Disability Confident
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The Disability Confident scheme supports employers like you to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to your workplace.
Get ahead
Disability Confident organisations play a leading role in changing attitudes for the better. They’re changing behaviour and cultures in their own businesses, networks and communities, and reaping the benefits of inclusive recruitment practices.
The scheme helps employers recruit and retain great people, and:
- draw from the widest possible pool of talent
- secure high quality staff who are skilled, loyal and hard working
- improve employee morale and commitment by demonstrating that you treat all employees fairly
It also helps customers and other businesses identify those employers who are committed to equality in the workplace.
The scheme has 3 levels designed to support employers on their Disability Confident journey, these are:
- Disability Confident Committed (level 1)
- Disability Confident Employer (level 2)
- Disability Confident Leader (level 3)
All employers join the scheme at level 1(Disability Confident Committed), and progress through the levels as their confidence increases. The scheme is voluntary and access to the guidance, good practice and resources is completely free.
Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, is a Disability Confident leader actively supporting their workforce. Watch the video above to see how they were able to support Mo, a merchandiser, into work after 18 years of unemployment, and how the reasonable adjustments they introduced, have helped Christine stay in her role as Sales Manager, after her MS diagnosis.
Your organisation can benefit from joining a network of other organisations across the UK, that have already started their Disability and Inclusion journey.
Dr Stephen Duckworth OBE talks about the positive impact Disability Confident has on his work and personal life.
Sign up to Disability Confident
What Disability Confident means to our members
“We’re proud that a huge 17% of Smart Energy GB’s team have a disability. Getting to Disability Confident top level status has helped us unleash that talent and become one of the leading companies for people with disabilities in the energy sector”.
Dan Brooke, Chief Executive of Smart Energy GB.
“I would really encourage other businesses to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme. It’s a really thoughtful way of encouraging businesses to make progress on their disability inclusion journey”.
Tim Fallowfield, Sainsbury’s Company Secretary and Corporate Services Director.
“At a time when the hospitality sector could be facing a skills and labour shortage, we need to make sure we can offer great opportunities for all talented people. Being Disability Confident is just good business sense”.
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive, UKHospitality
“Diversity and inclusion is a business imperative for Sodexo. Being Disability Confident helps us to tap into a wider pool of talent to meet our workforce needs, reflect the diversity of our customers and drive business growth”.
Megan Horsburgh, Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Sodexo UK & Ireland, and Global Disability Leader
Disability Confident pays off
Tony, a partner at KPMG, tells us how creating an inclusive workplace for disabled people is not only easy to do but also crucial to business success.
Louis and Ross from Lloyds Banking Group explain how working for a Disability Confident Leader benefits them, and the organisation.
Read more about how Maddie is thriving in her job at Sodexo. Her manager said “it was obvious to me that there was more to Maddie than she was being given credit for”.
Read about how Gareth’s work experience has led to him starting an apprenticeship in joinery with RSBi/City Building in Glasgow.
Read how graduate Matthew found work at Zurich, and how his team leader shared some of the lessons learned during his internship, when he secured a permanent post with them.
Read how Marriott used ‘job carving’ to match Adam’s skills to the tasks that needed to be completed.
Learn about the many benefits of signing up to Disability Confident.
Signing up to Disability Confident is easy and could help increase your understanding of disability and help new and existing disabled employees fulfil their potential.
In the following three videos Pat Ashworth Director of AdviserPlus Learning Solutions, a Disability Confident Leader organisation talks you through how to become a Disability Confident employer. She guides you through moving to level 2 and what is needed to become a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3).
Disability Confident Committed Level 1- what are the many benefits?
In this video Pat Ashworth explains the benefits of employing disabled people and talks you through how easy it is to sign up to become a Disability Confident Employer.
Ready to move to Disability Confident Employer (Level 2)?
Are you already a Disability Confident Employer Level 1 and ready to further build your reputation as an inclusive employer by helping new and existing disabled employees fulfil their true potential? You might already be doing a lot of the commitments and actions that would allow you to move up to Disability Confident Level 2.
Are you ready to become a Disability Confident Leader (Level 3)?
Learn what it means to be a Disability Confident leader. You can demonstrate your commitment and help champion Disability Confident within your local and business communities and encourage others to become Disability Confident too.
The Disability Confident scheme supports employers like you to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to your workplace.