A tongue-in-cheek look at how discrimination law is changing and how software suppliers may need to be aware of it when designing applications or bidding for work.
Equality Act 2010 Shouldn't geek be a protected characteristic? Tim Medcalf
Transcript
1. Equality Act 2010 Shouldn't geek be a
protectedcharacteristic? Tim Medcalf
2.
New anti-discrimination law
Replaces 9 separate pieces of legislation
Defines protected characteristics
Equality Act 2010
3. What is protected?
Gender
Ethnicity
Disability
Marriage/Civil Partnership
Age
Gender Reassignment
Pregnancy/Maternity
Sexual orientation
Religion or Belief
4. Religion or Belief
A belief need not include faith or worship of a god or gods,
but must affect how a person lives their life or perceives the
world
-Equality and Human Rights Commission
Religion
|
Faith
|
Belief
|
Spirituality
|
Philosophy
|
Lifestyle?
5.
A person who is a vegan chooses not to use or consume animal
products of any kind. That person eschews the exploitation of
animals for food, clothing, accessories or any other purpose and
does so out of an ethical commitment to animal welfare.
- Equality and Human Rights Commission, Code of Practice
Vegan
6. Jedi Daniel Jones (a.k.a. Master Morda Hehol) Founder,
Church of Jediism Source: North Wales Chronicle
7.
Protection of such wide and far-reaching criteria can actually
conflict with a person's freedom to live the way they want.
Protection/Discrimination
8. Religious Freedoms wtf. teh act iz discriminating against ma
rightness 2 not employ dem wot aint cafflik. kthxbai. (paraphrased
heavily)
9. Fear of discriminating...
Job Centre Advert:
"...very reliable and hard-working."
The job centre was worried that would discriminate against
unreliable people.
10. So why not geek?
You geek!
Copyright: Simpsons/Fox/Matt Goening
11. Stereotype! A lack of understanding can often be the cause
of discrimination Stereotypes are often used in place of true
understanding
12. Geek = Lifestyle
So, the next time someone...
won't support you for using linux
scorns your use of twitter
sniggers at your fine collection of regexp t-shirts
Rise Up!
13. Wherever you worship...
14. Equality: The serious bit...
As software developers and designers, you may need to think
about different protected characteristics
We're all aware of W3C accessibility guidelines
...but are you ready for equality guidelines?
15. "Framework for Fairer Future" - Examples
Suggested ways of thinking about equality:
A police authority developing an emergency mobile phonetext
service, and incorporating sign language video clipson its web site
to meet the needs of Deaf people.
16.
Procurement guidelinesencourage the use of suppliers with the
best equality statistics and processes
Examples include male/female split and representation of
diversities such as disability and ethnicity
Equality Act: Public Sector
17.
Government can control public sector easier, but they are
looking at private sector too (e.g. gender pay gap reporting)
Large corporates are already looking at equality as part of
Corporate Social Responsibility
One large retailer is already asking suppliers for proof of
their equality credentials
Equality Act: Private Sector
18.
Be mindful of equality when designing software or bidding for
work
...it could be a differentiator
How does it affect you?
19. Think of the Vegan Jedi
Think how different people are affected by using your website
and applications
Will they have to take their hood down to read all the text or
hear the sounds?