A leading non-profit business and disability organisation has called on employers and business leaders to reality check their views of disability as they plan for the future. The call came from Business Disability Forum’s CEO, Diane Lightfoot at the membership organisation’s annual conference.

The ‘Disability: What’s New, What’s Next’ conference brought together senior business leaders, leading employers and disability experts to debate how perceptions of disability match up with the reality experienced by disabled employees and customers.

Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum, said:

“As leaders, we need to know the reality of what is happening in our organisations if we are to enable everyone to thrive – and that may not be what we think it is. Specifically, we will need to look at the perception gap between how the level of ‘psychological safety’ that senior executives imagine it feels to share a disability or a difference – and how it really feels.

“Our own findings, as well as research conducted by Business Disability Forum Partner Accenture, shows that there are multiple perception gaps in organisations. If perceptions are not addressed, it stops disabled staff from pursuing opportunities and from trusting the wider inclusion agenda within the organisation.

“As we consider how work will change in the future, we have the opportunity to look afresh at our organisational cultures. As we do so, we need to engage with disabled people in our workforces and ensure their voices are heard at leadership level. The issues we are facing now are new for all of us. We need to make sure that the decisions we make are based on the reality of living with a disability and not on our own assumptions.”

Commenting on the Flexible Working Bill, proposed to Parliament by Tulip Siddiq MP, Lightfoot added:

“Being able to request flexible working from day one of employment reflects the needs of an increasingly diverse and inclusive workforce. It is a welcomed and long-awaited proposal.”

The definition of 'disability' is quite broad. A person has a disability as defined under the Equality Act if they have a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on that person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities, such as going for a walk, making lunch, or reading a book. Disability also relates to where an individual has a health issue that has or has the propensity of lasting 12 months or more.

The conference was sponsored by Business Disability Forum Partner, HSBC. Ian Stuart, CEO of HSBC UK Bank, said:

“Disability comes in many different forms, and will likely affect all of us in one form or another at some point in our lives. One in 15 of our colleagues have shared with us that they have a disability, and one in ten have identified themselves as carers.

“The challenges of the past year have been enormous, but they’ve also created opportunities to do things differently. Our people want flexibility, and so we’re embedding different ways of working across our business. If we get this right, we’ll not only be able to keep and develop the great people we already have, but also attract a broader range of top talent going forward.

“Simply put, we want HSBC to be a place where people of all abilities are valued and able to reach their full potential, and where all our customers feel comfortable and supported when banking with us. We know that a diverse and inclusive workforce makes for a good, sustainable business.”