It's About Abilities Not Disabilities
We don’t know how things are going to look post-Covid. One thing’s for certain though; the job market is going to be tough. As someone registered disabled with complex partial epilepsy I can tell you it’s going to be even tougher for people with disabilities.
Roughly 1 in 5 Britons have a disability, whether visible or invisible, but disabled people are 33% less likely to be in employment.
Disability is something that is still deeply misunderstood and feared. The narratives that surround it are either of victimisation or martyrdom. Disability needs to become normalised. For this to happen disability needs to become an everyday aspect of people’s working lives.
Of course, the prejudices surrounding disabled workers are ridiculous; they are less competent and productive, and huge, economically unsound adjustments are required to accommodate them. I recently contacted the CEO of a marketing agency I know for advice on how to handle the issue of disability with regards to job applications. A lovely man, he was saddened and frustrated by having to advise me that I should definitely say nothing regarding it in job applications. This is a global problem; the CEO of a copywriting company in America went from 450 rejections to multiple interviews as soon as the fact that he was profoundly deaf was removed from his CV.
The familiar trope of disabled people demonstrating incredible perseverance to overcome the odds does not seem to extend to the workplace. Disabled workers are among the most committed as they know what a privilege it is to be in paid employment and have often worked very hard to get there. Disability job site Even Break.co.uk cites multiple sources showing that disabled employees have longer job retention, less absenteeism, more punctuality, and fewer workplace accidents.
So what is to be done? It is the old chicken and egg scenario of visibility. Minority groups cannot disprove hurtful stereotypes until they are given the chance to but it is precisely these prejudices that exclude them from opportunities in the first place.
Statements of inclusivity are mandatory nowadays. However, as we have seen more and more clearly with issues such as systemic racism they are often little more than empty ethical disclaimers. Inclusivity needs to do more than this; it needs to put candidates’ experiences in context.
There is a saying that privilege is not having to notice. Unless you were job-hunting with a disability you naturally would not realise the wide range of issues that you would come up against. The largest is work history. A disabled person’s work history is likely to reflect their skills and accomplishments in a different way. There may be gaps for treatment, positions may have been voluntary or part-time, studies may have taken longer, there may be many independent projects as opposed to paid positions. Being unable to declare a disability in an application means that putting this in context is impossible.
Again this perpetuates the spiral; many disabled job seekers don’t apply for roles as they don’t feel their application will be taken seriously. Stepping into the job market can be a difficult and daunting process anyway and it is even harder with a disability. However, there is another hidden gift here for employers; the lack of confidence experienced by many disabled people means that they tend to only apply for roles which they are 100% confident that they can do standing on their head.
However, this lack of confidence means disabled people are less likely to put themselves forward for promotion meaning visibility among management is even smaller. And this is all just getting a job, let alone forging a career. Many disability support sites seem to focus solely on the foundations of job-hunting such as writing a CV, giving the implicit message that careers are not meant for disabled people. We need disabled people in management and career positions; systemic change needs to come from the top down.
An example of this systemic prejudice is the film and broadcast sector. One of the very few things my condition prevents me from doing is driving. Almost every position in the film and broadcast industries requires a driving license; for film work, editing, animation, TV, even many short films. The traditional route into these fields is as a runner; a license is required upon application. Receptionist or front of house is only two of a multitude of positions that do not require one. Again, you would not notice unless you had to.
We can take heart however in companies that are starting to develop skills-based job applications and increasing levels of awareness. The marketing agency I contacted said they themselves are working on skills-based applications. Microsoft too is using it to find the best talent and avoid putting autistic candidates through difficult interviews. Channel 4 are beginning a scheme specifically to increase on and off-screen disabled talent. The number of disabled TV presenters and contributors such as Alex Brooker and Nikki Fox are rising.
Disabled people are legally entitled to ‘reasonable adjustments’ which are funded by the government to accommodate disabled workers. Many disabled people’s ideal adjustment would be that of flexible working. I have found that hardly any employers consider that to be reasonable. Covid has shown us that when something is truly essential to a large enough number of people (and perhaps the people who dictate the terms) it is surprisingly easy to make the necessary changes.
Working towards a job market where skills and hard work are put in context over an ideal job history will benefit everyone. Other minorities’ accomplishments will be seen in context, the viability of different ways to return to the job market will increase, the not-for-profit sector will gain more volunteers and it will increase creativity and participation in local projects.
With Covid having restricted us all let us hope that it will encourage businesses and industries to continue to be more flexible and to become more open-minded.
Written by Helen Sharpe
Helen is an award-winning filmmaker and a digital marketing expert. An advocate for all kinds of diversity, she’s worked with charities and arts organisations to widen the demographic of their audiences. She can’t get enough of running, playing the piano and jazz and ballet dancing. Her Labrador is called Pearl and she loves houseplants and flowers.