Disabled people now make up a fifth of Scope’s staff following a drive to increase the diversity of the workforce at the charity for people with cerebral palsy.
The number of disabled workers at the charity stands at 20.7% of its total workforce of 3,300 employees – above the 20% target Scope set itself in October 2004. This figure includes more than one-third of senior managers.
The statistics go some way to addressing concerns that the voluntary sector was not diverse enough.
The target was achieved after Scope introduced a package of measures to transform its workplace culture. These included actively targeting disabled people to apply for jobs, providing relevant training for managers and adopting a reserved posts policy for disabled people.
Recent figures show that 10.1% of all employees in the private sector are disabled. This rises to 11.6% in the public sector and 15% in the voluntary sector.
Joe Bennett, director of human resources, said: “Scope’s mission is to achieve disabled people’s equality so it is vital that disabled people are at the heart of our organisation and that their experience and views shape our work.
“Disabled people face a number of substantial barriers to employment, particularly negative attitudes from employers. We have demonstrated what can be achieved when an organisation’s culture is transformed and reasonable adjustments are made, which together help create a more open and accessible working environment for disabled staff.”
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