Disabled people are often viewed as being unable to work or access society. It is these attitudes that disable people and leave them less able to live the life of their choosing. This resource provides information about how you as an employer can support disabled people into your business and/or organisation, how to make working as accessible as possible for all people and how to make the accommodations a disabled person might need. It has been produced by, and draws on the experiences of two disabled people, with support from researchers at The University of Sheffield. We aim to show that with the right support the workplace can be open to a wide range of people who bring a wide range of skills and experience.
Making resources and spaces accessible is not merely for the benefit of a few; there are 13.9 million disabled people in the UK, contributing £249 billion into the economy per year. However, currently, the employment rate for disabled people in the UK is 50.7% (compared to 81% for non-disabled people). Worse still, only 5.9% of people with learning disabilities are in employment. We need to ensure society, businesses and organisations, as well as websites, resources and documents are accessible to all disabled people.
