What are the changes introduced in the Equality Act?

One thing I'm sure of is that the new law has made it easier for employees to prove that they have suffered from disability discrimination.

Yup, check it out. Specifically, it would be easier for employees to claim that they are disabled and thus protected from discrimination.

I think this was borne out of the findings from the House of Lords that said that disability protections were not enough over here.

One of the changes I know is that indirect discrimination would be recognised now. It just means that an employer should not introduce a criteria, practice or provision that would put disabled people at an disadvantage.

Hmmmn... what does that mean???

Well, for one you really couldn't make typing speed as one of the criteria in a performance review. This is because most dyslexics cannot type fast, and as such you are indirectly discriminating against people who suffer from dyslexia.

Another thing that employers should watch out for is the fact that they could now be punished for the consequences of a person's disability. For example, you could not fire out an employee who has been absent due to treatments for his disability.

Not only that... the new law says that you don't have to compare yourself with another employee without the disability, which is what the current law requires.