List Of Disability Confident Employers UK

People with disabilities still face too many barriers when finding employment and getting the tools they need to thrive in their jobs. This is seen in the disability employment gap and the high unemployment rate for people with disabilities across the UK. And while progress is slow, some organisations have emerged as leaders in disability inclusion. Not only do these employers create safe spaces for employees with disabilities, but they pave the way for a more accessible future. This article explores the ultimate list of disability-confident employers in the UK.

What Is A Disability-Confident Employer?

A Disability-confident employer is one that has made a commitment to providing equal opportunities to people with disabilities. It also means that they are part of the Disability Confident Scheme, a government-backed initiative in the UK aiming to promote workplace inclusivity.

As part of their commitment to the scheme, disability-confident employers must create an accessible working environment that provides fair opportunities and reasonable adjustments to employees with disabilities.

The Disability Confident Scheme has three levels:

Level 1: Disability Confident Committed

At this level, employers have made the commitment to proactively build a more inclusive workplace. This often includes adopting more inclusive recruitment practices and providing reasonable accommodations and assistive technology.

For instance, they may reconsider their current criteria, offering interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum job requirements.

Level 2: Disability Confident Employer

When employers reach this level, they have shown that they are acting on their commitments to inclusivity. In other words, they have already taken measures to build an accessible place of work and made progress in this area.

An example could be an employer that has implemented new recruitment practices, accessibility policies, or other steps to attract and retain employees with disabilities.

Level 3: Disability Confident Leader

When an employer reaches this level, they have demonstrated an excellent dedication to supporting employees with disabilities. For example, they have a proven track record of recruiting, retaining, and promoting people with disabilities. In general, they lead the way when it comes to disability inclusion, and work hard to continue improving.

List Of Disability Confident Employers UK

Did you know that you can find a full list of all the employers that have signed up for the Disability Confident Scheme? These employers are categorised by level, allowing you to see how far they are on their journey to become more inclusive.

In this section, we round up 40 of the leaders from that list who have demonstrated their commitment to disability inclusion.

Public sector

• Cabinet Office
• Capita Employability
• Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport 
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Leeds City Council 
• Office for National Statistics 

Voluntary, Charity, or Social Enterprise

• Access All Areas
• Alliance Homes Group
• Daisy Inclusive UK
• The Action Group
• The Disability Resource Centre
• Unlimited Potential

Arts and Media

• Channel 4 
• ITV
• Telegraph Media Group 
• ITN 
• Travel Radar Media Limited

Manufacturing and Engineering

• Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
• Oxfordshire Employment 
• Plymouth Community Homes
• Ford Motor Company Limited
• Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre 
• Laing O’Rourke 

Sports and Recreation

• Arsenal Football Club PLC
• UK Athletics
• Above Adventure
• Huddersfield Town Association Football Club Limited

Customer Service, Retail, or Sales

• Amazon UK Services Ltd.
• Business 2 Business Limited
• Sainsbury’s
• Specsavers Cheltenham 
• Tesco Stores Ltd & Tesco Mobile
• The O2 Centre 
• The W12 Shopping Centre

Financial services

• Admiral Group PLC
• Barclays 
• J.P. Morgan 
• KPMG LLP
• Santander UK
• Zurich Insurance 

You can access a full list of the disability-confident employers UK here.

Tips On Becoming A Disability-Confident Employer

If your organisation still has work to do before making it onto the disability-confident employer list, try these strategies.

• Get to know how the Disability Confident Scheme works, including the requirements and expectations at each of the three levels.
• Make sure your leadership team is fully committed to the initiative.
• Research what reasonable adjustments you should make to your workplace to become more accommodating for employees with disabilities.
• Rethink and revamp your recruitment strategies, focusing on becoming more accessible for a wider range of applicants.
• Provide disability awareness training and employee education to tackle unconscious bias and raise awareness.
• Introduce flexible working options to accommodate diverse employee needs.
• Listen to disabled employees in your company and take on their feedback and advice.
• Work with external disability inclusion specialists, such as Careers With Disabilities. Our resource hub offers free guides for both job seekers and employers interested in disability inclusion. We also offer a range of employer services to support your business in reaching its inclusivity goals. These include advertising roles on our disability-friendly job board and inclusivity screening.

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Next Steps

This list of disability confident employers UK can serve as a helpful resource for job seekers looking for inclusive employers. It can also be useful for organisations that want to up their inclusivity performance and become disability confident leaders. By following the strategies outlined in this guide, your business can lead the way when it comes to accessible, fair, and inclusive workplaces.