OCD has been previously portrayed inaccurately and oftentimes funny like in Monk (USA Network, 2002-2009) and As Good As It Gets (1998). There has been very little on-screen depiction of the reality of OCD – unwanted and intrusive thoughts that can be fixated on any topic at all, not just cleaning.

What is OCD?

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a common non-visible mental health condition, affecting 1-3% of the population in the UK (NICE) and is characterised by obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviours.

The condition has long been trivialised as someone who washes their hands a lot, or in association with potentially hurtful stereotypes such as being called a ‘neat freak’. Trigger related to cleanliness and symptoms related to washing make up only a small part of the range of OCD triggers and symptoms. OCD can present in many different ways, not just hand washing, but the two main elements are obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour.

Obsessive thoughts are unwelcome thoughts, images, or emotions that repeatedly appear in the individual’s mind, these thoughts can often cause feelings of unease, disgust, and anxiety.

Compulsive behaviours are the repetitive behaviours or mental acts that an individual engages in to provide temporary relief from the unpleasant feelings associated with obsessive thoughts.

Is OCD a protected characteristic?

A mental health condition, such as OCD, is considered a disability by UK law under the Equality Act 2010 if it has a “long-term effect on your normal day-to-day activity”. Your condition is ‘long term’ if it lasts, or is likely to last 12 months.

‘Normal day-to-day activity’ is defined as “something you do regularly in a normal day. This includes things like using a computer, working set times or interacting with people”.

What is it like living with OCD?  

Everyone has anxieties and may have experienced minor obsessions (worrying about leaving the gas on when you leave your home), and even compulsions (avoiding walking under ladders), but these don’t usually interfere with your normal day-to-day life in a significant way.

Someone with OCD is likely to have these obsessive thoughts and compulsive behaviour create a bigger impact on how you go about your daily life. MIND UK details how this impact might look. For instance, repeating compulsions can take up a lot of time, and you might avoid certain situations that trigger your OCD. This can mean that you’re not able to go to work, see family and friends, eat out or even go outside. Obsessive thoughts can make it hard to concentrate and leave you feeling exhausted.

Only 1 in 4 people disclose an anxiety disorder to their employer, with 39% saying they worry that their employer will think it is an excuse to get out of work (Made of Millions).

At work, it can sometimes take a person longer to complete asks if they’re having difficulty concentrating due to intrusive thoughts. Also, a person may avoid certain tasks or people if they can trigger negative thoughts. There may also be a persistent worry about how co-workers perceive them or their behaviours. An individual with OCD may feel a need to adapt masking behaviour (hiding your authentic self to gain greater social acceptance) if they don’t feel comfortable speaking about their OCD or struggle with mental health in the workplace.

How to deal with OCD at work?

Due to the negative stigma and fear of discrimination, many people won’t disclose a mental health condition like OCD in the workplace. For various other reasons, not everyone will be comfortable disclosing OCD at work, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be an inclusive organisation. The more you show how you value employees with different mental health conditions, the more this will encourage disclosure.

It’s also key to ensure there are reasonable adjustments in place for OCD in the workplace.

Talking more widely about disability and mental health can improve understanding across the organisation. You can raise awareness through internal communications, team discussions, and training to break down negative stereotypes.

You can never force anyone to disclose any information about themselves they don’t feel comfortable disclosing, but you can offer a safe and supportive environment where people feel okay sharing information with you to help you understand more. As with any experiences involving neurodiversity, it’s important you don’t make assumptions, but ask questions in a sensitive way. Open-ended questions in safe spaces for conversations can allow an individual to open up about their experiences. Questions such as: “What’s your preferred way of working?” “What allows you to work at your best?” “What changes can I make to be a better colleague?”

How can Inclusive Employers support you?

We have consultants who have expertise in this field who can provide training and awareness-raising at your organisation.

If you’re a member, get in touch with your account manager, explore how we can support you directly, and look at The Inclusive Employers Inclusion Passport.

Register to attend our OCD Awareness in the Workplace webinar.

If you’re not yet a member, here are some more blog pieces that would be useful:

• 6 tips for disability inclusion at work
• Accessibility in the workplace – a practical guide
• Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
• How managers and leaders can create psychologically safe workplaces
• Understanding disability and mental health

Further Resources:

• MIND UK
• 10 OCD Misconceptions
• OCD UK
• Beyond OCD
• Work and OCD: Should You Tell Your Employer — And How? (treatmyocd.com)
• Dealing With Employers When You Have OCD (verywellmind.com)
• OCD at work: how to spot the signs and offer support | HRZone

The post Busting our misconceptions of OCD – Understanding OCD in the workplace appeared first on Inclusive Employers.

