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Campaigners argue that recent changes made to the Disability Confident scheme, designed to encourage employers to hire more disabled people, fall short of what is truly needed. Since its inception in 2016, Disability Confident has operated as a voluntary accreditation system, awarding badges to businesses based on their declared disability inclusion efforts. However, critics, including the current minister responsible for disability issues, have long raised concerns that employers can gain accreditation without actually employing any disabled individuals. The government has now introduced reforms to push companies toward making “progress,” but several charities warn that employers might still certify themselves without hiring a single disabled person.
The Disability Confident programme stands as one of the UK government’s main initiatives aimed specifically at improving employment opportunities and workplace conditions for disabled people. Unlike other schemes, it focuses exclusively on employers across all sizes—from sole traders to multinational corporations. Companies sign up at different levels, starting at Level 1 (“committed”) where they pledge inclusivity, moving to Level 2 (“employer”) after completing a form about implemented policies, and finally reaching Level 3 (“leader”), which requires evidence submission and audits by peer Level 3 employers. Despite this tiered approach, detractors point out that without robust auditing until Level 3 and significant self-certification at earlier stages, there is no guarantee that employers truly implement the claimed policies or hire disabled workers.
One of the key alterations announced by the government is the introduction of a two-year cap on how long businesses can remain at Level 1 without moving forward—previously, companies could stay indefinitely at this initial stage. Additional reforms include offering tailored support to small and medium-sized enterprises, enhanced peer learning opportunities, and updated guidance developed with input from disabled people themselves. Social Security and Disability Minister Sir Stephen Timms expressed commitment to increasing disabled employment, calling the scheme “enormous potential,” but acknowledged it had “not delivered enough support” historically. He emphasized a focus on improving resources available to employers and encouraging more businesses to climb the scheme’s ladder.
Despite these changes, advocates for disabled people insist the scheme still lacks enforceable requirements. Campaigners and academics have called for employers at higher accreditation levels to meet concrete hiring targets—a minimum disabled employee workforce percentage—to maintain their status, but this has not been implemented. Timms, who previously pushed for stronger standards, acknowledged that the government is not changing the rules to penalize employers for failing to hire disabled people, stating, “What we want to do is encourage employers to progress up the scheme.” Disability organisations like Inclusion London and Scope criticize the reforms, describing the scheme as lacking ambition, funding, and real enforcement. Scope’s executive director James Taylor remarked bluntly that the scheme “lacks the teeth, lacks the funding and probably lacks the ambition too.”
The experiences of disabled jobseekers reflect these systemic issues. Jane Constance, a 25-year-old HR professional and disability advocate who is blind, described her encounters with Disability Confident employers as “hopeless.” She recounted being asked inappropriate questions like, “How would you use a computer?” or assumptions that she needed a sighted guide, despite using technology such as a BrailleNote. Jane summed up her view of the programme by saying, “It’s just a badge – it doesn’t mean they’ll hire you.” Similarly, academic research from Professor Kim Hoque at King’s College London found little evidence that employers in the scheme hire more disabled people or offer better workplace experiences compared to non-accredited employers. He described the government’s latest reforms as mostly ineffectual, noting only the removal of indefinite Level 1 membership as having any real consequence, while the rest appeared to continue the “failed status quo.”
The Department for Work and Pensions committed to ongoing engagement with stakeholders and the recently established Independent Disability Advisory Panel to guide future improvements. However, for many campaigners and researchers, substantial, enforceable change remains urgently necessary to ensure that Disability Confident moves beyond symbolic accreditation and makes a tangible difference in disabled people’s employment outcomes
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
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