Employing disabled people
Getting the right person for the job is often the biggest challenge for any small company.
The Disability Discrimination Act does not ask you to do anything that will put your business at risk. You are not being asked to employ someone who is unsuitable for a specific job. What you are being asked to do is to treat everyone fairly.
Encouraging applications
You can promote your business to disabled people by including a statement in job advertisements to say you encourage applications from them. Think about putting job application forms in different formats, like large print, and don't forget to think about whether you could hold interviews in accessible buildings.
Keeping staff
Retaining an employee who becomes disabled could save you money. Keeping staff means holding on to valuable experience and avoids the cost of training new people.
Small changes to the work environment can make a big difference to a disabled person. For instance, removing unnecessary furniture would help someone with a mobility impairment to move around the building more easily. You could also consider things like giving people time off to attend hospital or altering someone’s working hours.
You need to think about changes like this as part of your duties under the Disability Discrimination Act.
Telling everyone about the benefits
Make sure you inform all your employees about the changes you make, as others could benefit too.