First outlined and defined by Dr. Kimberley Crenshaw in her 1989 paper, ‘Intersectionality’ was originally used to describe and explain the experience of Black women. However, it has evolved since then and is now often used to describe a myriad of intersecting and marginalised identities.

Dr. Crenshaw highlighted, and gave name to, what many Black women had been voicing for some time during the civil rights and feminist movements in the 1950s-60s, which was that anti-racist movements centred around Black men, and feminist movements centred around White women, leaving no space for the unique and compounding experience of Black women. Dr. Crenshaw emphasised that the oppression experienced by Black women was not only that of being a woman and that of being Black, but a unique oppression that is greater than the sum of the two individual identities separately.

We can consider this to be the case for many marginalised people from a range of experiences such as those who are disabled, are part of the LGBTQ+ community, practice faiths which are marginalised, and more.

Intersectionality is then about addressing all systems of oppression which support one another simultaneously and negatively impact people. These systems of oppression cannot be dismantled brick by brick, you have to pull the whole building down. To achieve this, we need to start with the people facing the most barriers and oppression and support them in reaching equality. Through this, we obtain equality for all.

Why is intersectionality important?

Intersectionality is an important concept to understand and have awareness of because, we as individuals, are not one dimensional. We can’t be put into a neat box and checked off. We have many layers to our identities, and those layers can present various barriers.

When you don’t take an intersectional approach, but rather an issue-by-issue approach, what you are effectively asking people to do, is leave part of themselves behind. This erasure only compounds the marginalisation faced by those with an intersectional experience of the world.

If we truly want to have equality and equity for all, an intersectional approach is the only way to ensure we support those facing the most oppression and that no one is left behind in social progress and social justice.

How does intersectionality impact the workplace?

Intersectionality impacts how inclusive your organisation is, how safe individuals feel bringing their full selves to work and how as employers you get the best from your employees.

Lack of intersectional approaches to inclusion can show up in many ways in the workplace, e.g. wage disparity, lack of diverse representation at leadership level, lack of workplace opportunities and progression for marginalised employees, employee burnout and high staff turnover, and among many more.

Without taking an intersectional approach to inclusion, initiatives can have the opposite effect, isolating people further – e.g. If a work initiative is aimed at improving the opportunities for LGBTQ+ staff but doesn’t take into consideration the barriers facing LGBTQ+ staff who are also people of colour, or are also disabled, or both, then this can leave those employees feeling even more on the fringes and unable to express all parts of their identity and needs freely and safely. This emotional burden of not feeling seen, heard or safe, can create a toxic environment resulting exhaustion.

A helpful example to showcase how intersectionality can impact us in the workplace is to look at the hourly wage of different groups of people. In the UK in 2017, it was found that compared with White men graduates, Black men took home 17% less wages per hour, and White women took home 7% less per hour for the same work. However, Black women then took home 9% less than the White women – therefore, their take home pay was less because they were women, but then was even further compounded by the fact that they were Black.

How we can embed intersectional practices in our workplaces

If we want people to be able to bring their whole and authentic selves to work, it’s important to ensure that individuals are safe in all facets of their being. It’s about taking a holistic and agile person-centred approach to inclusion in the workplace so that all individuals and identities have space to be held; not a one size fits all strategy.

There are a variety of ways to support an intersectional approach to inclusion in the workplace, a few may be:

Training and employee engagement

Provide employee and leadership training in intersectionality and its importance to raise awareness and understanding. You could also consider introducing allies or diversity champions programmes to engage with the wider team. Provide training regularly will embed intersectionality into company culture and to allow organic growth of understanding of intersectional practices in the workplace.

Diversity data

Collecting useful and accurate diversity data relies on the organisation creating a space where employees feeling safe enough to share their data. This can be helped by leadership demonstrating their commitment to an inclusion strategy. Our diversity monitoring form guidance is a member’s factsheet that has been created to support organisations in designing questions which support gathering accurate data, with inclusion at the forefront.

Once you collect diversity data, use an effective data dashboard where you can analyse data from multiple angles and really understand your employees and the barriers which they are faced with. Then using this data to make informed decisions about inclusion initiatives or policies in your organisation. Ask employees for feedback on these initiatives and policies and consistently review this data to ensure you are meeting your goals.

