Beliefs that people significantly impact service users in relation the adoption of Equality Act 2010, specifically the characteristic of disability. According to Lalvani (2015), different individuals may possess beliefs concerning disability that differ from those embraced by the broader society. Besides, such beliefs may vary within small families and communities. Harmful or false individual beliefs may impact service users in a negative manner on their ability to adopt the Equality Act 2010 with respect to the disability characteristic in various ways. Erroneous beliefs concerning disability can lead to stigma, which might in turn lower the status of the service user within the organisation or when seeking organisational services. Stigma can also lead to discrimination against persons with disability, which may lead to service users facing exclusions and inhuman treatment when seeking organisational services. On the other hand, positive beliefs regarding treatment may impact service users positively in many ways. Such beliefs may erase issues of stigma and discrimination against individuals with disabilities, which in turn may lead to the provision of inclusive services and humane treatment for all services users. In this manner, the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 can be impacted positively.

http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/english/asia/resource/apdrj/z13jo0300/z13jo0303.html

According to Lalvani (2015), an individual’s behavioural patterns depict his or her patterns of thought. As such, a person’s behaviour can bear negative or positive impacts on the services users’ ability to implement the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the characteristic of disability. Positive individual behaviour may encourage actions such as courtesy when addressing service users with disability. Such behaviours can also enable people to provide physical assistance such as accessing buildings to service users with disabilities. Thus, positive individual behaviour contributes to the discouragement of any form of prejudice against persons with disabilities, which in turn impacts the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in a positive manner in relation to the characteristic of disability.  On the other hand negative individual behaviour may lead to acts of rudeness and unwillingness to assist service users with disability, which in turn may mount to prejudice against such persons. As a result, such a mannerism on the part of an individual may negatively impact the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 with regard to the characteristic of disability.

The Equality Act 2010 basically protects people against discrimination on all levels in various societies and applies nationwide. This act was passed on the 1^st of October, 2010 and was in full force by April 11^th 2012. Prior to the passing of this Act, there were various laws that catered for different forms of discrimination. Under the Equality Act, all forms of discriminatory laws can now be put under similar umbrellas, making them easier to understand and strengthening protection of others. The Act protects all persons from being treated unfairly for who they are by employers, service providing organizations and businesses, health and care providers, schools colleges, transport services, etc. The Act is divided under nine major characteristics, of which include age, disability. Gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Government of UK explains that the Act provides the basic framework of protection against direct and indirect discrimination, harassment, and victimization in service and public functions, work, associations, and transport. It also forms the basis for the definition of gender reassignment and provides protection for persons discriminated because of their association with people of protected character. The Act also provides clear protection for breastfeeding mothers, applies a more uniform definition of indirect discrimination and harmonizes provision, which allow voluntary positive actions. On the local levels, discrimination (direct and indirect) are regulated by the implementation of this Act which checks individual actions against protected characters. Under this Act, an optician for example who allows payment for spectacles by instalments, but restricts eligibility to those in work disregards the implementation of this Act and indirectly ostracizes pensioners. On a national scale, as mentioned earlier persons who suffer from dementia pay up to two-thirds of their care charge, whereas persons with heart conditions and cancer are catered for by the national health scheme. However, more and more persons with disability are being included in regular schools and activities such as the Paralympics. Also more children with disabilities live with their parents instead of being put in segregated homes. All such forms of inclusion are gradually opening up the minds of the public to accept persons with disabilities as a part of the society and to give them their support.

The Equality Act 2010 is for all persons and forms the basis of treating each other fairly in the use of services and the provision of goods.  The NHS mentions that a person is described as disabled if; they have a physical or mental impairment and the impairment has a substantial and long term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. Prior to the enactment of this Act, older persons could be refused in a gym simply because of their age, but the enactment of this act allows such discrepancies to be done away with. Also citizens advice mentions that anyone treated unfairly because of their association to a group or a person with protected characteristic is unlawful and reveal that some nurses may be made fun of, because of their association with people with some form of mental impairment.

The importance of the implementation of this Act rests on issues of social rights and responsibilities, social care models and social inclusion. The shift from biomedical models to biopsychosocial models mean that over the years, more attention has been shifted from disabilities simply being the making of a scientific impairment which can simply be treated with medicine to involving social forms of treatment. Such social forms call for the inclusion of all disabled members in the activities of our various societies. Over the years, the proportion of people with profound multiple disabilities living into adulthood has increased in the last 20 years and this tells us that to some extent, society is embracing members with disabilities and offering their support.

