“We’re not doing disability this year”
All the more reason to join us to keep disability inclusion alive while you focus on other priorities – think about it as us doing the heavy lifting for you and providing a resource for all your managers to access should they need to. They can come direct to us – to our advice service, our knowledge hub or their dedicated Disability Business Partner – instead of to you!
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 quietly – or loudly if you prefer – moving forward with implementing your existing strategy and providing practical tools and resources to help you embed it across your organisation.
And even if disability doesn’t seem like a strategy 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% 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. We all hope to grow old and as we are living and working longer, it is ever more likely that we will acquire a disability whilst in work. 83% 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 new diagnosis.
Also remember that none of us sits in just one “box” and that disability cuts across all other aspects of diversity (which we also call intersectionality – in the broad definition of the word). So, 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. Our core membership is just £3,800 + VAT per year – if you have 3800 employees, that’s £1 per person per year, or just over 8p per person per month.
“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 never, ever, name and 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.
“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. Our networks and taskforces and events are a great way to share what works – and what doesn’t and to brainstorm issues and challenges in safe and confidential space. And in our policy work, we’d love to add your voice 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.
Ready to join?
Please contact our Director – Membership, David Goodchild via email or call 020-7089-2411.