Representative leadership

Having a diverse group of leaders who represent people from different backgrounds will allow your employees to feel seen in the organisation and to see a potential pathway for them to progress. It will demonstrate your commitment to diversity and inclusion and potentially allow conversation about different identities to take place.

Hiring practices

Take a look at your hiring practices – do your hiring practices take into consideration the various barriers individuals might be facing and account for this in the selection process? Incorporating intersectionality into your hiring will allow you to attract the best people for your organisation with a variety of experiences and knowledge.

Listening and creating safe spaces

Look to creating safe spaces for individuals to voice their experiences and challenges. If you have staff resource groups, networks, or affinity groups – are they intersectional? Are different voices represented? If not, perhaps look to encouraging collaboration among groups, or creating cross group opportunities. Centre marginalised voices in these spaces, as those who have faced barriers are the most likely to have solutions to those barriers.

Additionally, ensure there is a zero-tolerance policy of bias, discrimination or bullying of any kind.

How Inclusive Employers help you learn more about intersectionality in the workplace

• Use our Intersectionality factsheet
• Our Inclusion Survey Tool can help quantify organisational progress towards inclusion
• Attend our webinar Intersectionality in the Workplace
• Read our blog A Quick Guide to Inclusive Recruitment which discusses inclusive recruitment, the numerous business benefits it provides, and how to ensure you have it when recruiting
• Contact your account manager who can provide support, consultancy, and training options 
• Find out about how we can run an allyship programme in your organisation

The post What is intersectionality and why is it important in the workplace? appeared first on Inclusive Employers.

The opportunity of a home games inspired many to watch at home and for those lucky enough, to buy tickets to be part of a moment in time. 

In 2012 I was lucky enough to spend much of my time at the games and one of my overriding memories is the change in attitudes of the crowd as they moved from the amazement of what disabled people could achieve to a genuine appreciation of the sporting prowess of these athletes regardless of disability or impairment.

Fast forward 10 years and how have disabled people’s experiences of sport and physical activity changed?

According to some of the latest research by the Activity Alliance (2020/21):

• Disabled adults are almost twice as likely as non-disabled people to be physically inactive (42.4 % vs 22.6%).
• Only 4 in 10 (42%) of disabled people feel they have the opportunity to be as active as they want to be, compared to 69% of non-disabled people.
• Four in five (77%) disabled people would like to be more active.

Reframing your sport and physical activity offer for disabled people

So, with so much more to be done in this space what more should we be doing to change this narrative?  Here are some of our top tips for reframing your offer for disabled people.

1. Consult with the people that matter

Do you know what people want and need? As a sector we are often guilty of “doing things to” communities. Genuine engagement, consultation and coproduction alongside disabled people and organisations with direct links can really help you to ignite your work in this space.

Don’t forget to consider the methodology you use for consultation; will questionnaires give you the level of detail and insight you need or will focus groups and interviews garner more information? It may be that you need to take a mix of approaches, but time invested at this point will reap huge rewards as you move forward.

2. Coach education is key

Often when we approach the development of opportunities for disabled people, we think about what new provision we need to create. However, research by the Activity Alliance (2020/21) suggests that two thirds (64%) of disabled people would prefer to take part in sport with both disabled and non-disabled people. However, in 2012, just half (51%) of active disabled people were doing so. So how do we make this happen in real-time and why isn’t it happening already?

More often than not coaches have all the skills needed to coach disabled people but lack the confidence and experience of doing this in real-time. 

The Home Country Disability Sport Organisations can offer valuable support for this challenge with a range of CPD opportunities for coaches and volunteers:

• Activity Alliance – Inclusive Activity Programme
• Disability Sport Northern Ireland – Disability Inclusion Training
• Scottish Disability Sport Coaching and Education
• Disability Sport Wales – Disability Inclusion Training

As National Governing Bodies continue to develop their own provision in this space we are seeing more and more disabled specific opportunities available, it is essential that all new and experienced coaches are empowered to differentiate their coaching practice for athletes regardless of ability or disability.

3. Communicate well

If a disabled person wanted to find out how to get involved in sport and physical activity, whether as a participant, volunteer, official or coach, how easy would it be for them to access relevant information about opportunities? 

We know that it is the detail that matters for people when exploring opportunities, for example does the environment / opportunity cater for someone who is a wheelchair user, someone who uses BSL or someone with a learning disability?  We can encourage clubs to recognise that they do not have to be all things to all people and that being clear in the communications upfront about what they can offer is the most important thing.

