The Disability EXPO in London was a great opportunity to meet many people whom I have followed either online, podcasts, and books. It is disability pride month and during this huge gathering one felt the passion and enthusiasm to change the narrative of disability. There are many exciting businesses filling in some of the gaps/barriers disabled people face daily.
Just to name a few of the people I met and who are proactive in improving access for disabled people in their different ways- Jamie Sheilds, Celia Hensman, Solene Anglaret Jane Hatton, Gavin Neate, Dan Pearce, Tricia Charles, Adelle Spindlove, Nurbanu Somani, Richard Scott…. And many more. A big thank you to Sandra Bentley who played a big part in organising the event, which brought together with the disability expo team so many talented people.
The EXPO was super for bringing disabled people together and for sharing ideas/good practice that improves access to disabled people in all walks of life from education, employment , leisure housing etc. Disabled people make up 20% of the population. Yet access to services is often denied to them . This is not helped by the narrative of disabled people in the media as either (1) victims (2) scroungers or (3) inspirational.
This narrative loses the diversity and richness of everyone. Disabled people are like anyone else, a huge mix of people with different skills, passions, and characteristics. We are all multi-faceted. Therefore, we need to celebrate our differences and work with non disabled people to use our skills and experiences to create better opportunities in all areas of our lives. When people use the social model of disability people’s perceptions and actions create positive opportunities for disabled people.
The Competitive Advantages of Employing Disabled People:
There is already evidence that employers that create a more diverse workforce including disabled people are much stronger. Therefore, it makes business sense to employ disabled people. As quoted from the Harvard Business Review July-Aug 2023 businesses that employ disabled people have a significant competitive advantage. “Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage”.
Their research shared four distinct reasons for competitive advantages in firms that employ disabled people.
1. Disabled people have unique skills gained from navigating the world that adds an edge to roles.
2. Culturally, organisations became better at collaboration which boosted productivity for all employees.
3. Organisations’ Reputation were improved by inclusive practices enabling them to build long lasting relationships with customers and employees.
4. Recognition of being social responsible enhanced the organisations’ brand which helped them attract capital and skills.
Which is why it is surprising and disappointing to see how few businesses try to engage with disabled people. They are either too frightened to start exploring opportunities or are ignorant of the barriers they have created. Listening to the experiences of people with disabilities can help employers identify and remove barriers. Training provided by people with disabilities also adds another level of understanding when we cover this further.
Employment Discussions
At the Expo, we had a brilliant discussion about access for equal opportunities in the workplace. I quote from the programme the panel names- hosted by Jamie Sheilds (Disabled by Society) and panelists Jurgen Donaldson (Amazon), Carly Tiat (JD group) Jane Hatton (Evenbreak), Mohammad Koheealle (Coca-Cola Europacific Partners).
In this discussion they covered many examples of how representation matters and of barriers are created by employers when the workforce is not diverse. Jane shared how at Evenbreak an organisation that employs disabled people they do not use CV, or interviews because for some these are barriers. A CV with gaps does not mean they do not have the skills required for the role or that they are going to be unreliable. The advert too can be far too complicated and not take into account that some skills can be picked up on the job with the right support.
Other barriers mentioned were employers’ lack of belief and support for disabled applicants and that they do not take into account the dent in confidence that many disabled people have experienced through so many rejections. Incorrect assumptions made by employers make another big barrier.
Disabled people do not want to work for employers which are not inclusive. Therefore, it is important that employers wake up to the importance of their policies and culture. It is a two way process – so if you are asking the question why are there no disabled people applying or staying at work – look at your policies, processes and culture to find out what needs changing to become more inclusive and welcoming. As one of the panelists shared, “ professional curiosity” is important. Eg what are you offering? What support? What roles? Potential for growth in the roles? Website accessible? Attitudes in the workplace. Do you need to use a CV? Language used?
The panel shared many insights from the importance of representation within the workforce which leads to better understanding of the different barriers people face. As Jane Hatton said before she makes any changes she will check the impact on her four disabled employees. They discuss and amend what works before this reaches customers. Whereas many employers put out an advert or a product without testing it for accessibility. Which can result in reputational damage and a loss of potential customers/employees. It can be costly to rectify mistakes which is why it is important to have a representative workforce.
Other Topics Covered at the EXPO
At the EXPO there were many other topics explored from access to websites, health, education, transport and so on. There was something to learn from each of the sessions attended. It was also valuable learning from individuals afterwards. However, we need these events to be attended by an even wider group of people who work in transport, arts, education, health, corporate, social care, hospitality, retail and government for us to share our experiences and work together to create the change required to be inclusive of 20% of the population who at present are excluded.
Economic Reasons to have a More Diverse Workforce:
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion must include everyone across all our various identities/characteristics. It is a huge waste to exclude disabled employees and customers. Potentially up to £274 billion is being lost to the UK economy (see Purple pound) and much more world wide. We can all play our part to be inclusive by listening and engaging with disabled people.
Contact us:
To find out more how we can help you to become an inclusive employer – get in touch with Rachel. She provides talks, support for employers/employees, coaching and training on a range of topics. Email: rachel.barber@living4moments or use the contact page on this website.
References:
Links to the article from Harvard Review, article “Disability as a Source of Competitive Advantage”
https://hbr.org/2023/07/disability-as-a-source-of-competitive-advantage.
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