December 3rd 2022 was International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) – a day first proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly back in 1992. While huge steps have been taken to support the inclusivity at work of disabled people, there is still much to do.
This year’s theme is “Transformative solutions for inclusive development: the role of innovation in fuelling an accessible and equitable world“. In the UN’s words, the day is “in recognition that the world is at a critical moment in the history of the United Nations, it is time to act and find joint solutions in building a more sustainable and resilient world for all and for the generations to come.”
This is a topic very close to our hearts, and we thought we’d share links to assets that have come from our research which support this theme.
Dr Daniel Derbyshire has previously said: “There is significant implicit bias against disabled people among the business community causing an instant barrier. Stigma and stereotyping are cited as a key barrier to employment for disabled people with persistent myths about lower productivity, high physical adaptation costs and high absenteeism.
“The UK unemployment rate for disabled people for example, is nearly twice the rate for non-disabled people. Such inequalities place a substantial cost on the welfare system.
“The employer is effectively choosing between people.” His research looks at unconscious bias and how it affects those employment decisions. Read more here.
Dr Esmaeil Khedmati-Morasae has also conducted a research study into the job market in Cornwall using a systems mapping approach. This turns qualitative interview data into system maps, which show the interactions or effects between differing factors.
He concluded that there are self-sustaining negative employment practices among most SMEs that interact with each other and act as hurdles for the employment of disabled and older people in the region. These would likely be common to other areas of the country. Find out more about this work here
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