Rights & choices · England
When a service treats you unfairly
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Shops, banks and other services should be accessible.
You can ask for help with disability-related barriers.
Ask for changes that help
You may find it hard to use a service.
Explain what gets in your way.
A change that helps access is called a reasonable adjustment.
Services must make reasonable adjustments when the law requires them.
You might need clear information or more time.
You might need a different way to contact the service.
Agree support and ask for reasons
Tell the service what would help you.
You can ask someone to help explain.
Ask who will arrange the change.
Ask when it will happen.
If the service says no, ask why.
Ask what else could help.
You must not pay for an adjustment the law requires.
Keep records and complain
Write down what happened and when.
Keep useful letters and messages.
Explain how the problem affected you.
Say what you want put right.
Ask how to make a complaint.
Ask for a reply you understand.
Get advice about next steps
EASS can explain equality rights and possible next steps.
EASS is a service that helps with discrimination concerns.
It does not act as your lawyer.
A court claim has a time limit.
Get legal advice quickly about your own deadline.
Do not wait for the complaint to finish.
Tell an adviser if things get worse after you complain.
Keep a note of what happens.
What you can do next
EASS can help explain your options.
Ask for support to use its service if needed.
Find help with equality rights Web pageAdvice serviceThis link opens another website.
It may use harder words.
More useful links
- Equality Advisory and Support Service Web pageAdvice service
Equality information and help with informal resolution; it does not provide legal advice or represent you in court.
- Find a legal aid adviser Web pageAdviser directory
Search by area and problem, including discrimination. The adviser checks legal-aid eligibility.
- Civil Legal Advice Web pageFuller information
Check whether funded advice may be available for your circumstances.
- EHRC: reasonable adjustments in services Web pageDetailed official guidance
Detailed official guidance for supporters and advisers.
- EHRC: court routes and time limits Web pageDetailed official guidance
Detailed guidance on service-discrimination claims, remedies and deadlines.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Discrimination when using services: asking for adjustments and challenging unfair treatment
Practical steps if disability creates barriers in shops, leisure, transport, healthcare or other services, with a request and complaint worksheet.
England · Services and public functions · Disability discrimination
Know which situation this guide covers
This guide concerns using services and public functions in England, such as a shop, bank, café, leisure centre, council service or healthcare appointment. A service can be covered whether it charges or is free. Employment, school education and housing have their own rules and routes, so use the relevant linked guide as well. Disability discrimination is a legal question; poor service alone does not prove it.
Recognise a possible disability barrier
A problem might be an inaccessible booking process, a rule that prevents a person getting support, refusal because of disability, or humiliating disability-related treatment. Explain the specific event and its connection with disability. For example, a service may need another way to book if its process is inaccessible. The facts, applicable duties and any lawful exception matter; not every refused request establishes discrimination.
Services should plan for access
The reasonable-adjustment duty for services is anticipatory: providers should consider disabled people’s access before every individual asks. It can require changes to practices, physical features or extra aids and assistance. What is reasonable depends on the circumstances. Tell the service about your own barrier and what helps; this can make a workable solution clearer. A required adjustment must not be charged to you.
Make a clear adjustment request
Describe the task you want to do, what prevents access and the change that would help. Possible requests include plain-language information, an accessible contact method, more time, a quieter appointment or suitable communication support. Ask who will arrange it and when. A supporter can help with your agreement. You do not need a particular passport or a perfect legal letter before raising an access need.
Ask for reasons and workable alternatives
If the service refuses, request the reasons and any alternative that would address the disadvantage. Ask whether it has considered your actual circumstances instead of a blanket rule. Safety concerns may need a suitable response, but a vague reference to safety does not explain why a particular restriction is necessary. Keep the discussion focused on effective access, including whether the proposed alternative genuinely works for you.
Understand different forms of discrimination
Being treated less favourably because of disability may be direct discrimination. A general rule may be indirectly discriminatory where the legal conditions are met. Unfavourable treatment because of something arising from disability has a separate test and possible justification defence. A failure to make required reasonable adjustments can itself be unlawful. These are distinct questions, so explain events clearly and let an adviser help identify the relevant test.