In an article by the international journal of nursing studies, it was carefully stated that “while it is easy to sentimentalize the past, there is little doubt that in the world-view of the pre-enlightenment age, intellectual disability or mental impairment were recognized as having some value in society” this statement was made because in the pre enlightenment age, throughout medieval Europe, monasteries provided some sort of asylum and care for people with disability in a paternalistic manner, lacking in any developmental process. The disabled were then seen as children and objects of pity. However, along the eighteenth and nineteenth century, the industrial revolution brought in a wind of change, with more focus on the use of each individual in the society. At this time, according to Gilbert (2016), irrational behaviour was considered a threat and hindrance to economic society, thus such members of the society were ostracized.

In the UK, the local authorities for disabled people were transferred to the NHS in 1984, but disabled persons were not given the same healthcare development access as persons suffering from other diseases. On the other hand, disabled persons were exposed to abuses in the long-stay hospital system and this called for a change in 1970. A year later, the White Paper Better Care for the Mentally Handicapped was initiated, with targets set for community resources in both residential and day mental care services. Then came the period where the mentally disabled persons were placed in often unsuitable and unsupervised homes. The NHS and Community Care Act in 1990 places a greater emphasis on social care, with a more focused approach.

Right through these periods to present time, the awareness of the condition of the disabled in society (mentally or physically) has gradually increased and now, because of the presence of information on such topics and the use of media pages to educate the public of discriminatory issues facing varied groups of people, stigmatization and neglect of the disabled in society are reduced, allowing them longer life expectancy. Findings from this study will give individuals a general information on the meaning of this Act and its importance to all members of the society, as well as bring to bear some examples of discrimination.

One can thus say that although discrimination with regards to disabled persons may still exist because of the lack of knowledge on the subject matter, or individual belief, it has over the years been given more attention, and as such has been better embraced by society, reducing the stigma most people faced, as a direct result of their disability or their association with such persons. It can also be said that awareness of the extent and the seriousness of some mental disabilities such as dementia is gradually being brought to light, to buttress all former misconceptions on this subject matter. Also the above mentioned websites and organizations present reliable and unbiased information to educate the public on the meaning of the Equality Act 2010 and its functions.

Artiga. S and Heiman. J. H, 2015. Beyond Health Care: The Role of Social Determinants in Promoting Health and Health Equity. Keiser Family Foundation, www.kff.org

Bee. P; Brooks. H; Fraser. C; Lovell. K, n.d. Professional perspectives on service user and carer involvement in mental health care planning. International Journal of Nursing Studies, www.elsavier.org

Disability, Discrimination and the Equality Act – Care and Support – NHS Choices. www.nhs.uk

Discrimination and Your Rights, 2016. www.citizensadvice.org.uk

Equality, Discrimination and Human Rights, 2016. Alzheimer’s society. www.alzheimers.org.uk

Equality act, impact on disabled People, 2015. www.publications.parliament.uk

Equality Act 2010 – Guidance, 2010. www.gov.uk

Gilbert. P, 2016. Social Care Services And the Social Perspective. [email protected]

Imison. C and Bohmer. R, 2013. Perspectives – NHS and Social Care workforce: meeting our needs now and in the future. www.kingsfund.org.uk

Media has a significant impact on the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the characteristic of disability. According to Media Literacy Council (2013), mass media influence attitudes of individuals and organisations towards various issues in the society. The manner in which a film, television, books, magazines, advertisements, and music portray issues such as sex, disability, violence, sex, gender roles, environmental roles, and health may have a tremendous impact on  how the society handles matters (Media Literacy Council, 2013). In relation to this media has contributed significantly to influencing organisations to adopt the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the aspect of disability. Two organisations that have been influenced by mass media to implement the Equality Act 2010, particularly by focusing on the dimension of disability are Ernst & Young and Marks and Spencer (M&S). Through media influence these two organisations have made significance steps in the implementation of the Equality Act 2010 in relation to the disability characteristic. The two organisations are embracing the social model/framework of disability, and have focused in eliminating the environmental, organisational, and people barriers to persons with disability. The organisations have eliminated the environmental barriers by providing easy access to buildings along with other services and accessible parking spaces for the disabled persons. For instance, Marks and Spencer is committed to offering services and stores that are inclusive to all its consumers (Marks & Spencer, 2017). The design of the stores along with their management contributes to the provision of an inclusive and safe settings that are accessible (Marks & Spencer, 2010). Ernst & Young has also been acknowledged with several honours for developing an all-inclusive setting for persons having disabilities (Ernst & Young, 2017). These organisations have also implemented policies and measures aimed at addressing any form of prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination of disabled employees by other abled workers. For example, Ernst & Young focuses on the provision of improves services for clients with disabilities by increasing awareness among its employees. The organisation accomplishes this goal by making posters highlighting various themes of disability like accessibility and awareness of imperceptible disabilities, as well as the significance of acknowledging how to handle persons having disability with decorum (Ernst & Young, 2017). These measures are aimed at ensuring that organisational and people-related barriers are addressed effectively. Considering these organisations, it can be noted that media continues to have substantial influence on the