According to gov.uk, there are approximately 5m disabled people in employment in the UK (Sept 2022), yet many often think of disability in very narrow terms, such as wheelchair bound. Yet, in today’s work environment, many disabled employees have “invisible disabilities” which can have a significant impact on their day-to-day activities yet cannot be seen by others.
Invisible Disabilities include:
- Mental health conditions.
- Neurodivergent conditions – Examples include Autistic Spectrum Condition, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, dyslexia, and others.
- Sensory impairments such as visual or hearing impairments.
- Chronic conditions or illnesses, for example asthma, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, MS, rheumatic conditions, long covid, chronic pain disorders, bladder/bowel conditions, musculoskeletal impairments.
While it is not possible to be 100% inclusive for everyone’s needs in advance, a bit of forethought and knowledge can help any organisation. This starts by simply engaging with the employee as to how their disability impacts them at work and what they feel they need.
Some top tips include:
- Disability awareness training with input from people with lived experience of disability.
- Consider recording sickness absence or disciplinary triggers caused by disability separately from other absences.
- Assess visual clutter or background noise.
- Information in alternative formats– e.g., digital format, braille, audio.
- Physical access needs assessment.
- Remember the role of Occupational Health and Needs Assessment.
A recent webinar hosted by McKinney HR, “Invisible Disabilities, a conversation with Irene Purcell from Disability Information Scotland” discussed real life case studies and successful reasonable adjustments.
| Case Study – The concern | The solution | The Output | |
|
Case 1. |
Lab technician was red/green colourblind.
He required as part of his job role to see changing colours of chemical reactions. |
Technician was referred to an assistive technology specialist who identified a phone app which could accurately identify colour change so long as the technician was mindful of lighting conditions and conducting his experiments under consistent conditions. | This successfully enabled him to carry out his work without requiring assistance. |
|
Case 2. |
An Autistic Exam invigilator was seen as being overly rigid in applying rules.
A disabled student was late for an exam but had mitigating circumstances related to disability. This resulted in a complaint about the invigilator. |
The invigilator was given additional help and assigned a named person in authority to help them identify and consider grey areas or other circumstances. This took away any undue pressure to make all decisions on their own. | Part of the additional help involved training for other staff from the National Autistic Society. |
|
Case 3 |
Person with arthritis affecting mobility and manual dexterity was struggling to get to work as they didn’t drive and could no longer manage the walk to and from the bus stop. They were also struggling to type and use the mouse due to wrist pain. | They were offered a wrist rest and vertical mouse with respect to the latter issue. An application was submitted to Access to Work to cover the additional costs incurred by using taxis to get to and from work. | The employee was then able to take taxis without addition cost and have less walking to get to work. |
To find out more, check out our YouTube channel and watch the recording:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ge66KjYYuME
Finally, if you would like help with policies, training or additional support, please contact support@mckinneyhr.co.uk