Committed to Equality in a tough economic climate
Unemployment has increased again, amid the cutbacks and one of the toughest economic climates seen in living memory what hope is there for the people of the United Kingdom?
Experiencing difficulties in finding work is something that Derby’s Richard Shakespeare knows all about; he was made redundant in 2009 from local internet bank Egg. Mr Shakespeare applied for almost 2,000 jobs and spent £1,000 on stamps before he decided to start his own business. As a disabled person Mr Shakespeare felt that many businesses feared disabled job applicants or simply didn’t understand what having a disability actually means.
Yes we have a big task ahead of us, figures have previously shown that less than 50% of disabled people are economically active and it was estimated that 23% of disabled people do not hold any qualifications (more than twice that of non disabled individuals) but if we can remove some of the myths and fears that are held about disability then maybe we stand half a chance of improving the situation.
One year after the launch of his business Mr Shakespeare is pleased to report that he has not been one of the 9 out of 10 new businesses which is estimated to fail within the first year, in fact his business is growing by the day. Some months ago Richard Shakespeare teamed up with Alan McConville from SightED and they are helping businesses to provide quality support to disabled people.
Committed to Equality is an accreditation which the team have developed to help businesses understand issues such as the Equality Act and also to embrace disability rather than fear it, Many of the businesses we speak to say “We adhere fully to the Disability Discrimination Act” and are often surprised when we discuss the fact that the Equality Act which came into force last year has now replaced this.
Interactive training sessions are the key. We work with staff to break down the fear faced when employing, selling to, or supporting someone with a disability. A survey carried out by the Department for Work and Pensions estimates that 56% of customers are more likely to use a business with a diverse workforce. If we also consider that the U.K has the second highest prevalence of disability with 27,2% of the population understood to have either a long term health condition or disability then surely it makes sense to invest a few hours of your time to embrace equality. Only by removing some of the perceptions that many employers have about those with a disability can we really stand a chance of getting more people economically active.
For more information, please contact 01332 287 007 or email alan.mcconville@sighted.org.uk
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