The Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 legislation has recently been passed containing the most extensive anti-discrimination legislation this country has ever seen. The Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 have in turn been repealed and will consequently fall under this new Equality Act.
The Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against people on the basis of protected characteristics, whether directly or indirectly. Therefore the Act states that no-one must be treated less favourably because of their disability, sex, race or religion.
So what does this mean for sport and disabled people?
Clubs should examine their practices, rules, policies and conventions to ensure that they are non-discriminatory, either directly or indirectly. Current internal equality policies as well as membership rules will need to be reviewed in conjunction with the new Act and amendments made accordingly. Discrimination and harassment training courses for both staff and volunteers will need to be adapted to encompass the new Equality Act legislation.
The Equality Act 2010 states that all persons are treated fairly and given equal opportunities - this enables disabled people to participate in sport in an inclusive environment.
For example within the sport of golf, buggies are not permitted to be used during most competitions. Under the new Equality Act 2010, disabled players will be able to use buggies if their impairment affects their mobility and means they cannot compete without the use of a golf buggy.
Chief Executive of The English Federation of Disability Sport, Barry Horne, said:
"The Equality Act 2010 is a welcome piece of legislation which will allow the sports sector to increase participation by including disabled people in their sport - as a result disabled people will be able to enjoy the wider benefits sport can bring."
For more information regarding the Equality Act 2010, please visit www.equalities.gov.uk
