Genius Within CIC, an organisation that specialises in the workplace support of adults with neuro-differences, recently won recognition from the Employability Related Services Association (ERSA) for demonstrating exceptional commitment in supporting jobseekers with disabilities and health conditions to achieve sustained employment.
Nancy Doyle, CEO of Genius Within, explains in a new article how she believes that focusing on practical solutions is the best way to support disabled professionals.
“Work is part of our identity. Work affects our confidence, our resources, our social support networks, our entire lives. Struggling to find work, or succeed at work can be isolating and this can be devastating to our general health and mental well-being.”
A disabling condition is a double whammy on the pressure to succeed. There are approximately 11 million people in the UK living with a disability, six percent of children but rising to around 16% of working age adults, explains Nancy.
Nancy argues that to address the disability employment gap, it’s time to change the debate.
“The problem isn’t motivation, it’s practical solutions. Reasonable disability adjustments can be really simple and easy to implement. Lots of employers feel they are ‘treading on eggshells’ with disability and though they want to do right, they don’t know how. Employers can take up the mantle and proactively offer reasonable adjustments, they don’t have to wait for problems to arise. Employees can ask for what they need before they are at crisis point.Policy makers would do better to educate and support the public with disability adjustments than to blame disabled people for their own demise.
