Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace 2026: Reasonable Adjustments and Inclusive Workplaces
Past and Present Supporters Include:
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.
Agenda
Registration
Chair’s Opening Remarks
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 (CONFIRMED)
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, Director of People, Inclusion, London Lead for EDI, NHS England (CONFIRMED)
Questions & Answers
Comfort Break
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
Professor Almuth McDowall, Professor of Organisational Psychology, Birkbeck University of London (invited)
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, Warwickshire County Council (invited)
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
Hamish Shah, Policy and External Affairs Manager, Chartered Management Institute (CONFIRMED)
Violet Wanda, Public Relations Manager, Chartered Management Institute (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Inclusive Recruitment Processes
- Redesigning recruitment systems to remove barriers in job application tools that exclude disabled candidates
- Training recruiters and hiring managers to reduce bias and ensure fair, objective selection decisions while communicating adjustment options and support early in the process
- Ensuring adjustments and flexibility are in place to support retention and enable disabled employees to stay and succeed long term
- Building measurable inclusion frameworks that track recruitment, and retention outcomes of disabled people
Charlotte Newell, Head of People Experience, UNICEF (invited)
Questions & Answers
Breakout Networking:
This session will provide you with the opportunity to discuss the main challenges you face in building an inclusive workplace and overcoming barriers disabled employees face. Share your experiences and discuss key strategies with senior colleagues from a range of sectors to work towards improving support for disabled employees.
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, Health and Safety Officer, Unison (CONFIRMED)
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 (CONFIRMED)
Questions & Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Conference Close
Get in Touch
Previous Speakers
Dr Maria Berghs
Associate Professor
De Montfort University
Stuart Moore
Director
National Association of the Disabled Staff Networks
Lizi Green
Digital Inclusion Consultant
AbilityNet
John Nelson
Chair
National Police Autism Association
Chloe Schendel-Wilson
Co-Founder and CEO
Disability Policy Centre
Professor Anica Zeyen
Vice Dean for EDI in the School of Business and Management
Royal Holloway University of London
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.
Why You Should Attend
Why Attend:
✓ High-level keynotes on the latest initiatives on supporting disabled people in the workplace from policymakers and leading experts
✓ Case studies showing best practice in strategies that overcome stigma and create inclusive workplaces for disabled employees
✓ A wide range of topics including implementing reasonable adjustments, training management staff, flexible working and handling neurodivergent employees
✓ Network with senior colleagues from across the public, private and voluntary sectors
✓ Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota
Who Should Attend
| Job Title Example | Organisation Example |
| HR Officers | Businesses |
| EDI Advisors | Civil Services |
| Recruitment Advisors | Disability Charities |
| Employment Managers | Employee Assistance Programmes |
| Line Managers | Citizens Advice |
| Diversity Leads | Universities |
Pricing Options
PRIVATE SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Public Sector
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Sponsorship
Raise Your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business
If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE
IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.
Virtual vs F2F
Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:
- Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
- Lower sponsorship package costs
- No travel/accommodation
- Less time out of the office
- No stand materials required (lower costs)
- 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
- Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
- Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
- Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)
To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below:
