UKMy employer is harassing me because of my disability. What can I do?
You can make a claim for disability harassment under the Equality Act 2010, which makes it unlawful for your employer to engage in unwanted conduct related to your disability that violates your dignity or creates a hostile environment.
What the Law Says
The Equality Act 2010 makes it illegal for employers to harass employees because of a protected characteristic — including disability.
Harassment is defined in section 26 as unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic (like disability) that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity, or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment.
This includes spoken words, written messages, jokes, exclusion, ridicule, or any other behaviour — whether one-off or repeated — that meets that legal test.
You do not need to show that the conduct was intentional: if it had the effect of violating your dignity or creating a hostile environment, and a reasonable person would see it that way, it may amount to harassment.
Statutory TextA person (A) harasses another (B) if— (a) A engages in unwanted conduct related to a relevant protected characteristic, and (b) the conduct has the purpose or effect of— (i) violating B's dignity, or (ii) creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for B.
— Equality Act 2010, s. 26 — Harassment
What to Do
Keep a detailed written record of each incident (date, time, people involved, what was said/done, witnesses)
Report the harassment internally using your employer’s grievance procedure — check your staff handbook or HR policy
If internal resolution fails, seek early conciliation through ACAS within 3 months less one day of the last act of harassment
If conciliation doesn’t resolve it, apply to an employment tribunal — you must do this within 3 months less one day of the last incident (or the final act in a series)
Consider seeking advice from Citizens Advice, a trade union, or a specialist employment solicitor
Sources
Not legal advice. This article is general information based on publicly available sources, written for educational purposes. Laws change and individual situations vary. Consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction before acting on anything you read here. Last reviewed: 2026-06-08.