Why join us?

There are lots of reasons why organisations join us. Not sure if membership is right for you? Here are some answers to common questions.

“We’re not doing disability this year”

We know that disability won’t be a strategic priority for every organisation every year – it certainly won’t be a new priority every year. So, we can work with you to make sure you don’t lose momentum but keep moving forward with implementing your existing strategy and providing practical tools to help you embed it across your organisation.

Think about it as us doing the heavy lifting for you and providing resources for all your managers. They can come directly to us – to our Advice Service, our Knowledge Hub or their dedicated Disability Business Partner.

And even if disability doesn’t seem like a strategic priority, you will still almost certainly have disabled employees and need to be able to support them. It is likely that, however large or small your business, and whichever sector you work in, you already employ many more disabled people than you think you do!

Over 90 per cent of disabilities are not immediately visible and many people choose not to tell their employer about a disability or health condition. Also, do remember that disability is arguably the one aspect of diversity that affects all of us.

83 per cent of disabilities are acquired rather than present from birth and we can help you provide practical day to day support to your employees, whether they have a long-term condition or a new diagnosis.

If you are focusing on gender, for example, remember that some women will be disabled or have a long-term condition (or more than one) and that your gender-specific programmes also need to be accessible.

That’s where we come in! We can help make sure that all your strategies are accessible to everyone.

“We can’t afford it”

Can you afford not to?

Think of membership of Business Disability Forum not as a subscription but as support for your staff team. By taking out or renewing your membership, you are investing in your employees’ wellbeing, productivity and mental health.

“We’re only just starting out”

You don’t need to be experienced on your disability journey to be part of Business Disability Forum. Many of our members are just starting out and we have a wealth of practical resources to help you put the foundations and building blocks in place.

Our Advice Service is always on hand to answer any question, big or small, to help you solve practical problems and put your commitment into action.

We are not here to name, shame or criticise. Instead, we recognise that every organisation that signs up as a member really wants to support their disabled employers, and wherever you are on your journey, we’ll support you to get better at doing just that.

If you are unsure as to how you can start investing in your disability strategy, please visit our Where to Start page to find out more information about disability inclusion in the workplace.

“We’ve done it and don’t need support any more”

If you’ve got lots of experience of disability inclusion, that’s great! We’d love to have you on board to share your experiences with your peers and beyond. And no disability inclusion journey is ever over.

Our Networks, Taskforces and Events are a great way to share what works – and what doesn’t – and to brainstorm issues and challenges in a safe and confidential space.

We’d love to add your voice in our Policy and Research work to help us drive the agenda forward and focus on what’s next.

Because we never want to rest on our laurels but to work with you to create a truly disability smart world.

Please read and watch what our Members and Partners say about Business Disability Forum.