We need more disabled people in our workforces

The most inactive group in our population, people who have health conditions and impairments, are also under-represented in the workplace. The employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people has remained static at nearly 30 percentage points for the past decade.

Whilst, some sporting organisations monitor their workforce and actively seek to represent disabled people more effectively, there is still a lot more to do.

The statistics show that one in five people have an impairment, which means a high proportion of our workforce should or could be disabled people. And if not disabled today, disability prevalence rises with age, so there are factors to consider with an aging workforce becoming disabled.

The working world is more daunting for many disabled employees than you may think. A recent survey by disability charity, Scope, found over half (58%) of disabled people feel at risk of losing their jobs because of their impairments. And even more worryingly, disability organisation, Purple, found nearly half of employers (45 per cent) are hesitant about hiring a disabled person because of fears they would not be able to do the job.

My experience

I have worked in this sector for almost twenty years. I remember being excited that I was using my marketing training and skills to encourage more disabled people to be active. When it comes to under-representation statistics in sports leadership, I fall into two; I am a woman and I am a disabled person. It does not shock me that I am one of the few disabled people in managerial positions in sport, but it frequently disappoints me.

My qualifications and ability warrant my position as Marketing and Communications Manager for the English Federation of Disability Sport (EFDS). Of course, my skills are put first - but my lived experience of disability means I can empathise and communicate in a way that reaches an audience still widely untapped by the sport sector.

Yet, when writing this I tried to think of all the disabled people I have met in organisations whilst working in the sector, the stark reality is there are very few.

Good practice

EFDS is committed to making sure disabled people have a key role within our work- both internally and externally. Improving the diversity of an organisation's workforce has numerous rewards. Indeed, our work and my passion to advocate inclusive communications at EFDS has led the way for others at local and national level to think differently about all their audiences.

As well as making sure our policies and procedures provide equal opportunities for disabled people to work for EFDS, there is an important business case, which is often overlooked in sport. Disabled people’s needs are shaping our future work, so it makes perfect sense to make sure our own workforce is representative of those we wish to engage. We can draw upon first hand insight from EFDS’s most valuable asset- our employees. To have internal stakeholders, who are disabled people (including employees and Board members) means we have a baseline for understanding the wider environment.

Disability confident

There are common fear factors involved in employing more disabled people: access, training, equipment, to name a few. But the most obvious barrier is attitudinal on behalf of the employer. The Government promotes a scheme called Disability Confident, which aims to help employers make the most of the opportunities provided by employing disabled people. It is voluntary and developed by employers and disabled people’s representatives.

In sport and physical activity, some organisations are looking to improve opportunities. ukactive launched a new scholarship initiative designed to help fast-track talented disabled people into senior leadership positions across the physical activity sector- the Matrix LeadAbility Scholarship Programme.

Whilst I would encourage disabled people to apply for roles within sport and recreation, I would also urge the employers to do more. It is not as blatant as stamping on employment adverts, ‘disabled people, we want you’. There is a number of people who would never identify with the term or label. It is a revaluation of practices, procedures and strategies- with buy-in and engagement at every level.

It is about making your workplace a welcoming, accessible environment, which actively encourages a diverse workforce. In essence, being an inclusive employer, means you too will be helping to change attitudes and behaviours on and off the field of play. 

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