I spend a lot of my time talking to employers about disability inclusion. Some are at the very start of their journey. Others have invested considerable time and resources into improving accessibility and creating more inclusive workplaces. What I’ve learned is that most organisations genuinely want to do the right thing. Very few set out to create barriers for disabled people.
The challenge is that accessibility often becomes everyone’s responsibility and nobody’s priority.
Processes were put in place years ago and never reviewed. Assumptions become embedded in the way things are done. Teams become busy focusing on operational pressures. Before long, barriers exist that nobody intended to create and nobody has noticed.
Working in business development for a Disabled People’s Organisation has given me a valuable perspective. I regularly hear directly from disabled people about their experiences as employees, job applicants and customers. Those conversations are often insightful, sometimes uncomfortable and occasionally surprising.
They have also convinced me that accessibility is not primarily a compliance issue. It is a leadership issue.
When I’m speaking with employers, there are three questions I think every leadership team should be asking itself.
1. How Easy Is It For A Disabled Person To Apply For A Job With Us?
Many organisations talk about attracting diverse talent. Fewer examine their recruitment process through the eyes of the people they are trying to attract. I’ve seen employers spend significant amounts on recruitment campaigns while overlooking basic barriers in the application journey.
Can someone using assistive technology complete your application process?
Are reasonable adjustments clearly explained?
Would a candidate feel comfortable disclosing a disability?
Could they easily contact someone if they encounter a problem?
These questions can sometimes reveal issues that have gone unnoticed for years.
The reality is that disabled applicants are often making judgements about your organisation long before an interview takes place. If the application process feels inaccessible, confusing or unwelcoming, talented candidates may simply decide not to continue.
Many organisations are currently working hard to address skills shortages and recruitment challenges. Looking critically at accessibility can be one of the most effective ways to widen the talent pool.
2. What Is It Actually Like To Work Here If You’re Disabled?
This is often the hardest question because it requires honesty.
Most organisations have policies. Many have disability commitments. Some have staff networks and wellbeing initiatives.
These things are important. However, policies only tell part of the story. The real question is whether disabled employees feel able to be themselves at work.
Do people feel comfortable asking for support?
Are managers confident having conversations about adjustments?
Do employees know what support is available?
Do people feel they belong, or do they feel they need to hide part of their disability or health condition to avoid being treated differently?
Over the years, I’ve noticed that the organisations making the most progress are rarely the ones with the most sophisticated policies. They’re often the organisations that are willing to listen and have open conversations.
That can feel challenging. Leaders sometimes worry about saying the wrong thing or uncovering issues they don’t know how to fix. But avoiding the conversation rarely improves the situation.
In my experience, employees are not necessarily looking for perfection. They want to know that their concerns will be taken seriously and that leaders are willing to listen and learn.
3. Have We Looked At Our Organisation Through The Eyes Of A Disabled Customer?
This is the question I think gets overlooked most often. Many organisations invest considerable effort in improving the employee experience but spend much less time considering the customer journey. Yet disabled people are customers, clients, residents, visitors, patients, passengers and service users.
Can they access your website?
Can they understand your communications?
Can they use your services independently?
Can they provide feedback easily if something isn’t working?
What I’ve found through our customer experience audits is that organisations are often surprised by what disabled people identify as barriers. Sometimes the issues are relatively simple to address. Other times they reveal wider assumptions about how services are accessed and delivered.
Either way, direct feedback from disabled people almost always provides insights that internal teams would struggle to identify on their own.
Accessibility Is An Ongoing Process
One thing I’ve become more convinced of over the years is that there isn’t a finish line when it comes to accessibility. Expectations, technology, workplaces and customer needs continue to change.
The organisations that make meaningful progress are not necessarily those with the largest budgets or dedicated accessibility teams.
They’re the ones that continue to ask questions, listen when disabled people share their experiences and remain willing to challenge their own assumptions.
As someone working for a Disabled People’s Organisation, I am continually learning from disabled colleagues, service users, customer auditors and partners. Their lived experience regularly challenges my own thinking and reminds me that accessibility is rarely as straightforward as it appears from the outside.
That’s probably why I believe these three questions matter so much.
They don’t provide all the answers. But they are a good place to start.
Final Thought
If you could ask your organisation just one question about accessibility, what would it be?
