Disability History Month starts this week! 14 November 2024 – 20 December 2024
Disability History Month is celebrated between 14th November 2024 and 20th December 2024 and this year focuses on Disability livelihood and employment. At Difference, we are focusing on Mary Greaves from Whitley Bay as our historical figure as she worked tirelessly to improve the livelihoods of disabled people, including passing the first important piece of legislation in 1973.
Her legacy and agenda are just as important today as they were when Mary was alive, especially as the North East has the highest proportion of disabled people in the country. We need to increase employment opportunities for disabled people, who are twice as likely as non-disabled people to be unemployed (economic inactivity amongst disabled people stands at 43% compared to 14% of non-disabled people). This can be due to many reasons, but inaccessible environments, non-inclusive recruitment practises and a lack of workplace support are major factors.
Disabled People with other protected characteristics face even more barriers to employment, e.g. 11% of BME Disabled workers are unemployed, compared with 2.8% of white non-disabled workers. Disabled young people tend to be downwardly mobile, where, if they can get jobs, they get them with worse pay and conditions than their parents. With this background, Difference North East held a Disability Employment Summit and explored ways to promote good practice in the employment of disabled people in our region. You can read our report here.
This Disability History Month, Difference North East is asking you to commit to action!
This year we are asking you as an employer, what steps can you and your organisation take to create a more inclusive and accessible workplace?
We ask you to create time and space to have these discussions and make employment a more equal place.
Are you an organisation who wants more information on how to be more inclusive and stand in solidarity with Disabled People?
Then join our free allies network HERE
Difference North East fights for equality for disabled people and an end to discrimination on the grounds of disability. We aim to change perceptions of disability with our work, and we campaign for a more equal region.