Equality, equity, and justice are often confused, but they address fairness in different ways.
Equality gives everyone the same resources or opportunities.
Equity recognizes that people start from different circumstances and may need different levels of support.
Justice focuses on removing the barriers that create those differences in the first place.
Understanding the distinction can help create systems that are not only equal, but truly fair.
Equality means treating everyone the same. But when it comes to disability, “the same” doesn’t always mean fair. People experience the world in different ways, and barriers in our environments can make everyday things harder to access. Equity is about recognising those differences and providing the support, adjustments, and accessibility people need to participate fully. It’s not about giving some people “extra”, it’s about removing barriers so everyone has a fair opportunity.
Under the Equality Act 2010, customer service providers must treat all individuals equally and fairly, avoiding discrimination, harassment, and victimisation based on protected characteristics.
Protected Characteristics
The Equality Act identifies nine protected characteristics that cannot be used as a basis for unfair treatment in services:
Service providers must ensure that customers are not discriminated against due to these characteristics, either directly or indirectly.
Types of Discrimination in Customer Service
Direct discrimination: Treating someone less favourably specifically because of a protected characteristic. Examples include refusing to serve a person due to their ethnicity or sexual orientation.
Indirect discrimination: Applying a neutral rule or policy that disproportionately disadvantages people with a protected characteristic, unless the rule can be objectively justified. For example, a “no head coverings” policy may indirectly discriminate against customers who wear religious attire.
Harassment: Any unwanted conduct related to a protected characteristic that violates dignity or creates a hostile, degrading, or offensive environment.
Victimisation: Unfair treatment of someone because they made a complaint about discrimination or supported another person’s complaint.
Reasonable Adjustments for Accessibility
Service providers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers to ensure they can access services equally. This includes measures such as ramps, alternative formats for written information (Braille or large font), assistive technology, and staff training to accommodate different needs.
The duty is proactive; providers must anticipate barriers and not wait for requests to be made.
Practical Implementation in Customer Service
Inclusive culture: Train staff to respect diversity, listen actively, and respond sensitively to customer needs.
Policy development: Implement equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies that guide recruitment, service delivery, and day-to-day operations.
Communication: Use inclusive language, provide alternative communication methods for customers with language barriers, and accommodate cultural or religious practices.
Positive engagement: Regularly review services to identify potential barriers and improve inclusiveness, potentially conducting Equality Impact Assessments for public or large-scale service projects.
Legal Scope and Exceptions
While the Act prohibits unjust discrimination, some exceptions exist, including age-based concessions, health and safety requirements, financial services risk assessments, and single-sex or regulated services where necessary. Any differential treatment must be objectively justified or in line with permitted exceptions.
Benefits of Compliance
Complying with the Equality Act enhances the organisation’s reputation, fosters customer loyalty, and demonstrates respect for diverse customer needs. Inclusive practices also attract top talent and ensure fair, equitable service delivery.
In summary, customer service under the Equality Act 2010 requires fairness, respect, and proactive accommodation of diversity, encompassing all nine protected characteristics, preventing discrimination, harassment, or victimisation, and ensuring accessibility for disabled individuals.
Legislation.gov.uk
By: Daniella Jade Lowe
What is Disability?
Over the years, classifying and defining disability has become quite tedious. There are various examples to describe disability.
Disability is seen as a ‘social construct.’ It is the idea that society and its’ institutions have the authority to construct disability around social expectations. In medieval times, disability was constructed around a person’s moral behaviour.
Disability is defined as a physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities. According to an article I read from meriahnichols.com, ‘dis’ is another way of doing and being. The term disability is an ability to do or be in another way. The term disabled is an ability to do or be something, in another way-https://www.meriahnichols.com/3-reasons-say-disability-instead-special-needs/.
Even though, I’ve only identified three models of disability, according to research there seems to be loads more.
Models of Disability are tools for defining impairment and for providing a basis upon which government and society can devise strategies for meeting the needs of disabled people.
Medical Model of Disability
The medical model describes disability as a consequence of a health condition, disease or caused by a trauma that can disrupt the functioning of a person in a physiological or cognitive way.
This model is a conceptualization of disability as a condition a person has and focuses on the prevention, treatment or curing of the disabling condition.
Functional Model of Disability
This model is similar to the medical model because it conceptualizes disability as an impairment or deficit. Disability is caused by physical, medical or cognitive deficits. The disability itself limits a person’s functioning or the ability to perform functional activities.
Social Model of Disability
The Social Model of Disability includes people’s views, opinions and attitudes. It has been the prominent approach to disability over the last 30+ years.
It was developed by disabled people based on real life experience of discrimination, inclusion and challenging disabling barriers. It is outward looking and focused on the things in society that can be changed or improved, like, the environment, information, communications and people’s attitudes.
It’s a problem solving approach which gives disabled people greater control over vital, even basic decisions, like, from what time to get out of bed on a morning to employability and education choices.
This approach enables you to better understand how reasonable adjustments can be implemented. It also focuses on the things you can influence or change and promotes valued skills.
In conclusion, the purpose behind the models of disability is to highlight the political struggle of disability. It analyzes the ‘problem of disability.’ It also affects policy making, so that we can make positive change in our society for people with disabilities.
Since laws are already created to discriminate against disabled people by default, we need to make sure that the Social Model of Disability is pushed to ensure equality.
For more information on the various models of disability, check out this website: https://www.disabled-world.com/definitions/disability-models.php.
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