Disabled or not disabled: that is not the only question?

What happens if an employer and an employee do not agree that the employee is a disabled person? What if an employee claims that they are a disabled person because they experience stress-related illness and depression, which involves considerable time off from work? Can an employer claim that they did not know an employee is a disabled person if the employee did not say? Would your managers know the answers to these questions? Three recent disability discrimination cases help bring clarity to these issues.

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Disabled people: Let’s End the Awkward campaign

Have your staff ever felt ‘awkward’ around a disabled person? In their embarrassment, do they end up not knowing what to say or do? Did you know that a new TV advertising campaign launched this month by British disability charity Scope aims to ‘end the awkward’?

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Recruiting and Supporting staff with autism

Did you know that there are over 300,000 people of working age in the UK on the autistic spectrum, but only 15% are in full time work? Is your workplace ‘autism-friendly’? Would your managers know how to support staff who are on the autistic spectrum? TUC launches new guidance.

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Spotlight on training

Did you know that one in five learners aged between 16 and 25 will have a mental health difficulty? Are non-teaching staff such as reception, security and student services staff clear on how best to support these learners, and are they equipped to deal with issues including those with safeguarding implications? Do tutors know how to provide effective support? Do all staff understand that effectively supporting these learners is an integral part of robust safeguarding procedures?

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What is the percentage of disabled staff in your organisation?

A quick scan of published equality information reports on websites reveals a worrying figure for the number of disabled staff – between 2% and 6% on average. Since 20% of people of working age are covered by the definition of a disabled person, this is a significant equality ‘gap’, and a key equality objective for your organisation to address. What are you doing about this?

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