The Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace Conference 2025
Past and Present Supporters Include:
Overview
As the government’s ‘Get Britain Working’ reforms look to ambitiously increase the employment rate in the UK from 75% to 80%, it is vital to examine how these policies impact disabled people in the workplace. We must ensure inclusivity and accessibility are at the forefront of employment practices, preventing workplace barriers for disabled people.
Through collaborative approaches with colleagues, and utilising modern technology and data, HR professionals can build upon existing good work by sharing exemplary best practice and key insights into developing an inclusive workplace culture which can enable disabled employees to thrive in the workplace.
- The number of people reporting a long-term health condition increased by 3.4 million (29.3%)
- There were 5.5 million disabled people in employment in the UK in Q2 2024. This is an increase of 310,000 on the year
- In 2023/24, 65.1% of disabled people with one health condition were in employment
Join us at The Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace Conference 2025 to hear experts discuss the latest initiatives and approaches to help your organisation manage and support disabled employees.
Engage with best practice case studies addressing issues such as coproducing policies with disabled staff, adapting to the rise of hidden disabilities and implementing disability inclusive recruitment processes. You will have the opportunity to network with other professionals from the public, private, and voluntary sectors to share common challenges and initiate support for disabled people in your workplace.
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 creating a neurodiverse workplace
✓ Network with senior colleagues from across the public, private and voluntary sectors
✓ Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota
Agenda
Registration
Chairs Opening Remarks
Keynote: ‘Get Britain Working’ and its Impact on Disabled People
- Putting an end to the culture of blaming and shaming people who for haven’t been getting the support to find employment
- Outlining the planned reforms the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible
- Destigmatising being out of work
- Reflecting the scale of the challenges that disabled people and people with health conditions face
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
- Implementing workplace adjustments as standard practice, not as exceptions
- Promoting employee resource groups to amplify disabled voices within organisations
- Ensuring leadership actively supports and drives inclusion initiatives
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Keynote: Best Approaches for Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace
- Providing workplace adjustments based on individual needs
- Offering flexible working arrangements to accommodate health conditions
- Regularly reviewing accessibility in physical and digital workspaces
- Encouraging open conversations and feedback from disabled employees
Professor Anica Zeyen, Professor in Entrepreneurship & Inclusion, Royal Holloway, University of London (CONFIRMED)
Case Study: Supporting People with Invisible Disabilities
- Raising awareness that not all disabilities are visible and educate staff accordingly
- Implementing flexible policies around sick leave and working hours
- Ensuring managers are trained to recognise and support employees with hidden conditions
- Creating a culture where employees feel safe disclosing their disabilities
Questions and Answers
Lunch Break
Keynote: Creating a Neurodiverse-friendly Workplace
- Recognising and celebrating the strengths neurodivergent employees bring to the workplace
- Offering multiple communication methods to suit different processing styles
- Adjusting recruitment processes to be more inclusive, such as allowing alternative interview formats
- Providing clear, structured workflows to support neurodivergent thinking
- Establishing mentorship or buddy systems to help with workplace integration
Case Study: Improving Inclusive Practices in Recruitment Strategies for Disabled People
- Ensuring job adverts and descriptions use inclusive, accessible language
- Offering alternative application processes for disabled candidates
- Training recruiters and hiring managers on disability inclusion
- Regularly auditing recruitment practices to remove barriers for disabled candidates
Questions and 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: Supporting Disabled Employees from Minority Ethnic Backgrounds
- Understanding the intersectional challenges faced by disabled ethnic minority employees, such as access to support and cultural barriers
- Ensuring pathways for career development are provided for disabled ethnic minority employees
- Creating safe spaces for employees to discuss and share their experiences
- Engage with community organisations to support recruitment and retention
- Address bias in hiring, promotion, and workplace culture
Case Study: Tackling the Disability Employment Gap
- Advocating for stronger policies to improve employment rates for disabled people
- Challenging workplace stigma through awareness campaigns and leadership involvement.
- Providing mentorship and career development opportunities for disabled employees.
- Ensuring equal pay and progression opportunities for disabled workers
- Working with government and industry bodies to remove systematic employment barriers
Questions and Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Conference Close
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
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
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:
