Equality Act and reasonable adjustments

According to the Equality Act 2010, people with disabilities can get reasonable adjustments when using public services. Reasonable adjustments may include:

• Communication: Ask about preferred methods of communication, use resources such as communication passport, social stories, overlays and appropriate online/written information. 
• Assistance: Help with reaching out to organisations and advice on taking medication or attending appointments.
• Sensory issues: Make appropriate adjustments to help people to feel more comfortable, reduce the risk of sensory overload and promote independence.  
• Environment: Offer home visits or an alternative venue and flexible and longer appointment times. 
• Involvement: Encourage the involvement of others to advocated and empower relationships. The includes support services, professionals, family and friends.

The 2021 Learning from lives and deaths – People with a learning disability and autistic people (LeDeR) policy now includes autistic people. This means that all autistic adults whose deaths are notified to the programme will be able to have a review. This will help improve health outcomes and provide a clearer understanding of the inequalities autistic people face and the causes for the gap in life expectancy. 

• British Dyslexia Association.
• Brook (2021): The importance of RSE for disabled and neurodiverse young people.
• Dimensions: #MyGPandMe campaign
• GOV. UK (2021): The national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021 to 2026.
• Karavidas M and de Visser R O (2022) “It’s not just in my head, and it’s not just irrelevant”: autistic negotiations of menopausal transitions, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(3), pp. 1143–1155.
• AADD-UK: Living with ADHD.
• Mason D, et al (2019): A systematic review of what barriers and facilitators prevent and enable physical health care services access for autistic adults, Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 49(8), pp. 3387–3400.
• Moseley R L, et al (2021): Autism research is ‘all about the blokes and the kids’: autistic women breaking the silence on menopause, British Journal of Health Psychology, 26(3), pp. 709–726.
• Moseley R L, et al (2020): 'When my autism broke': A qualitative study spotlighting autistic voices on menopause, PubMed, Aug;24(6):1423-1437.
• National Autism Society (2023): Menstruation.
• National Autistic Society.
• National Institute of Clinical Excellence (2019): Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis and management, NICE guideline (NG87).
• National Institute of Clinical Excellence (2021): Autism spectrum disorder in adults: diagnosis and management, NICE clinical guideline (CG142).
• National Institute of Clinical Excellence (2021): Autism spectrum disorder in under 19s: support and management, NICE clinical guideline (CG170).
• Steward R, Crane L, Mairi Roy E, Remington A and Pellicano E (2018): “Life is much more difficult to manage during periods”: autistic experiences of menstruation, Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 48(12), pp. 4287–4292.
• Tourette’s Action.