At Inclusive Employers we are passionate about supporting the sector to improve its offer for disabled people and we know that these tips will only be a starting point. 

If you would like to talk to us about how we can add value to your work, whether that be through training, consultancy or advice, please contact us at sport@inclusiveemployeres.co.uk or speak to your account manager.

The post Breaking barriers: Strategies for promoting disability inclusion in sport and physical activity appeared first on Inclusive Employers.

In this blog, I will share my experiences of what it is like to be a person with a disability in the workplace and the impact that has on my mental health.

Navigating the world

As a wheelchair user, the workplace can be a very daunting place for many reasons. These reasons can be perceived as something small such as “is there an accessible parking bay?” to “can I get into the building?”

As you can see, the two examples of questions above, are questions relating to outside influences, which essentially, have nothing to do with completing the job role, but as a disabled person, small things like this, not being in place, can have a huge impact on our day and our mental health.

As a wheelchair user, I am always planning, not just for work, but for getting around in general. I plan the route I will take to get somewhere, followed by an alternative route, and then I analyse any mitigating factors eg:

• “Will I need to book ramp assistance, if using the train?”
• “Is the train/tube station accessible?”
• “What happens if I book assistance and it doesn’t arrive when I reach my destination?”
• “Can I reserve the wheelchair space on the train?”
• “Will I be able to access the wheelchair space on the train or will it be full of luggage?”

These are just a couple of examples of things I have to think about before attempting a journey. It can get very mentally and physically tiring.

All by myself

The workplace can be a lonely place for people with disabilities. In my experience, as a wheelchair user, I often feel isolated when I’m in the workplace.

Many people reading that statement may feel quite taken back by such a profound statement, as many organisations pride themselves on aspects such as belonging, togetherness, being your true self, a culture of respect and dignity for all employees, and embracing difference.

For me, however, the workplace has always been difficult to navigate. I’m a black female who uses a wheelchair (I know, I’m extremely lucky!) but because of my appearance, I am very aware that there is no-one who looks like me or faces any of the challenges I face in the workplace.

In my experience, this has meant I’ve had to “fight” for access to the basics, this has included small things, such as access to a kettle and microwave (all other employees could access these – asking your colleagues to make you a drink isn’t a reasonable adjustment), to having access to an accessible toilet, to the most important thing, an evac chair, Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) and colleagues who are adequately trained on the operation of the evac chair and how best to support me in the event of an evacuation.

This very often leaves me feeling confused. How it is possible to stand out and be invisible at the same time?

This lack of belonging and constant battle to “fight” for my basic rights is draining and has a negative impact on my mental health.  

Many disabled people are often viewed as resilient and in many cases this is true,  but I’m sure you’ll agree that having to not only think about but ensure that simple, basic and reasonable adjustments have been put in place in order to effectively carry out your job, can be exhausting for the most resilient person.

The burden of gratitude

So, what happens when your employer FINALLY listens and agrees to implement reasonable adjustments? (This is a legal obligation for employers).

Apart from all the complaints about costs (yes, I realise having a disability is expensive, I already know how much equipment costs!).

Also, yes, I’m aware that equipment won’t arrive in the workplace overnight! Again, being born with Cerebral Palsy, I’ve spent most of my life on a waiting list for one thing or another!

The easiest one for most employees to “fix” is access to an accessible toilet as most of the workplaces I’ve worked in have been equipped with an accessible toilet but it was often used as a store cupboard.

In one of my previous workplaces, my manager requested that the accessible toilet was to made accessible by key only (this was because I’d complained about having to wait outside the toilet for up to 20 minutes, as the toilet was engaged). I understand that not all disabilities are visible, but call it my sixth sense, I can tell when people are abusing accessible facilities.  

After the lock was installed, my manager came to me and said “we don’t do things like that for just anyone, you know!” That comment had a significant impact on my relationship with my manager and on the way, I realised he viewed me.

My manager wanted me to grateful and praise him for me now having the provision of being able to use an accessible toilet in the workplace. Again, this made me feel uncomfortable but ensured that ALL of my noticeable differences were highlighted. How many times have you thanked your boss because you’ve been able to use a toilet whilst at work?

After (usually) months of waiting, equipment such as an evac chair arrives (and a trainer), the organisation then trains a number of staff on the operation of the evac chair, it was then affectionately known as “Bethany’s chair” because, you guessed it, it was all for me and only me.

