Recruiting and employing disabled people

Recruiting disabled people to work for your business

You can encourage applications from, and avoid discrimination against, disabled people when recruiting and employing your staff.

Before advertising/recruitment
Avoid assumptions. Consider making reasonable adjustments to working environment or hours - so that the job could be done by people with a variety of disabilities.
Is homeworking an option?
What non-core functions could be reallocated elsewhere?
Advertising and recruitment
Some of the most helpful places to advertise jobs in order to attract disabled people are through Jobcentre Plus, or perhaps through services such as the Talking Newspaper Association of the United Kingdom.

The Disability Rights Commission are able to instigate legal action against employers who use job advertisement suggesting the success of an application may depend on whether or not the applicant is disabled or if the advert indicates reluctance to make reasonable adjustments. Download the DRC's revised code of practice for employers on the Disability Rights Commission website (PDF).

In order to avoid potential problems, job descriptions and person specifications shouldn't discourage applications from disabled people. Include the phrase "applications from disabled people are particularly welcome", or guarantee an interview for any disabled applicant meeting the minimum criteria. A reasonable adjustment may be to create advertisements and documentation available in other formats, eg large print, and you should be prepared to accept applications in other ways, eg on tape.

Interviews and selection
Ensure that location and venue are accessible, and that selection procedures like tests don't disadvantage disabled candidates.

Subjects covered in this guide

• Introduction
• The business case for employing disabled people
• Advice on disability and funding for employers
• Recruiting disabled people to work for your business
• Helping disabled employees in your business
• When an employee becomes disabled
• What the law says on employing disabled staff