The Guide to Good Mental Health on the Autism Spectrum by Jeanette Purkis

Author:Jeanette Purkis
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784501952
Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Published: 2016-02-07T16:00:00+00:00

Anti-discrimination legislation

Relevant laws to address discrimination on the basis of disability or mental illness in employment (and other areas) and government bodies that support them across the English-speaking world include the following:

•United Kingdom: the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 aims to protect people with disability and mental illness in the UK from discrimination in employment, accommodation, commerce, transport and building accessibility. It is supported by the UK Office for Disability Issues.8

•Australia: the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 protects people with disability or mental illness and makes disability discrimination unlawful. It promotes equal rights, equal opportunity and equal access for people with disabilities. It is supported by the Australian Human Rights Commission (no date).

•United States of America: the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 addresses discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, housing, public accommodations, education, transportation, communication, recreation, institutionalisation, health services, voting and access to public services.9 The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of a number of characteristics, including disability or mental illness.10

•Canada: the Canadian Human Rights Act 1985 is the instrument that aims to address discrimination on the basis of disability and mental illness in Canada. It covers discrimination in employment, equal pay and provision of goods and services. It is supported by the Canadian Human Rights Commission.11

•New Zealand: discrimination on the grounds of disability or mental illness is addressed in the Human Rights Act 1993. It is supported by the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.12

•Republic of Ireland: discrimination on the basis of disability or mental illness is addressed by the Disability Act 2005, which is supported by the National Disability Authority.13

Telling your boss and/or your colleagues about your autism and/or your mental health issues can bring about support and friendship, or it can cause difficulties when they are afraid of, or confused by the labels. If you do disclose, it can be helpful to provide a small amount of information, such as a leaflet, that explains what these labels mean when applied to you, and what supports you may need.

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