Sources of help and advice
Sources of help and advice page partially updated, including:
- United Legal Access unitedlegalaccess.com, a group of volunteer lawyers providing free initial legal advice online, including on employment law;
- Video: 15 ways to get FREE legal advice by Daniel Barnett, an employment barrister;
- Advocate (formerly the Bar Pro Bono Unit) no longer requires a referral. One can apply direct.
Insurance cover in service provider cases
For cases against service providers, to help with the lack of Qualified One Way Cost Shifting (QOCS) – which basically may leave claimants exposed to the other side’s legal costs unless the case stays in the Small Claims Track – Fry Law have worked with an insurance company to create a new insurance policy that can help: Legal firm’s insurance link-up could open access to Equality Act justice (disabilitynewsservice.com), September 2020. Linked from my page Complaints and going to court: services>Going to court.
Face masks/coverings
Partial update of Face masks/coverings and stammering, including:
- Link to Which guide Clear face masks: what to know before you buy (which.co.uk) added to ‘Experimenting, transparent face mask, or “I stammer” mask or card?’ section;
- Type II face mask and visor/goggles no longer stated by Covid-19 secure guidance to be mandatory in law for close contact services, but still recommended;
- update of links to face covering regulations in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland.
2011 Guidance on definition of disability
2011 Guidance on definition of disability reviewed and updated. For example there is a new summary, it no longer focusses on comparing the 2011 Guidance with the 2006 Guidance, Brexit is taken into account, and it reflects updates to various other pages.
Disability Confident
‘Disability Confident’ and guaranteed interviews reviewed and updated. Employers at level 3 must now publicly report on their disability employment (gov.uk).
Examples of jobs
Added to Examples of jobs done by people who stammer/ stutter:
- Further links on US President Joe Biden:
- Biden’s inauguration sparks media interest (stamma.org), Jan 2021, with links to stammering-related coverage,
- How Joe Biden overcame his stutter to fulfil the American Dream (gq-magazine.co.uk) Jan 2021
- Doctor (pulmonologist): My story of stammering & social anxiety (stamma.org), January 2021
- Felicity Baker, BBC news journalist: report by her Stammering: ‘I thought it made me a failure’ (bbc.co.uk) and article Stammering makes the headlines (stamma.org), both January 2021.
Reasonable adjustment rules
Reasonable adjustment rules: employment reviewed and updated, including:
- new Summary
- What is a “provision, criterion or practice” (PCP)?
- Substantial disadvantage, and
- Time limits.
Interim relief
Interim relief for Equality Act claims – continuing the employment of someone who has been dismissed pending a final tribunal decision – is not currently available but may become so depending on the case of Steer v Stormsure (decided by the EAT in December) which is going the Court of Appeal.
- Previous updates: Website updates November to December 2020.