I tried to explain that anyone may need to use an evac chair for a variety of reasons e.g. a heavily pregnant person, but again the organisation highlighted my differences and made me feel lesser and insignificant.

Fatigue, disability and mental health

Did you know that many people with disabilities use three to five times more energy to complete an everyday task in comparison to an able-bodied person?

This means, for example, a disabled person working a full-time week (37 and a half hours) would use up to 112 and a half hours worth of energy within one week.

This is quite startling to many, but it is a useful statistic for employers to be aware of. Using this much energy isn’t just physically taxing, it takes a toll on mental health too.

As a disabled person, I am very proud of who I am and what I’ve achieved in my life, but I’m often frustrated when I cannot complete simple tasks such as using the photocopier, as I can’t reach the top of it.

It reaffirms to me that we are still very much working within the Medical Model of Disability, where the person with the disability is the “problem” and not the Social Model of Disability, where the environment is the “problem.”

With this belief, it can be very difficult to remain positive about a change in attitudes towards disability and the hope for a more inclusive world.

What can employers do?

Here are a few things employers can do:

• Use inclusive language when communicating with all employees.
• Check in with employees who may have additional needs to see if they require any support. There’s a big difference between being seen and heard and being the organisation’s publicity stunt!
• Communication is crucial, people with disabilities tend to have to think about multiple things at any given time, if you can alleviate some anxieties, please do!
• If you have a disabled employee, and they are requesting reasonable adjustments, even if you have no understanding of their need, ask (appropriate) questions and please aid them in order for them to get the support they need.
• As an employer, don’t be afraid to admit you don’t know something.

Final thoughts

As you can tell from reading this blog, having a disability can impact your mental health in different ways.

It is important that we all recognise that just because a disabled person is used to having to wait for things and is used to having to fight for basic human rights, it is not fair or equal. In fact, it is very degrading and can be detrimental to how disabled people see themselves and how they feel about accessing the workplace.

I’ve been asked the question “why do you fight for your rights in the workplace?” the simple answer to this question is “because I can’t fly.” The other place it’s difficult to outrun is the mind.

To hear more from Bethany, below is her guide on accessibility in the workplace.

How Inclusive Employers can help

If you’re an Inclusive Employers member, speak to your account manager for information on how we can help you be more supportive for disabled people and explore our Disability package.

If you’re not yet a member, take a look at our blog posts on disability and get in touch to see how we can help.

The post Understanding disability and mental health appeared first on Inclusive Employers.

Disability inclusion needs to be a priority for organisations and this blog outlines the importance of creating disabled access in the workplace and the positive outcomes that having a diverse workforce brings.

I also share my workplace accessibility checklist, highlighting key considerations for different types of accessibility, the importance of health and safety when creating an accessible workplace and how to make sure people know that your workplace is accessible for disabled people.

Why is accessibility in the workplace important?

More than ever, organisations are recognising the business case of having a diverse workforce and the positive outcomes it brings. Having a diverse workforce increases productivity, boosts morale, increases collaboration and critical thinking and allows organisations to reach a more diverse client base.

Disability accessibility is not only important when employers are recruiting and onboarding, but also to retain current employees with disabilities.

Under The Equality Act (2010):

“Employers must make reasonable adjustments to make sure workers with disabilities, or physical or mental health conditions, are not substantially disadvantaged when doing their jobs. This applies to all workers, including trainees, apprentices, contract workers and business partners.”

How to create disabled access in the workplace

For many years, it has been considered that accessibility in the workplace is just about installing lifts and ramps and having an accessible toilet. In reality there is much more is needed to overcome accessibility issues in the workplace.

As an employer there are a variety of actions you could take to make your organisation accessible for disabled people.

The actions below are not an exhaustive list and every disabled person’s needs will be different, but each section provides a starting point for thinking about your own workplace accessibility checklist:

Adapting the workplace

• Creating or reserving parking spaces near to the entrance/exits of the building so that people with limited mobility are supported.
• Having step free access to the building
• Having automatic doors to help those with limited dexterity
• Installing lifts (including braille on buttons) and ramps
• Having braille on doors and all signage
• Having accessible toilets
• Having access to kettle/ microwave (if provided for all colleagues) and having a lowered reception desk.

Adapting the work environment

• Changing how the office is set up so that there is enough room for a wheelchair user to get to their desk without asking others to move
• Using natural daylight bulbs
• Ensuring meeting rooms are fitted with hearing loops
• Moving a wheelchair user and their team to the ground floor if there is no lift.

