How to cope with disability at work – live chat
It has been 20 years since the first disability anti-discrimination law passed in the UK. But research shows that disabled people still experience bullying or harassment at work because of their impairments.
Disability is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act, and employers have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to support disabled people. Yet 85% of disabled people feel employer attitudes have not improved over the past four years, according to a new study by disability charity Scope.
More than half of disabled people (58%) feel at risk of losing their job and one in five workers hides their disability from their employer, the study found. The introduction of tribunal fees and cuts to legal aid in recent years have made it harder for disabled people to fight discrimination at work, however.
The government has pledged to halve the employment gap for disabled people. In a green paper, published in October last year, it announced the goal of getting at least 1 million disabled people into work. No timescale has been set for this ambition, and progress to date has been woefully slow; the thinktank Learning and Work Institute estimates at the current rate this goal would take over 200 years to achieve. Concerns have also been raised about plans to cut disability unemployment benefit for new claimants, which could make it harder for them to find work and push many into poverty.
Do you have a disability or are you an employer in need of expert advice on workplace issues? Join us on Wednesday 22 February from 1pm–2.30pm GMT for a live chat as part of Guardian Careers’ disability at work week. We’ll be discussing:
How to cope with bullying or harassment at work because of disability.
The legal rights and action victims of disability discrimination can take.
Advice on finding work and disclosing disabilities to employers.
How employers can foster better working environments for people with disabilities.
The panel
Philip Connolly is the policy and development manager for Disability Rights UK. He is partially sighted himself and has worked in the disability sector for over ten years on policy development, campaigns, especially in employment, and parliamentary affairs. He provides the secretariat to the all-party parliamentary group on disability.
Jason Hardman is head of lifestyles and work at learning disability charity Mencap. He has worked at Mencap for 16 years and leads its employment service, which works with employers and people with a learning disability to break down the barriers that face people with a learning disability when trying to enter the workplace
Philip Landau is a partner and founder member of niche employment law firm Landau Law Solicitors. He writes for the Guardian about legal issues in the workplace, including redundancy, unfair dismissal, breach of contract and discrimination and regularly comments on TV and radio.
Huma Munshi leads on disability equality policy and campaigns at the Trades Union Congress. She has ten years experience as a trade unionist where she focused on representing disabled members.
Emma Satyamurti is a partner in the employment and discrimination department at law firm Leigh Day. She has extensive experience of advising on workplace disability issues, and regularly blogs on the subject.
Tim Woodward is an employment partner at law firm Bond Dickinson. With over 15 years’ experience, Woodward advises on union and collective consultation, major projects, employment tribunal litigation, board disputes, business protection actions and sensitive discrimination matters.
The Q&A takes place in the comments section below. Taking part is easier than ever: to comment, create a free Guardian account or log in using your Twitter or Facebook profile. Alternatively, tweet us @GuardianCareers or email your questions to sarah.shearman@theguardian.com who can post them for you.
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