Presentations: Dr. Sarabajaya Kumar and Dr Colin Provost.

Discussant: Tony Wilson, Director, Institute for Employment Studies

Chair: Professor Christian Schuster, Professor in Public Management in the School of Public Policy and Academic Co-Director, UCL Policy Lab

Every year, according to research commissioned by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Disability, 48,000 disabled workers are ‘managed out’ of employment; although some experts argue that this figure is actually considerably higher.

The 2010 Equality Act entitles disabled workers to request and receive reasonable adjustments from their employers to reduce barriers they experience, and to enable them to carry out their roles more easily and efficiently. Whilst the Act also enables disabled employees to enforce their rights through the employment tribunal system, the large number of disabled workers who are cast out of employment, in addition to the already high disability unemployment rate, suggests that the Equality Act may be falling short.

In this study, we examine both whether disabled workers understand their rights under the 2010 Act, as well as the extent to which UK employers comply with it. Having conducted 38 semi-structured, in-depth interviews with a wide range of disability and employment experts, our findings are that there is considerable variation in the ability of disabled employees to enforce their rights, under the Equality legislation, as well as how employers comply with it.

In our report, funded by The Association of Disabled Professionals, and launched with the support of the UCL Policy Lab, we conduct a thorough analysis of the issues, and discuss innovative ideas, and the required culture change to ensure the workplace values all ‘talent’, and is more equal and inclusive.

This event will also be streamed online for those who are unable to attend in person.  The location for those attending in person is

UCL, Nunn Hall, 20 Bedford Way, London WC1H 0AL

Gower Street

London

WC1E 6BT

Book your place here.