Subscribe
Share
Share
Embed
Collection of tracks for demonstrations
Introduction to Disability in the Workplace
Brought to you by Assemble You.
It's time to work on YOU. So sit back and listen to practical, actionable advice to accelerate your progress.
In this track, we'll cover:
Some experiences of disabled people in employment
Some of the barriers disabled people may encounter at work, and
Effective ways of fostering a more inclusive workplace
Let's begin by looking at the realities of disability in relation to employment. According to UK government statistics, there were 4.4m disabled people in employment in the UK in Quarter 2 of 2021, and 1 in 5 of the working-age population is classed as disabled. You may wonder where they are - it doesn’t feel as though 1 in 5 people appear to be disabled. Well, that’s because 80% of disabled people have an invisible disability. Invisible disabilities and visible disabilities alike lead to many inaccurate assumptions, but it’s particularly common for people whose disability is hidden to be erroneously considered non-disabled.
Dangerous, inaccurate beliefs about disability can lead to unjust, unequal opportunities in the workplace. Statistics show that disabled people are consistently underemployed or entirely excluded from the labour market. According to Forbes:
Employment rates for people with disabilities have never been credibly close to those of non-disabled people, at least as long as reliable statistics have been tracked. And despite clear signs of recent progress, the employment gap for people with disabilities is still very wide.
Additionally, TUC research shows:
The disability pay gap has increased. The pay gap between non-disabled and disabled employees is now 17.2%, or £3,731 a year, and research shows that disabled people's outgoings are likely to be higher than non-disabled people[‘s].
It's important to note that a workplace can be physically changed where necessary to become more accessible, but there's also significant work to be done around the altering of attitudes and policies. Accessibility is not a term relevant only to tangible features of a workplace. It's hugely valuable to consider why people might feel uncertain about telling colleagues and managers they have a disability. For example, HBR research found "employees with disabilities fear that disclosing will lead to outcomes such as retaliation, slower progression, and less meaningful roles". Start any workplace initiative by acknowledging that disclosure is challenging for many people and that an inclusive and open culture will help people to feel more comfortable sharing.
Recognising differences within disabilities is hugely important. As Andrew Pulrang writes, "Each condition is different and calls for different responses. They all produce some combination of practical barriers, medical and mental hardships within, and social hurdles and stigma imposed from the outside, from other people and social practices and systems." Relatedly, it's essential not to compare disabilities or reinforce a damaging hierarchy. Highlighting differences is not the same as perpetuating a harmful and arbitrary ranking system. Individuals may require different adaptive devices, practical support, resources, or communication aids, but regardless of the specifics, accessibility is crucial. There's a level of planning and preparation that may be needed. Some disabilities fluctuate in their impacts, may flare up, or vary over time.
***
It's important to consider how society's view of disability can impact the lives of disabled people. As Andrew Pulrang insightfully writes, "Most disabled people experience hardships directly and indirectly related to their disabilities. But many disabled people find that most of these hardships come from other people and the environment they live in, not their disabilities themselves". Barriers are often imposed by others, whether that be physical inaccessibility or ableist attitudes and procedures. As the TUC explores, "The social model [of disability] states that the exclusion and discrimination faced by disabled people are not inevitable and that they are caused not by the person's impairment, but by barriers in society".
Let's take a moment to consider intersectionality. Barriers around age, race, location, class, gender identity and sexual orientation all additionally impact a disabled person's access to resources and success at work.
As Forbes outlines:
Disabled people are also hindered by forces and situations that aren't unique to disability — like substandard education, poor training, lack of past work experience, life struggles and barriers outside of work, and the compounding effects of other overlapping disadvantages and privileges around race, gender, sexual orientation, immigration status, and social class.
Barriers come in many forms, and equity recognises that every person has different needs and the right to access different resources based on these. Fairness is the linked principle of people with disabilities deserving appropriate, tailored support wherever and whenever needed. Barriers and requirements can change over time, so flexibility and communication are crucial. "Crucially, different disabilities don't justify different human rights, standards of respect, or basic priorities". Choice and autonomy are fundamental principles, with non-disabled allies amplifying disabled people's voices rather than speaking over or for them. Assistance and support are valuable; doing something for a disabled person without communicating with them first is an entirely different issue.
***
Let's move on to practical changes you could make to foster a more inclusive work environment. HBR research "found that just 20% of the 5,870 employees in the survey who had a disability agreed that their workplace culture is fully committed to helping them thrive and succeed. Meanwhile, 76% of employees with disabilities in the survey report not fully disclosing their disabilities at work". How do we change this?
If you’re in a managerial role, discussing flexible working with all your direct reports is a great place to start. Initiate the conversation before somebody feels it necessary to come to you. Think about how you could meet someone's needs with provisions like increased time working from home, adaptable schedules, part-time working, providing more time off, and flexible working hours. Take into account that someone may need time off for medical appointments, say, but they may also need time away from work if they're having a particularly challenging time with the impacts of their disability. Offer more generalised suggestions to evidence that you've thought about flexible working, and then create space for an employee to make their own specific requests. So, rather than imposing that somebody has to take every Tuesday afternoon off because they have medical appointments, advise that they're entitled to appropriate adjustments and ask if an occasional half day might be valuable to them. Support their autonomy around making these decisions. Someone might have three appointments in one month but nothing further for the next six months, so get to know what they need rather than assuming what's best. "Non-disabled people tend to view the negative effects of disabilities as much worse than they really are", so ensure you are properly listening to grasp a realistic picture of how somebody's disability impacts them. Relatedly, ensure you're not imposing your own limited understanding of their abilities.
Next, if you’re in a position to make changes to your workspace, consider your office's layout and how practical your workplace's physical set-up is for different people's needs. If you don't need any physical adjustments, you might not have noticed the step up to a communal area, the height of shelving, or the heaviness of doors. You might not have considered if something is stored in a hard-to-access spot or if there are stairs to the toilets. Could somebody's wheelchair fit between desks? Are you used to putting your bag on the floor without thinking, which could be an obstacle for someone else? There may be some considerations around sensory factors you have yet to think of. For instance, is there a radio in the background or a space where the air conditioning is particularly loud and might make it difficult for someone with a hearing impairment to hear their colleagues? The default desk configuration might be ideal for you, but that doesn't mean it works for everyone. It's likely if you haven't noticed something, it's because it suits your needs. Privilege means not having to consider something that might be entirely inappropriate for somebody else.
There's often pressure and stress attached to having to ask for something instead of a manager initiating the conversation. Sometimes employees can be made to feel like they are asking for too much. If an organisation has a work culture that is one of silent endurance, this can lead to people being taught that they should be grateful for an opportunity. But it's not demanding or irrational to have the workspace you deserve and have access to the resources you need to thrive. Remove stigma, too, by asking everybody what they need to succeed at work.
A key requirement is to listen and understand the lived experiences of disabled people. Erase any sense of expecting someone to put up with how things are. "One of the most common forms of ableism disabled people experience is not being believed" and not being truly seen or acknowledged. Listen to what somebody is telling you and the experiences they are disclosing. Set aside your own preconceptions or experiences to truly tune into what someone is explaining to you. Are you imposing your own assumptions about what someone might need?
That's all we have time for today. Why not spend some time this week considering different perspectives on the challenges your office could pose? Think about the physical aspects of somebody with mobility issues. Consider how inclusive your workplace is more generally, too, in terms of flexible working and speaking about relevant adjustments.