This October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a campaign created 70 years ago in order to raise awareness for those in employment who are disabled. It’s a time to reflect on any prejudice in the workplace against disabled individuals and come together to promote change where it is needed.
Although there are some things that need a national change here in the UK when it comes to disability, there are good things that have changed in terms of legislation and accessibility already. This article highlights the good, bad and ugly truths of working when disabled, and features quotes from those who have experienced working when disabled first hand.
Working When Disabled: The Good
Since the beginning of employment disability awareness after World War II, the government has implemented a number of safeguards to enable the protection of those with disabilities in the workplace. This includes the Equality Act 2010, which legally protects those discriminated against for their age, sexuality, gender disability, race or religion in the workplace. The .gov website also has guides and help pages for those who have experienced discrimination in the workplace and would like to report it. Not only this, but they also have guides for employers looking to remove any discrimination in their place of work. Discrimination in the workplace can include playing someone a lesser amount than others due to their disability, or not hiring someone for the sole reason that they are not disabled.
On top of this, the government has applications and support pages for those looking for advice on looking for a job when disabled and claiming benefits.
We spoke to Jenna from A Balanced Belly, who decided to become self-employed after working as a teacher:
"Going self-employed was one of the best things I ever did for my health. Having Crohn's disease made working as a teacher extremely different, so I left to become a full-time freelance writer. One of the greatest things about it is no guilt: I don't need to worry when I need time off to rest for hospital appointments; I'm in charge of my own schedule so I can move things around and work around my condition."
Becoming self-employed is a really good way to earn money whilst disabled. For example, the likes of Georgina Grogan from She Might Be Magazine has created a huge name for herself in creating a community of disabled and plus size writers who write about a range of topics such as travel, clothing and chronic pain.
Self-employment is not only flexible, but you can run a business on your time, create something you love and work remotely, should your disability call for it. However, it can have some downfalls to consider, such as deadlines, chasing payments from clients and replenishing stock if you sell items online.
Working When Disabled: The Bad
“Wheelchairs don’t restrict people, inaccessible buildings, public transport and ableism does.” - Shona Louise, Disability and Lifestyle Blogger.
One of the main issues that employees with disabilities face today is accessibility. In the UK, the majority of older buildings are still, for the most part, inaccessible for wheelchair users. Not only does this impact the way wheelchair users can navigate their place of work, but it isolates them from the other members of staff. If you can see that your place of work is not accessible for those in wheelchairs, raise the issue with your manager, who can take it further.
Not only is our workplace landscape an issue for wheelchair users, but so is the public transport system. Although there are spaces on buses and trains for wheelchairs, the majority of cases allow just one at a time. And, although the high court ruled that wheelchair users must be put first, there is still an abundant misuse of these spaces. In July 2018, comedian Tanyalee Davis was humiliated for using the space on a GWR service, proving the need to improve the law further and build on the current disability access. If you commute to work in a wheelchair every day, these types of spaces are limited to only one person - meaning that if another wheelchair user needs the space, you may be out of luck. What's more, is that many prams take up the space, making things even more difficult.
Invisible Disability and Chronic Illness is another major issue in the workplace currently. Mental disorders including depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder have all recently been classed as invisible disabilities, and although this makes them no less of a disability, it seems as though they are downplayed when it comes to disabilities in the workplace. This also goes for people suffering from chronic pain and illness.
Working When Disabled: The Ugly
Despite the huge changes we’ve seen over the years in terms of equality, there are still so many things that we need to change within our society when it comes to the treatment of disabled and chronically ill individuals. For example, the treatment of disabled and chronically ill workers should be taken seriously no matter the workplace.
Acts of discrimination are illegal, but what are UK workplaces doing about this in within their environments? A recent poll has seen the shocking results of stigma relating to mental health in the workplace in Scotland. It shows that 40% of workers are too fearful to reveal their mental health issue, which a shocking statistic for 2018.
Not only is the stigma in the workplace an issue for mental health, but the same can be said for chronic illnesses. More often than not, chronic illnesses are invisible, and that can be an issue when it comes to proving yourself.
“As an employee with a chronic health condition, you have the right to request reasonable accommodations when needed, like flexibility, extra feedback or supervision time, additional instructions on assignments and, most importantly, support from your company” Sammi Caramela, Business News Daily.
If you feel as though you cannot ask for these things, question why you feel that way, and how you can maybe change things up by discussing the matter with your HR Manager.
Another ugly truth when it comes to disability and work is the assessment of disabled individuals looking to receive PIP. It’s not new that those looking to receive PIP are facing extreme struggles in “proving” their illness, and this is an issue that continuously pops up in the news. Although there are plans to include invisible illnesses within the assessment stages, so we’re hoping for some good news in the future.
