How to hire disabled talent

On the back of Disability Awareness Day, many organizations may be considering how they can hire more diverse candidates. In the UK there are 8.8 million disabled people, yet only half of them are in the workforce. With this statistic in mind, it’s evident that there’s a problem in how companies hire disabled people.

Discussing the situation, PageGroup’s CEO, Steve Ingham, said: “For the past 12 months we’ve seen job vacancies skyrocket, with many suggesting that the market is ‘candidate short’. But the fact of the matter is that there are hundreds of thousands of disabled or neurodiverse candidates who are unable to access roles due to inaccessible recruitment processes.”

As a result, the British-based recruitment business has spoken to 1,000 business leaders to find out what is stopping employers from hiring more disabled people. The company’s ‘Hidden Talent Report‘ also outlines how employers can enable diverse recruitment.

The study found that employers’ main concerns around neurodiverse and disabled candidates are the cost of making workplace adjustments (69%), the practicalities of making adjustments (67%), and the accessibility of the application process (44%).

It is essential to address these concerns, as millions are, unwillingly, unemployed when they could be bolstering an organization.

Hiring neurodiverse and disabled talent

Improving how you hire begins with simple steps like making it clear that disabled people are welcome to apply for the position advertised. If an individual fits a position it is then essential to provide a contact so that adjustments can be made. After all, an interview doesn’t need the extra issue of an inaccessible room.

A key part of this is being considerate rather than assuming who will apply for open positions. Being considerate can enable you to earn a Disability Confident badge, this allows disabled people to see that you will support them in the application process.

Simplifying the process of applying for a position can help everyone, and offering multiple ways to apply rather than solely online is also essential. Again this broadens the talent pool to draw from.

Enabling a screen reader, and the user to change the color and size of text on an application can also go a long way to increasing the number of applications a business receives.

There are plenty organizations can do, and many updates are relatively simple.

Going further in to the job lifecycle, Ingham noted in a press release: “Accessibility in the recruitment process is crucial, but that’s just the first step for businesses – it’s important to remember that it doesn’t just end there.

“Whether it’s introducing technology, making offices wheelchair accessible or designing layouts that create spaces for everyone to thrive, businesses must realize that they can never be truly done, only constantly striving to do better.”

Creating an accessible employee lifecycle

Speaking exclusively to UNLEASH, Ollie Thorn, senior manager of diversity, equity, and inclusion (D,E&I) client solutions at PageGroup, offered insight into creating a successful working experience: “When onboarding and working with an individual who has a declared disability (and to be honest, it’s good practice when onboarding anyone) it’s important to ask them what, if any, support they may need to perform at their best – never make an assumption.”

Thorn added: “Disability by itself is an incredibly diverse, far-reaching topic that touches millions of lives in millions of unique ways. This diversity naturally means that the only common theme is, open and ongoing communication.

“A structure to ensure ongoing communication is very important because situations change, and people may find they need an adjustment or change in the future.”

Contemplating his own experience. Thorn noted: “We all know work isn’t always confined to the office, and may include team building days, meals out, site visits, and much more. To ensure people with a disability feel included ensure you’ve given some thought to any potential adjustments that individual may need.

“I’m a wheelchair user so need accessible locations and wheelchair-accessible toilets – I always feel far more included and less of a second thought or burden/annoyance if my team takes this into account (which they do).”

In a concluding comment, Thorn said: “Remember the word ‘disabilities’ can mean so many different things. Often, we have a preconception of what someone with a disability is capable of, which is wrong. I didn’t realize I had any preconceptions until I became disabled.

“Just because someone has a disability, it doesn’t mean they are any less capable, they may just need to go about something in a different way. The way to remove the stigma, provide support and create an inclusive culture starts with a conversation.”