It is unlawful for an employer to refuse to make reasonable adjustments for a disabled employee.
Trade union reps can support disabled employees by highlighting to management the types of reasonable adjustments that can be made, many of which are not expensive and can greatly reduce barriers in the workplace.

Examples of reasonable adjustments that could be made (taken from the Act):

• Making adjustments to premises
• Allocating some of the disabled person’s duties to someone else
• Transferring an employee who becomes disabled to another job
• Altering a disabled person’s working hours
• Transferring a disabled person to a different place of work
• Allowing a disabled person to be absent during working hours for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment
• Providing training
• Modifying instructions or manuals
• Providing a reader or interpreter
• Providing supervision

Employers are entitled to claim that discrimination is justified in certain circumstances, but this justification must be material and substantial and should also consider whether any reasonable adjustment can be made.