The UK government has launched “Disability Confident”, a campaign to make the workplace more accessible to people living with disabilities by challenging the current misconceptions about disability in the workplace. In this post, we look at the details of the campaign and the rights of disabled employees.
Breaking down barriers
The UK is home to nearly 7 million disabled people of working age, only 46.3% of whom are employed, compared to 76.4% of their non-disabled counterparts. This translates to a 30.1% gap. Thanks to laws like the Disability Discrimination Act, this gap has decreased by 10% in the past 14 years, but a great deal of improvement is still needed to make the workplace truly inclusive.
About Disability Confident
The initiative from the UK government is open to young adults (aged 16 to 24) who have complex learning difficulties and disabilities. These youngsters will be encouraged to sign up for internships where they will receive help and training from expert career coaches for six months or more. These “traineeships” will offer participants the following:
- Work placements
- Help with writing a CV
- Practise for interviews
- English and maths training
Coaches will also work closely with UK employers, encouraging them to take on disabled young employees. “We need to break the myth about the complexities of employing disabled people” says Prime Minister David Cameron “to give employers confidence”.
Employers and the DDA
If you’re a UK employer looking to support prospective employees living with disabilities, it’s essential to be aware of your responsibilities and your company’s compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995. The act requires businesses to make “reasonable adjustments” that will make their workplace more easily accessible to disabled people. Simply put, this means removing the barriers (both physical and non-physical) that prevent the inclusion of disabled employees in the workplace.
Reducing discrimination worldwide
Of course, this kind of responsibility doesn’t just apply only to employers in the UK. Countries around the world have laws in place to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities, in and outside of the workplace. These include:
- Australia’s Disability Discrimination Act (1992)
- The USA’s Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
- The Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2002) in Ontario, Canada
This list of the top 10 companies who support the disabled in the workplace shows how employers around the world are looking to make their workplace environment more accessible to those living with disabilities through policies and practical measures.
How we can help
There are numerous examples of reasonable adjustments that can be made to an office space in order to accommodate employees with disabilities more effectively. Examples include amenities like dropped reception desks, wheelchair ramps and accessible kitchens.
Across the globe, flexible and managed office solutions are available to rent, suitable for people living with disabilities.