EdLaw
Reasonable adjustments, services and schools
The duty to make adjustments (three requirements, including the auxiliary-aids requirement that reaches assistive technology), the prohibition on discrimination in services and public functions, and the schools provision covering admission and the provision of education.
Section 20 — Duty to make adjustments
Verbatim from legislation.gov.uk (consolidated text, valid as at 2026-07-15).
1 Where this Act imposes a duty to make reasonable adjustments on a person, this section, sections 21 and 22 and the applicable Schedule apply; and for those purposes, a person on whom the duty is imposed is referred to as A.
3 The first requirement is a requirement, where a provision, criterion or practice of A's puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage in relation to a relevant matter in comparison with persons who are not disabled, to take such steps as it is reasonable to have to take to avoid the disadvantage.
4 The second requirement is a requirement, where a physical feature puts a disabled person at a substantial disadvantage in relation to a relevant matter in comparison with persons who are not disabled, to take such steps as it is reasonable to have to take to avoid the disadvantage.
5 The third requirement is a requirement, where a disabled person would, but for the provision of an auxiliary aid, be put at a substantial disadvantage in relation to a relevant matter in comparison with persons who are not disabled, to take such steps as it is reasonable to have to take to provide the auxiliary aid.
6 Where the first or third requirement relates to the provision of information, the steps which it is reasonable for A to have to take include steps for ensuring that in the circumstances concerned the information is provided in an accessible format.
7 A person (A) who is subject to a duty to make reasonable adjustments is not (subject to express provision to the contrary) entitled to require a disabled person, in relation to whom A is required to comply with the duty, to pay to any extent A's costs of complying with the duty.
8 A reference in section 21 or 22 or an applicable Schedule to the first, second or third requirement is to be construed in accordance with this section.
9 In relation to the second requirement, a reference in this section or an applicable Schedule to avoiding a substantial disadvantage includes a reference to—
- a removing the physical feature in question,
- b altering it, or
- c providing a reasonable means of avoiding it.
10 A reference in this section, section 21 or 22 or an applicable Schedule (apart from paragraphs 2 to 4 of Schedule 4) to a physical feature is a reference to—
- a a feature arising from the design or construction of a building,
- b a feature of an approach to, exit from or access to a building,
- c a fixture or fitting, or furniture, furnishings, materials, equipment or other chattels, in or on premises, or
- d any other physical element or quality.
11 A reference in this section, section 21 or 22 or an applicable Schedule to an auxiliary aid includes a reference to an auxiliary service.
12 A reference in this section or an applicable Schedule to chattels is to be read, in relation to Scotland, as a reference to moveable property.
13 The applicable Schedule is, in relation to the Part of this Act specified in the first column of the Table, the Schedule specified in the second column.
Section 29 — Provision of services, etc.
Verbatim from legislation.gov.uk (consolidated text, valid as at 2026-07-15).
1 A person (a “service-provider”) concerned with the provision of a service to the public or a section of the public (for payment or not) must not discriminate against a person requiring the service by not providing the person with the service.
- a as to the terms on which A provides the service to B;
- b by terminating the provision of the service to B;
- c by subjecting B to any other detriment.
4 A service-provider must not victimise a person requiring the service by not providing the person with the service.
- a as to the terms on which A provides the service to B;
- b by terminating the provision of the service to B;
- c by subjecting B to any other detriment.
6 A person must not, in the exercise of a public function that is not the provision of a service to the public or a section of the public, do anything that constitutes discrimination, harassment or victimisation.
- a a service-provider (and see also section 55(7));
- b a person who exercises a public function that is not the provision of a service to the public or a section of the public.
8 In the application of section 26 for the purposes of subsection (3), and subsection (6) as it relates to harassment, neither of the following is a relevant protected characteristic—
9 In the application of this section, so far as relating to race or religion or belief, to the granting of entry clearance (within the meaning of the Immigration Act 1971), it does not matter whether an act is done within or outside the United Kingdom.
10 Subsection (9) does not affect the application of any other provision of this Act to conduct outside England and Wales or Scotland.
Section 85 — Pupils: admission and treatment, etc.
Verbatim from legislation.gov.uk (consolidated text, valid as at 2026-07-15).
1 The responsible body of a school to which this section applies must not discriminate against a person—
- a in the arrangements it makes for deciding who is offered admission as a pupil;
- b as to the terms on which it offers to admit the person as a pupil;
- c by not admitting the person as a pupil.
- a in the way it provides education for the pupil;
- b in the way it affords the pupil access to a benefit, facility or service;
- c by not providing education for the pupil;
- d by not affording the pupil access to a benefit, facility or service;
- e by excluding the pupil from the school;
- f by subjecting the pupil to any other detriment.
- a in the arrangements it makes for deciding who is offered admission as a pupil;
- b as to the terms on which it offers to admit the person as a pupil;
- c by not admitting the person as a pupil.
- a in the way it provides education for the pupil;
- b in the way it affords the pupil access to a benefit, facility or service;
- c by not providing education for the pupil;
- d by not affording the pupil access to a benefit, facility or service;
- e by excluding the pupil from the school;
- f by subjecting the pupil to any other detriment.
- a a school maintained by a local authority;
- b an independent educational institution (other than a special school);
- ba an alternative provision Academy that is not an independent educational institution;
- c a special school (not maintained by a local authority).
- a a school managed by an education authority;
- b an independent school;
- c a school in respect of which the managers are for the time being receiving grants under section 73(c) or (d) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.
- a if the school is within subsection (7)(a), the local authority or governing body;
- b if it is within subsection (7)(b) , (ba) or (c), the proprietor;
- c if it is within subsection (8)(a), the education authority;
- d if it is within subsection (8)(b), the proprietor;
- e if it is within subsection (8)(c), the managers.
10 In the application of section 26 for the purposes of subsection (3), none of the following is a relevant protected characteristic—
Sources
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All section text above is reproduced verbatim from the consolidated Equality Act 2010 on legislation.gov.uk, extracted mechanically from the official XML. Each provision carries its official identifier as a trailing attribute anchor, the same id legislation.gov.uk uses.