The Equality Act 2010 defines disability as any physical or mental impairment that has a ‘substantial’ and ‘long-term’ (12 months or more) negative effect on an individual’s ability to do normal daily activities. ‘Substantial’ means it takes much longer than it usually would to complete a daily task. This includes getting dressed, difficulty with verbal interaction, or using everyday objects such as a computer keyboard. 

The Act covers a range of conditions that may not be immediately obvious. We will look at some examples on the next three slides. 

The same disability can affect different people in different ways, therefore it is important to always ask the individual about what support needs they may have.