A free online resource to help businesses meet the needs of disabled people around technology was launched by Business Disability Forum today (20 May). The Technology Toolkit provides practical advice and strategies for employers and businesses on how to introduce inclusive technology into their existing systems and to design with inclusion in mind. The toolkit…

Winners of Business Disability Forum’s Disability Smart Awards 2024 were announced at a ceremony in London last night (30 April), hosted in partnership with Bloomberg. Ten organisations and individuals won Disability Smart Awards this year. A further seven were awarded ‘Highly Commended’ status. Now in its tenth year, the Disability Smart Awards is an annual…

Business Disability Forum has announced the list of finalists for its prestigious Disability Smart Awards 2024. The annual Disability Smart Awards recognise organisations that are improving the life experiences of disabled employees and consumers by removing barriers to inclusion. The awards are a platform for sharing evidence and learnings from real life projects that have…

Business Disability Forum has called into question the Government’s commitment to support disabled people to find and stay in work in its response to the Chancellor’s Spring Budget statement today. Business Disability Forum’s Head of Policy, Angela Matthews, said: “Today’s budget saw important investment to build and grow businesses across the UK. However, with this…

Images of wheelchair and mobility scooter users are the most likely to have been seen in content to represent disability (by 26 per cent of respondents). Less than a quarter (23 per cent) of people with a disability* surveyed agreed that images of disabled people used in content they had seen, watched or read, reflected…

Responding to the publication of the Government’s Disability Action Plan (5 February) Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said: “We welcome the publication of the Disability Action Plan and many of the proposals set out within it. We are particularly pleased to see the mention of our “Technology for Life” concept which we believe…

Business Disability Forum is calling on the Prime Minister to rethink his decision to downgrade the Disability Minister role and instead use this as an opportunity to make disabled people a government priority. Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said: “We remain shocked and deeply concerned by the Government’s decision to replace the Disability…

Business Disability Forum (BDF) has opened nominations for its Disability Smart Awards 2024 (1 December) along with launching a new A to Z of disability resource with free information for all businesses. Disability Smart Awards 2024: Open for nominations The Disability Smart Awards 2024 are free to enter and open to UK and global organisations…

Responding to the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement, today (22 November), Diane Lightfoot, CEO of Business Disability Forum, said: “We are left concerned and saddened by many of the measures for disabled people claiming benefits announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement today and in recent days. “Many disabled people who want to work struggle to find a…

Business Disability Forum has published a series of short guides today (7 November) offering advice to all businesses on how to welcome disabled customers and employees with assistance and support animals. ‘Guide dogs, assistance animals and emotional support animals’ explains the different types of animals that some disabled people rely on in their daily lives….

The Government has published its Disability Action Plan today (18 July). Business Disability Forum has responded as a member of the the Disability Charities Consortium (DCC). The DCC brings together CEOs and policy leads from nine of the UK’s leading not-for-profit disability organisations to work collaboratively to make sure disabled people’s experiences are reflected in UK…

Steve Ingham CBE, former CEO of PageGroup, is to become the new Chair of Business Disability Forum (BDF). The non-profit business and disability inclusion membership organisation announced the new appointment today (5 July). Steve will take over from BDF’s current Chair, Steve Miller, in November. Steve Miller, who is Group CIO of International Personal Finance,…