Does the Law Provide Effective Equality Rights for People with a Visible Difference in the Workplace?

The document evaluated whether UK law effectively provided workplace equality for people with a visible difference, using a framework based on the social model of disability and other equality principles. It concluded that the law was not effective in this regard. The study used doctrinal and empirical methods, including qualitative interviews, to assess various aspects such as disadvantage scope, intersectionality, and access to justice. It suggested reforms, including amending the definition of disability, creating a new protected characteristic, and modifying the individual enforcement model of the Equality Act 2010. Comparative analysis with laws in France and the USA informed these proposals, highlighting that specific legal guidance for visible differences and changes to the enforcement model could improve legal effectiveness.