Conference calls on next government to prioritise disability employment

Business Disability Forum called on the future government to make disability employment an urgent priority at its annual conference in London on Tuesday (2 July).

Addressing the conference of senior business leaders and leading employers, CEO of Business Disability Forum, Diane Lightfoot, said:

“Only 53 per cent of disabled people of working age are in employment, compared to 81 per cent of their non-disabled peers. With skills shortages in many sectors, this makes no sense. Disability is everyone’s business. It can and will affect all of us.

“The next Government needs to prioritise disability inclusion and put it at the centre of decision making, policy and messaging. To achieve this, the UK needs a holistic, joined up strategy for disability, health, and work.

“This means ensuring every disabled education leaver is equipped to have the career and future they want because they have had an accessible and inclusive education journey.

“It also means prioritising workplace adjustments as the key principle at the centre of any employment related strategies. Workplace adjustments are so often the difference between someone struggling every day at work and being able to enjoy and be productive in their job – or even work at all.

“For many people, support from Access to Work is critical. Access to Work desperately needs investment from any future Government in order to fulfil its potential and the potential of disabled people. We need to see a new long-term vision and sustainable financial investment which sees Access to Work repositioned as the single, ‘go to’ holistic workplace health and adjustments service for anyone looking for a job, in a job, starting a business, or wanting to take up volunteer or unpaid work.

“We also need to see a change in narrative around disability. We need to move away from the “us and them” and the deeply unhelpful rhetoric about costs to the system. Instead, we want to see a narrative about talent and opportunity and enabling everyone to thrive.”

‘We can work it out – reasonable adjustments in a modern world’ took place in person and online yesterday. The conference was hosted by BT Group.

Go to Business Disability Forum’s ‘Manifesto for a disability inclusion UK’ page to read all if its asks for the next Government.

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