characteristics, which include race, sex, pregnancy and maternity, marriage and civil partnership, religion or belief, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and age (see appendix one). Examples of discriminatory practices are physical and verbal assault, excluding individuals, avoiding individuals, negative non-verbal communication, making assumptions, and devaluing people (Moonie,2000). Acts of discrimination may be overt, which is often done intentionally with malicious intent and is also known as direct discrimination, such as treating someone less favorably because of their disability. Or covert, also known as indirect discrimination, such as an employer not employing an individual due to their views on a disabled individual’s capabilities. Possible outcomes of discrimination can range from low self-esteem, depression linked to stress and helplessness, estrangement from society, and expecting to be rejected or excluded (etc.). In situations in which individuals experience severe persistent discrimination, one may end up withdrawing from attempting to control their own lives, for instance, one may withdraw from communicating their issues with healthcare professionals as past experiences have shown their queries were not acknowledged or they were not respected. This is somewhat explained in Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy,

in which prolonged exposure to general or institutionalized discrimination is assumed to cause low self-efficacy in education and employability skills (Moonie, 2000).
When considering disability discrimination in particular, the Equality and Human Rights Commission lists six types of disability discrimination: direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, failure to make reasonable adjustments, discrimination arising from disability, harassment, and victimization. However, discrimination can also derive from stereotypes, a way of grouping individuals together and attributing the same qualities and characteristics to each of them, and prejudices, an attitude that is based on pre-judgments made about others and is usually based on ignorance and stereotyped views. Views of disabled individuals stem from values and beliefs entrenched within society that encourage societal attitudes, which are beliefs influenced by governments, historical backgrounds, and other prevailing conditions. Negative societal attitudes based around disabilities from these sources have continued throughout history, and though not as direct, they have ingrained certain stereotypes and prejudices into modern-day society which is often shown through indirect discrimination. However, the Equality Act (200), which replaced previous laws such as the Disability Discrimination Act (995), was set out with specific intentions to protect individuals within the said nine characteristics, from discrimination by employers, education providers, public bodies, and local authorities, and health and care providers (citizens advice, 202).