Modifying or acquiring specialist equipment 

• A one-handed keyboard
• An ergonomic mouse
• A height adjustable or standing desk
• An ergonomic or saddle desk chairs
• Dictation software

Employers are legally required to conduct a display screen equipment (DSE), which also plays a crucial role in identifying your employees’ needs.

Assisted support

• Screen reader
• Personal assistant

Training 

• Inclusion and diversity training
• Disability awareness training
• Having subtitles (assumes audience can hear the audio, but needs dialogue in text form) or closed captions (assumes an audience cannot hear the audio and needs a text description of what they would otherwise be hearing) on all e-learning material/e-meetings

Working pattern

• Consider if flexible working, home working or change in working hours would be beneficial to your employee

Health and safety when creating disabled access in the workplace

Health and safety is another important consideration when creating an accessible workplace.

As a person with a physical disability and a wheelchair user, I have often felt that organisations failed to take my health and safety seriously.

A building is not accessible if a person with a disability cannot always enter and exit the building safely, this includes in the event of an evacuation.

As an employer, health and safety for all employees is crucial, but I have personally experienced several negative experiences due to my disability.

As I highlighted earlier in the blog, having accessible toilets, lifts and ramps are wonderful ways that an employer can be seen to be inclusive, but as an employer please also consider the list of questions highlighted below.

Key health and safety considerations for disability accessibility

• Is there an emergency pull cord in your accessible toilet? Does it work? When was it last checked? If the pull cord is activated, who receives that information and what is the plan following activation? 
• Is there a current procedure to identify employees who may need a personal emergency evacuation plan (PEEP)? In the event of an evacuation – this may include employees with physical disabilities such as wheelchair users (this group of people are high risk as many wheelchair users will not be able to use the stairs) as well as employees with learning difficulties or those with PTSD.  
• Is there a procedure for visitors who may need a PEEP? Is there a procedure for employees who may need a PEEP for a short time? i.e., pregnant people.
• Who is responsible for making sure the PEEP is completed correctly, put into place, and reviewed regularly?
• If it is identified that an employee with a PEEP requires the use of an evacuation chair to safely exit the building in the event of an evacuation, do you have an evacuation chair? Is it safe to use? When was it last serviced? Do you have employees that are already trained on how to operate the chair safely? Are fire marshals aware of employees who have PEEPS?
• How are you notified that an evacuation needs to take place? i.e do you have a standard alarm, or do you have a Visual Alarm Device (VAD)?
• If an employee with a disability discovered a fire or a need for evacuation, would they be able to raise the alarm safely and independently?

How to ensure people know how your workplace is accessible

Communicating to employees, potential employees and customers that your workplace is accessible will give them trust and confidence in you as an employer, provider or partner.

Here some suggestions for making sure that people know all the ways you provide workplace accessibility.  

• Allow people with disabilities to take a tour of your building.
• When sending out job adverts, tell perspective employees that you are looking to receive applications from those with disabilities.
• If your organisation is a Disability Confident employer display it on your website and social media channels.
• If your organisation has done any networking with disability charities, display it.
• Make your website accessible by using appropriate fonts and colours and alt text.

Funding

Disabled employees may be entitled to support that may help them to get a job or stay in a job.

Access to Work is a publicly funded employment support programme that aims to help more disabled people start or stay in work. It can provide practical and financial support for people who have a disability or long term physical or mental health condition. It is something that disabled employees can apply for independently of work, employers do not apply for it on their behalf.

Support can be provided where someone needs help or adaptations beyond reasonable adjustments. Access to Work will not pay for reasonable adjustments. These are the changes that employers’ are responsible for and must legally make to support you to do your job.

An Access to Work grant can pay for practical support to help your employee stay in work, or to support you if you are self-employed. The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man are not covered by Access to Work and there is a different service in Northern Ireland.

Access to Work does not provide the support itself but provides a grant to reimburse the cost of the support that is needed.    

Final thoughts

A lack of accessibility in the workplace has always been a barrier to those with disabilities. The times are now slowly changing, and organisations are beginning to understand the benefits of having a diverse workforce and the part accessibility within the workplace plays.

As an employer, admit when you are out of your depth and require guidance – start by asking the employee with the disability what their needs are and what find out what support they actually need.  Although we have a long way to go, I believe through educating organisations and by employers asking questions, together we can build a more inclusive future for all.

Thank you, Bethany, for sharing your advice and insight into creating accessible workplaces with us all.

Inclusive Employers can support you in creating accessible workplaces

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