Cai Cherry;
Trainee at DLA Piper

8 things to look for when researching how disability-inclusive a company is.

1.Website

Does the firm have a dedicated webpage for diversity and inclusion? What kind of information is available on it?

2.Awards

Has the company been shortlisted for, or won, any disability-related awards? Do they sponsor any awards with a disability focus? Look at the websites both of the companies you’re researching and disability organisations to see who matches up.

3.Partnerships

What organisations do they partner with for pro-bono, Diversity & Inclusion, and recruitment? Do these organisations have specialist knowledge of disabilities? Do they sponsor any relevant organisations or events?

4.Goals

What disability goals is the firm working towards? Are there any statistics that can give you an idea of how inclusive the firm is?

5.Reporting

Firms shouldn’t just tell you their goals – they should tell you if they’re meeting them. A company that admits it has an issue is more likely to be working harder to fix it than companies that brush it under the carpet.

6.Employees

Are they open about their employees with disabilities? 25% of the UK population has a long-term health condition, so companies should find it easy to share the stories of their employees with disabilities, and how they have made their careers a success.

7.Networks

Almost every large firm has at least one employee network to enable like-minded employees to meet and work together. Do they have a dedicated network for disabled employees, and if so, what does this network actually do?

8.Honesty

When you ask a question, how straight-forwardly does it get answered, or is it tied up in legal jargon and evasiveness? Companies with a strong focus on disability inclusion can answer your questions succinctly and confidently, and acknowledge their own shortcomings, oversights, or lack of expertise.