Partner Dinner: Disability and Neurodiversity in a Changing World

Kindly hosted by Lloyds Banking Group.

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The way in which so many of us work has changed dramatically in recent years and new technology, like AI, means that more change is likely. What does this mean for disabled people entering and already in work? An ageing population in the UK and an increase in the number of people being diagnosed with neurodivergent and long-term health conditions means that businesses are likely to employ ever more disabled people.

Worldwide there are 1.3 billion people with a disability, and it is thought that about 15 to 20 percent of the world’s population is neurodivergent.

Disabled people are (quite rightly) more visible in our society and especially on our screens. From the Paralympics to Reality TV disabled people are showing who they are and what they can achieve but has this translated into the world of work? The employment rate of disabled people was 54.2%, up from 52.7% a year previously. The employment rate for people who are not disabled was 82.0%. What reasons might lie behind this disability employment gap?

Guests will be invited to discuss:

• How can employers recognise and champion the strengths that diversity of thought and experience brings to our organisation and equate this with disability and neurodiversity?
• How do you improve understanding of disability and empower employees to ask for the adjustments they need?
• Whether we can and should talk about “disabled people” when they are not a homogenous group but individuals with different and unique needs? Or if there are underlying principles of inclusion which are the same for everyone?
• How businesses and employers can harness new ways of working, training, and new technologies to recruit and retain disabled workers and diverse talent to better represent and serve their customers.

If you require this content in a different format, contact enquiries@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.