Acas has launched a new guide designed to help employers and managers identify, tackle and prevent disability discrimination in the workplace. The new free guide, ‘Disability discrimination: key points for the workplace' helps employers get to grips with what disability discrimination means and how it can happen in key areas of the employment cycle. The guide also deals with how employees should raise complaints and how employers should deal with them. Acas point out that over the past year, its helpline dealt with around 12,000 calls on disability related discrimination. Over 4 out of 10 disabled people seeking work found that misconceptions around their capability to work were the biggest barrier to getting hired.

As is the case with the EHRC’s Employment Code, employers are advised to ensure that the Acas guide’s provisions are reflected in their policies, procedures and training so as to be able to demonstrate that they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination occurring.

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