Disability Inclusion in the Workplace: Insights from the B.E. Inclusive Event

By Freya Fredriksson.

Reading time: three minutes

The importance of hiring people with disabilities

Because they are problem solvers, critical thinkers and hard workers. They have to overcome obstacles daily meaning they always have a Plan B. Also, they often have to adapt to challenging situations meaning they are flexible and resourceful as they live in a world that is not made to their needs and they often bring different viewpoints to an issue and think outside of the box, resulting in innovative solutions. These were among the few points that were highlighted at the B.E. Inclusive event hosted by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB).

Read this article to learn about legal inclusivity for the D/deaf community: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/03/24/legal-inclusivity-for-the-d-deaf-community/

I had the pleasure to join the professional member institutes to discuss how we can promote the employment as well as retention of disabled people. When discussing topics like inclusivity, it is vital that we help and learn from each other which underscores the importance of holding events like these in the first place.

Recruitment, retention and promotion

The event shed light on alarming figures such as how there are 16 million disabled people in the UK with only five million in employment. What’s more, is that the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled employees has changed very little over decades despite relentless campaigning for change. It was suggested that we improve this by focusing on good practice in recruitment, retention and promotion. For example, if the application form is not accessible enough to read or the interview process is more challenging because of a disability, then this is the first barrier to recruitment which must be tackled. To ensure the retention of disabled people in your company, listen to their disclosure of their needs and do your best to deliver. Too often disabled people leave their workplace because unmet needs result in them not being as productive as they can be and so they experience job dissatisfaction.

If you would like to find out examples of what reasonable adjustments you can ask for, read my other article on ‘How to establish a deaf-friendly legal workplace’: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/05/06/how-to-establish-a-deaf-friendly-legal-workplace/

Lastly, promotion is critical in order to encourage disabled people to join your organisation andshow that your company is on a disability inclusivity journey.

There is still a long way to go but society has made strides in improvements, meaning employers often want to know how they can provide for employees who face barriers when it comes to accessing the workplace. The first step to improving inclusivity could be enlisting the help of an external person who can look at recruitment procedures and the infrastructure who can advise your organisation on how you can do better. Likewise, awareness days and weeks are incredibly valuable as they offer an opportunity to learn something new about other people’s lived experience which in turn boosts empathy and understanding.

Infrastructure accessibility

It was eye-opening to learn how we can improve our infrastructure to be more accessible and it drew to my attention tothe importance of the solutions-based approach which involveslighting, acoustics and colours when it comes to creating a peaceful and calm work environment. An important point made was that not only will these adjustments benefit the individual in question, but inclusive practice also benefits everyone else in the workplace! Refurbishment of buildings is not about having a large sum of funds; it is about investing the money where it will make the most of a difference.

Read more about whether the legal profession is fit for those with disabilities: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/05/01/is-the-legal-profession-fit-for-people-with-disabilities/

Neurodiversity and disclosure

With the topic of neurodiversity, the criticality of disclosing and communicating individual needs was stressed as we need to continually educate those around us. Those who have adjustments at work are more productive which underscores the need to disclose your needs as without giving your employers the information, they can’t help you. A lack of awareness is conducive to inaccessibility. What works well for one person doesn’t necessarily work for another. Also, lighting, sound and smell are components that should be considered in the workplace as well as the layout of desks which can help those with autism, sensory-processing issues etc.

Read more about the legal rights of the D/deaf community: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/05/11/an-overview-of-the-legal-rights-of-the-d-deaf-community/

Identifying barriers

I learned of the brand, Purple Tuesday, which works with organisations to identify where accessibility barriers exist across the three pillars:

1. People;
2. Place; and
3. Policy.

I also found their Disability Inclusion Framework particularly interesting which progresses from Awareness, Understanding, Involvement and finally, Engagement. Accountability and leadership are so important but whose responsibility is it? It’s the responsibility of everyone.

Read this article to find out how we can make the British courtrooms more accessible: https://thestudentlawyer.com/2024/07/15/how-do-we-make-our-british-courtrooms-more-accessible/

Moving forward

The biggest tip that I learned today, and would recommend to employers, is to just get started on your diversity inclusion journey! Not only is including disabled people in your company socially important, but it’s also commercially beneficial – if you ignore accessibility, it means you are choosing not to access that market. Organisations should start by looking inward and identifying gaps in their current practices, potentially establishing Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or Disability Inclusion Networks.

To summarise, our disabilities are an asset, rather than an issue, to companies because we are problem solvers, and what company doesn’t want that?