It is very encouraging that research has found many employers have a written policy on disability and have reviewed their recruitment processes (‘Recruiting and managing people with disabilities‘, Personnel Today, 19 May).
It makes business sense to get it right on disability, so employers do not miss out on the talents of disabled people. However, policies need to be translated into strategic action, leading to lasting changes that benefit both disabled people and employers. For example, all candidates need equal access to the recruitment process, yet 1.3 million disabled people are excluded by inaccessible and badly designed e-recruitment websites. That’s why employers need to take an integrated approach to their work on disability.
The Employers’ Forum on Disability supports its members to do this with practical information and support. We also created the Disability Standard benchmark to enable organisations to accurately measure their performance on disability, in every way it affects the business, and to put in place action plans that deliver real business improvement.
Whether employers need to meet the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act or new equality legislation, good practice on disability will always need this joined-up approach.
Susan Scott-Parker, chief executive, Employers’ Forum on Disability
