Difference North East - Changing Perceptions of Disability
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Information About the Disability Confident Employer Scheme

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Summary

Read all about what we think about the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

Table of Contents

Views on the Disability Confident Employer Scheme

We recognise the Disability Confident employer scheme does have positive benefits, but it’s important to recognise it does need some review.

In the North East there are an estimated 567,000 disabled people.

Across the UK some 5 million disabled people are in work. Yet the employment rate of disabled people is 53%. Compared to 82% of non-disabled people. Disabled people are almost twice as likely to be unemployed as non-disabled people, and 3 times as likely to be ‘economically inactive’.

The Disability Confident scheme encourages employers to think differently and take action to improve how they recruit, retain and develop disabled employees.

We know that schemes encourage employers to look at recruitment policies and areas where they can make improvements and reasonable adjustments to interview processes. The scheme also aids organisations to understand the needs of disabled employees, challenge attitudes to disability, and ensure that disabled people can return to work; if this is something they wish to pursue.

Criticisms of the Disability Confident Employer Scheme

But it’s important to note it does come with some criticisms. The main one that it is quite easy to ‘work’ the system allowing employers to describe themselves as disability confident without being formally assessed and without ever employing a single disabled person. This typically happens at level 1, where a lot of the requirements are self-assessed and there are no checks; employers can say they do it on paper but not in practice. Sadly, the DWPs own evidence suggests some organisations do it quite tokenistically for the ‘kitemark’.

It can be a valuable scheme, but only when organisations embed it properly. The current scheme lacks the accountability and much-needed performance measures to record against.

Where we agree it would be a positive step to improve the number of businesses registered across the wider North East, as an organisation representing disabled people, Difference North East would want to ensure that all businesses undertook the registration for the right reasons and were committed to addressing the common and structural barriers that disabled people face when seeking and maintaining employment.

Difference recommends these additional commitments:

  1. A commitment to Equality training, preferably delivered by a disabled peoples organisation (DPO). Develop a culture of inclusion and build confidence in discussing disability.
  2. A commitment to inclusive recruitment practices as standard, not just for those who request it. This could include changes such as: Jobs posted on platforms that are compatible with assistive technology , Using inclusive language in job ads and recruitment materials and a variety of ways to apply, not just standardised application forms
  3. A commitment to work with disabled people or DPOs as ‘critical friends’ to peer review their organisation’s recruitment processes, policies, and procedures and co-produce improvements.
  4. A commitment that an organisation’s disability confidence status is monitored and embedded into their annual business reviews, regardless of if they are a level 1,2 or 3.

Some more information can be found here if needed: 

 

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