Medical history/health/disability and legal rights?

Historically, at school, college, and uni, I’ve been asked and have seen other students been asked questions by teachers and lecturers about their medical history. As an example, another student took tablets, which were clearly medically prescribed as were in a prescription bottle with a label, and a lecturer stopped the class to ask what medical condition the student had and what the tablets were for.

I’ve been in similar conversations, and have always managed to dismiss it, but ideally I’d like to be able to know if had legal rights that would end the conversation and further questions straight away. I’ve searched online, but all I can find is stuff about equal rights in an interview scenario or employment. Would anyone have more info on this?

Thanks in advance.

Reply 1

rubymacbeth

In the Equality Act 2010, it says educational institutions have the legal duty to provide reasonable adjustments for disabilities and/or medical conditions, as I'm sure you know. I think it's commonly said in association with this law that there is no obligation to disclose your disability if you do not want to; I don't know if that is encoded in the law or has arisen in practice out of it. Either way, to state this should be enough. On a side note, it sounds very intrusive and unethical that teachers and lecturers you know have publicly, no less, asked what medical conditions students have.