Making an Organisation Disability-Inclusive: What can I do as an Employer?

The UK has made significant progress in promoting equality and inclusion for disabled people in the workplace. The Equality Act 2010 legally protects disabled individuals from discrimination and requires employers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate them. However, disabled employees still face barriers, and more can be done to support them. Here are some tips for employers on being more disability-inclusive:

 

- Review your workplace policies - Make sure your policies and procedures do not inadvertently discriminate against disabled staff. For example, ensure flexible working and leave arrangements are available to accommodate individual needs. Conduct Equality Impact Assessments to ensure that policies are inclusive of all employees.

 

- Make reasonable adjustments - Employers are legally required to make reasonable changes to enable a disabled employee to do their job. This could include changes to equipment, hours, duties etc. Consult with the employee to understand their needs. One size does not fit all.

 

- Improve workplace accessibility - Conduct an accessibility audit of your premises. Make improvements like ramps, automatic doors, accessible toilets, and parking spaces. Provide assistive technology if needed. 

 

- Offer disability awareness training - Educate all employees on disability issues through training. Promote disability etiquette and rights. It creates more inclusion and is the right thing to do.

 

- Hire inclusively - Avoid ableism, affinity bias and unconscious bias in your hiring processes. Welcome and encourage disabled candidates to apply. Focus on their skills and value-add. Make the recruitment process inclusive.

 

- Enable open conversations – Create a safe space which encourages disabled employees to speak up about their experiences and needs. Have empathetic and open dialogues. Remember, as an employer, you are not expected to be an expert. Listen, trial adjustments and review accordingly.

 

- Make disability inclusion a priority - Express commitment to disability inclusion across leadership, HR, managers. Set goals, track progress, get feedback from disabled staff. 

 

Supporting disabled employees benefits both individuals and employers. It leads to more diversity, better retention, greater innovation, and a stronger company culture. The UK has come a long way, but there is always more progress to be made.