SUNEMPLOYMENT

How employers can make it fairer for the 14.6million people in Britain with disabilities

WHAT is your firm doing to help the UK’s largest minority group?

Statistics show that 14.6million people in the UK live with a disability.

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One in five working adults are disabledCredit: Getty

Around one in five working adults are disabled, but they face a whole range of barriers including workplace accessibility, lack of work flexibility plus discrimination when applying for jobs.

The Office for National Statistics figures found just 53 per cent of people with a disability are employed, compared to 81 per cent of non-disabled people.

And there is a pay gap with wages for a disabled worker averaging 14 per cent less.

But including these people in the labour market would boost the national economy by £50billion a year.

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Tomorrow is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a UN-backed initiative to break down barriers and up employment rates.

It’s also the UK’s annual Purple Sock Day, created to raise funds and awareness of disabled entrepreneurs.

So how can we best support people in this position?

We sought the view of two experts.

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Supporting disabled workers

Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, Tom Pursglove MP.

TOM said: “This year we reached the milestone of 1.3million more disabled people in work since 2017.

"It is fantastic to see more employers embracing diverse and inclusive workforces.”

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  • Use your Jobcentre. Work coaches at Jobcentres are there to support you, whether you need to learn new skills, write a CV, arrange work experience or succeed at an interview.
  • Search for Disability Confident employers on the Find A Job website at . There are almost 33,000 roles with firms committed to building a diverse workforce – it might include a guaranteed interview for people with disabilities.
  • Network. If you’re already in a job and looking for something new, you can widen your network by joining the disabled employees’ networking site .

    • Supporting disabled entrepreneurs

    Josh Wintersgill, founder of

    CAMPAIGN group Purple Tuesday found the spending power of disabled people and their families is worth £274billion and is rising by 14 per cent per year.

    Now a new generation of disabled entrepreneurs is leading the field to create specialist products.

    Josh Wintersgill, founder of Ablemove.co.ukCredit: Supplied

    Josh has spinal muscular atrophy and has been in a wheelchair since he was ten.

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    The 29-year-old businessman won Young Entrepreneur of the Year with his business designing seats for accessible air travel.

    Here he gives his advice for disabled people looking to start a business.

    Apply for grants, courses and awards: Disabled entrepreneurs can apply to the The Stelios Awards for Disabled Entrepreneurs, run by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation and Leonard Cheshire, which gives away £60,000 every year.

    Also Hatch Enterprise’s Launchpad programme equips disabled people with the skills and confidence to launch their own business.

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