OnDemand: Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace 2026
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You can watch all the insights, key sessions, and expert discussions from The Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace Conference 2026 by purchasing our OnDemand Event. Access recordings of every session, including presentations from leading industry speakers*, and watch at your own pace.
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Access this conference OnDemand today for £245 here.
*Presentation decks for speakers who have given permission for their materials to be shared
Supporters Included
2026 Overview
Despite long-standing commitments to inclusive employment, structural barriers, inconsistent employer practice and policy impact mean disabled people remain excluded from secure work or progression once in role. Initiatives such as the Disability Confident scheme signal intent, however debate continues over whether employer accreditation improves retention and progression. Stronger accountability for workplace culture and consistent reasonable adjustments, are essential to prevent disabled employees facing avoidable barriers, repeated disclosure and stalled career progression.
2026 Agenda
Chair’s Opening Remarks
Chloe Schendel-Wilson, Co-Founder and Director, Disability Policy Centre
Keynote: Disability Confident and the Disability Employment Gap
- Exploring how the Disability Confident scheme is currently operating across the UK and where it is falling short of driving improved employment outcomes
- Examining the scale and drivers of the disability employment gap, using the latest employment market evidence and policy analysis
- Assessing whether employer accreditation is translating into improved recruitment, retention and progression for disabled people
- Demonstrating what needs to change in employer practice and policy design to shift Disability Confident from participation to impact
Angela Matthews, Director of Public Policy and Research, Business Disability Forum
Keynote: Creating an Inclusive Workplace Culture for Disabled People
- Creating an open and supportive work environment where disabled employees feel valued
- Encouraging disability awareness training for all staff to challenge stereotypes and bias
- Implementing workplace adjustments as standard practice across organisations
- Promoting staff networks to amplify disabled voices within organisations
Olayinka Iwu, Assistant Director People – Equity and Culture, Workforce, Education & Training – London Region, NHS England
Questions & Answers
Comfort Break
Case Study: Inclusive Recruitment Processes: Removing Barriers and Enabling Disabled Talent
- Why inclusive recruitment matters and what employers can do to remove barriers
- Sharing lived experience of recruitment processes and what makes them feel genuinely inclusive
- Exploring how AI is changing recruitment and the risks and opportunities for inclusion
Mairéad Comerford, Human Resources Director, AbilityNet
Rina Wharton, Senior Accessibility Consultant, AbilityNet
Robin Christopherson, Head of Inclusion, AbilityNet
Case Study: Implementing Disability Passports to Support Reasonable Adjustments
- Understanding how adjustments can evolve over time rather than being treated as one-off fixes
- Exploring workplace adjustment disability passports as a practical tool to communicate agreed adjustments, reducing the need for repeated disclosure
- Implementing adjustment passports in practice, covering what good documentation looks like and how to embed it into HR processes
- Retaining and supporting disabled colleagues by creating trusted adjustment processes that support disabled people at work
Maddy Cameron, Head of EDI, Worcestershire County Council
Questions & Answers
Lunch Break & Networking
Keynote: Improving Disabled Employees experience in the workplace
- What is the experience for disabled employees and challenging the say/do gap
- The role of managers, leaders and management training
- Expanding opportunities for improving representation and progression
- Removing barriers
Violet Wanda, Public Relations Manager, Chartered Management Institute
Keynote: Neurodiversity and Reasonable Adjustments in the Workplace
- Defining reasonable adjustments through a personal approach that recognises individual neurodivergent needs
- Auditing policies and workplace practices through a neuroinclusive lens to identify barriers and opportunities
- Equipping line managers with the skills needed to have supportive conversations and maintain adjustments effectively across teams
- Ensuring adjustments are integrated into workplace culture and processes to normalise inclusion
Ella Lucia Ricci Chartered FCIPD, Head of Health, Wellbeing and Engagement, Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Questions & Answers
Comfort Break
Keynote: Occupational Health and Supporting Disabled Workers
- Integrating occupational health with health & safety practice to strengthens prevention‑first approaches, ensuring risks for disabled workers are addressed
- Developing inclusive workplace health frameworks including adjustments and inclusive policies
- Aligning health and safety risk assessments with reasonable adjustments and equality
- Building skills and responsibility among managers to listen to disability health and safety needs
Joe Donnelly, Head of Health and Safety, Unison
Case Study: LGBTQ+ Inclusion in the Workplace
- Addressing compounded bias by training leaders and HR to understand how queerness and disability intersect
- Designing recruitment, retention and promotion processes that challenge heteronormative and ableist biases
- Expand mentorship and networking opportunities that centre the voices of queer disabled employees
- Supporting workplace cultures that destigmatise intersectionality and encourage open conversations about identity
Hugh O’Keefe, Inclusion Lead, Onvero
Questions & Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Chloe Schendel-Wilson, Co-Founder and Director, Disability Policy Centre
Conference Close
Pricing Options
OnDemand
Full access to the OnDemand conference – get instant access after purchase to expert insights and curated content, including recordings of the sessions and downloadable presentation decks for speakers who have given permission for their materials to be shared.
2026 Speakers
Angela Matthews
Director of Public Policy and Research
Business Disability Forum
Olayinka Iwu
Director of People, Inclusion, London Lead for EDI
NHS England
Lucia Ricci
Head of Health, Wellbeing and Engagement
Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust
Maddy Cameron
Head of EDI
Worcestershire County Council
Chloe Schendel-Wilson
Co-Founder and CEO
Disability Policy Centre
Hamish Shah
Policy and External Affairs Manager
Chartered Management Institute
Testimonials
I attended this event to gain more knowledge on how we can improve our accessibility across our Firm. The speakers were excellent and I gained vital knowledge on where to start in terms of a strategy.
This was a really interesting conference. Each speaker brought a different viewpoint that can help improve our practices for disabled staff members, and the work that I do to support disabled people into the workplace.
I found the conference to be engaging and relevant; hearing people’s lived experiences helps contextualise opportunities and advice that can be taken back into the workplace.
An interesting event with speakers who were knowledgeable and able to give real-life context to the subject matter.
Very thought provoking event, with lots of knowledgeable speakers who gave very practical and great examples that I can take away and use.
A well-structured event featuring a diverse lineup of speakers who offered both personal and commercial insights. Strong use of data sources made for a highly engaging and thought-provoking experience.