Keep a useful record
Write down dates, the service or branch, people involved, what was said and the effect on you. Keep messages, booking information, policies and receipts where relevant. Record what adjustment was requested, when, the response and whether it was delivered. Distinguish your observations from assumptions about motives. Keep original records safely and avoid collecting unrelated private information. The optional worksheet can help organise the main points.
Complain and say what would put things right
Use the organisation’s complaints process if appropriate. Explain the disability-related concern, include key evidence and request an accessible response. Possible outcomes include the adjustment, a corrected decision, an explanation, repayment of an improper charge or steps to avoid repetition. Ask for a response date and interim help if access is urgently needed. A routine complaint is not the same as formal court pre-action correspondence.
Get help with the next step
The Equality Advisory and Support Service, or EASS, gives information about equality and human rights and may assist informal resolution. It does not provide legal advice or court representation. A solicitor, law centre or relevant adviser can assess legal options. Legal aid may be available for eligible discrimination cases; check rather than assume. Services such as healthcare, councils, finance or transport may also have specialist complaint or ombudsman routes.
Protect the correct legal deadline
Service-discrimination claims in England normally go to the County Court. The usual limit is six months minus one day from the alleged unlawful act. Continuing conduct, failures to act and specific statutory extensions can affect calculation; continuing consequences of a completed event do not automatically extend time. A court can sometimes allow a late claim, but do not rely on that. Ordinary complaints do not automatically stop the clock. Obtain individual advice promptly.
Think about court steps with an adviser
The employment tribunal and Acas early-conciliation route are not the normal route for a customer’s service-discrimination claim. County Court procedure has its own preparation, fees and potential costs risks. Ask about funding, evidence, any required pre-action steps and accessible court arrangements before starting. Public-law or urgent challenges can have different, shorter deadlines. Do not wait for a complaint outcome if urgent access or a legal deadline is at risk.
You can raise equality concerns without retaliation
The Equality Act protects people from victimisation for protected acts, such as alleging an Equality Act breach or supporting someone’s discrimination complaint. Not every general service complaint is a protected act, and allegations made falsely in bad faith are excluded. Record any later disadvantage and get advice about its connection to the equality concern. If there is abuse, threats or immediate danger, use safeguarding or emergency help as appropriate.
Words you could use
“I need an adjustment to use your service. The barrier is … It affects me by … The change I request is … Please confirm who will arrange it and when. If you refuse, please explain the reasons and a suitable alternative in a format I understand.”
More useful links
- Equality Advisory and Support Service Web pageAdvice service
Equality information and help with informal resolution; it does not provide legal advice or represent you in court.
- Find a legal aid adviser Web pageAdviser directory
Search by area and problem, including discrimination. The adviser checks legal-aid eligibility.
- Civil Legal Advice Web pageFuller information
Check whether funded advice may be available for your circumstances.
- EHRC: reasonable adjustments in services Web pageDetailed official guidance
Detailed official guidance for supporters and advisers.
- EHRC: court routes and time limits Web pageDetailed official guidance
Detailed guidance on service-discrimination claims, remedies and deadlines.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
Where the information comes from
Links checked 1 November 2026.
These links open other websites.
They may use harder words.
- EHRC 2026 Code: introduction Web page
Scope, services, public functions and the distinction from work, education and housing.
- EHRC 2026 Code: reasonable adjustments Web pageDetailed official guidance
Anticipatory service duties, reasonable steps and charging.
- EHRC 2026 Code: discrimination arising from disability Web page
A distinct disability-discrimination test and justification.
- EHRC 2026 Code: victimisation Web page
Protected acts, retaliation and the bad-faith exception.
- EHRC 2026 Code: enforcement Web pageDetailed official guidance
County Court route, six-month-minus-one-day limit and procedural considerations.
- Equality Act 2010, section 118 Web page
Current statutory time-limit provisions, continuing conduct and court discretion.
- Equality Advisory and Support Service Web pageAdvice service
The service’s role and limits, including that it does not provide legal advice.
- GOV.UK: Civil Legal Advice Web pageFuller information
Eligibility-dependent funded advice, including discrimination.
- Ministry of Justice: legal aid adviser search Web pageAdviser directory
Finding advisers by problem and location.
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