We support Disability History Month 2022 as part of our ongoing work with NHS England to embed the Workforce Disability Equality Standard (WDES), and ensure our workplaces are open, inclusive and a place where everyone feels like they belong.
https://www.nhsemployers.org/articles/disability-history-month-2022
A series of resources for employers
- Get to grips with the social model of disability. The social model states that the exclusion and discrimination faced by disabled people are not inevitable and that they are caused, not by the person’s impairment, but by barriers in society. There are multiple barriers in workplaces that union members can change – they might be physical, attitudinal, or related to communication – use this guide to identify and remove barriers in your own workplace.
- Brush up on the law. Disabled people have protections under the law to prevent discrimination in the workplace – we’ve prepared an interactive guide for members to help them understand the expectations on employers under the law.
- Improve access to reasonable adjustments. Disabled people leave the workplace for many reasons – one is when employers fail in their legal duties to provide reasonable adjustments. The TUC have prepared a guide with GMB to help prevent this.
- Win flex for all. Disabled people often request changes to their working location or hours as a reasonable adjustment – making flexible working available to everyone will make it easier for disabled people to access these changes and remove the stigma that disabled people face when they have different working arrangements. The TUC have prepared a guide for reps on improving flexibility in the workplace.