Lived experience forums

Business Disability Forum has two types of meetings that enable us to capture, discuss, and involve lived experiences of employees living and working with disability: 

• ERG and employee network leaders forum – for anyone leading an ERG or employee network in any of our member organisations. Just for ERG and employee network leaders.
• Lived experience discussion forum – for anyone working in a BDF member organisation who has a disability or condition, or who is a carer or parent looking after someone with a disability or condition. For ERG and employee network leaders to invite their members to.

ERG and employee network leaders forum

This forum is for Employee Resource Group (ERG) and employee network leaders to support one another and discuss related to leading and ERG or employee network in their organisation. 

Those leading an ERG or employee network not related to disability are also welcome to join where they have an interest in disability. This is in recognition that many ERGs and employee networks leaders are increasingly working together, and also because many employees belong to or follow more than one topic ERG or network.  

ERG and employee network leaders who are based outside of the UK are welcome to join this forum.

Meetings are online (via Microsoft Teams) and take place once per quarter. 

Lived experience discussion forum

The lived experience forum is our “nothing about us without us” lived experience forum of disabled employees working and living their lives in the UK today.  

The reason this forum exists is two-fold: 

• For employees with disabilities and conditions to inform and challenge BDF’s policy and research ideas to ensure disabled people are ‘at the centre’ of how BDF forms our messaging and positions about disability inclusion today. 

• To get disabled employees together to share ideas and support one another with our experiences of what is going on in our workplaces as people with disabilities and conditions. 

Sometimes our meet ups are ‘open forums’ for anyone to share with the group something they are working on in their network or workplace, or a challenge they currently have. Other meetings have a set topic to debate or focus on. Topics we have covered in the last year include: 

• What an ‘inclusive workplace culture’ means to disabled employees today – including adjustments, working relationships, and how disability is spoken about in workplace policies and comms. 

• Where and if we see ourselves represented in marketing, adverts, on TV and in films. 

• Sharing tips and experiences on how we manage our disabilities and conditions in and outside of work while progressing our careers. 

• Views on recent Government policy announcements. 

This Forum is crucial for some of the most impactful policy work we have achieved at BDF. Our lived experience discussion forum has contributed their voices to many UK Government policies, including flexible working; hybrid working and return to office practices; living and working with cancer; workplace adjustments; assistive technology; the Access to Work scheme; and disability workforce and pay gap reporting. 

This Forum is vital for informing the direction of BDF’s policy and research work. We couldn’t (and wouldn’t) do it without them.  

This forum meets as and when a relevant topic comes up, but it generally averages out at around a one hour meeting every 4-6 weeks (online). Disabled people, people with a long-term condition, and carers and parents who look after someone with a disability are all welcome to this forum. 

About the meetings

No one is asked to share anything about their disability or situation during meetings that they don’t want to. Our stories and experiences are our own and they are for telling others as and when we want to – or not. No one is ever asked to talk about their disability or condition; that is always an individual decision and is only ever prompted by individuals themselves in this forum. 

Our meets ups are informal. Join and leave a meeting as you want. Many take part in sessions via the Teams Chat function only. Some eat snacks and take medication during the sessions, and there are frequent appearances from assistance animals and pets who are also always welcome. 

How to get involved

Speak to your BDF Business partner or email the policy team at [email protected] Your organisation must be a Member or Partner of BDF to join this Forum.