Why is this campaign important?
Disabled people face a complex range of barriers to accessing meaningful employment. These barriers show up in attitudes, financial barriers, spaces, policies, and practices.
The pandemic has meant that the ways we work and think about work have started to change. While many employers have adjusted to flexible working, there are other ways that we can invertedly create barriers to employment and retention of
- disabled people
- people with mental health challenges
- neurodivergent people
Using the social model of disability, we’ll look at disabling barriers and see where we can adjust our thinking, as well as making practical changes.
The campaign builds on national and local data that show how these barriers disadvantage disabled people, people with mental health challenges and neurodivergent people within the workplace and before they even reach it:
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Disability Employment Gap
57% of disabled people in Gloucestershire are in employment compared to 85% of non-disabled people.
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Disability Pay Gap
For every pound earned by a non-disabled person, a disabled person earns 86p.
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Employment Opportunities Gap
A survey of disabled people by Barnwood Trust found that only half of those who said paid work matters to them could do the type of work they’d like to do.
What is Empowered Employers?
Since the pandemic, ways of working have changed for many and the adjustments that disabled people have long been entitled to, like flexible working, are starting to become more commonplace.
Empowered Employers aims to build on these changes, supporting organisations within Gloucestershire to consider attitudes and policies that enable meaningful work opportunities for disabled people, people with mental health challenges and neurodivergent people.
Empowered Employers is a campaign that looks at the three ways in which barriers to employment present themselves; the employment gap, the pay gap and the opportunities gap.
As part of the campaign we will be running a Learning Programme which will support employers to make practical adjustments but also challenge assumptions about disability. By being a participant in our Learning Programme your company will receive accreditation.
