BOND DDG Working Group

30 April 2007

Attendees:

Lorraine Wapling – ADD

Kate Gooding, Robin Spinks, and Archana Patel – Sightsavers International

Henry Pomeroy – Send a Cow

Sunanda Mavillapalli, Ray Lang, and Liz Harrison - LCI

Kirsty Wilson – ICDS

Emily Pearce – BOND

Hazel Jones – WEDEC

Michael Guy and Hannah Corps – HI

Nadine Lusi – CBM

Zoe Stevenson and Nustran Bryce– DFID

Sue Coe –World Vision UK

Teleri Jardine – Advantage Africa

Shampa Nath – Healthlink Worldwide

Katherine Hingley and Natasha Coates – Motivation

Victoria Shewell - Sue Ryder

Safija Jusupovic – WER

Sietske van der Ploeg – Leprosy Mission

Catherine Hingley – Motivation

Nichola Coates - Motivation

Apologies:

Sarah Hodge - POWER International

Alison Sizer – Health Unlimited

1. Employment of disabled people

Many members of DDG are working to increase the representation of disabled people among their staff. This session was designed as an initial discussion to start sharing ideas about good approaches. Lorraine and Robin spoke from their experience about issues to consider. The discussion raised a lot of points that are useful for wider sharing, hence the minutes are fuller than usual.

Employment of disabled people can be considered in relation to three stages: identification of a position, the recruitment process and integration.

Phase 1: Identification of a position.

When a vacancy arises, in the UK or overseas, an organisation has the opportunity o think proactively about employing a disabled person. If an NGO is serious about mainstreaming disability, employing disabled people is one of the best strategies as they will bring different perspectives and insights. A good question to ask is why might you not consider a disabled person for this position?

Possible answers include issues of access, effectiveness, attitudes and communication; for example: a fear of the unknown, additional costs, perceptions that disabled people will not be able to work efficiently, an inaccessible place of work. However, all these issues can be resolved. Much is about attitudes, and the enormous potential of disabled people is being lost because of the assumptions of recruiters. If you give disabled people a chance, you often get surprising results!

Robin recounted his experiences around ‘the impairment question’. Potential employers are often reluctant to ask about the implications of impairment. By openly talking about it during interviews and encouraging them to share any concerns, it can be possible to challenge assumptions and reassure them. However, this does take confidence.

Employers need to:

-know about what support can be made available (this is their responsibility and many disabled people do not know about the different government scheme etc.)

-not make assumptions about capacity

-ask what support is needed to ensure they provide appropriate measures

Providing support is all about making adjustments and accommodation in the same way that employers make for other staff e.g. parents, those caring for sick relatives.

The importance of discussing practical needs was underlined by others in the group. Disabled people need confidence to talk about their support requirements, but many lack this – which is not surprising given the frequently hostile employment environment. Employers need to be reassuring to encourage an open discussion.

If the decision is made to employ disabled people, the first step is to change attitudes by providing the team with Disability Awareness Training. This can really help discuss the issues in an open and honest way.

It is important that training comes before disabled people are employed; it can be uncomfortable once someone is in post.

Ongoing awareness training can be helpful to implant ideas. For example, Sightsavers is showing a series of short disability awareness videos once a month on Friday afternoons. There are many short disability films available – see the DRC website, Churchill, Minty and Friends, or the Employers Forum on Disability. Other good short films are the ‘Deaf persons guide to the sound sensitive’ and ‘Just Ask’.

An external trainer can be useful to add weight to the discussion and ensure the issues are taken seriously.

Sightsavers has prepared a simple pack on disability awareness that has been used in West Africa and Jamaica. This could be of value for other DDG members.

Phase 2 – Recruitment

It is important to ensure the recruitment process is accessible. There is a lot of good advice available. In particular, is a very good resource and excellent place to start.

Job advert:

  1. Think about where to place the advert. Websites are making this more accessible, but there are some disability-specific sites and magazines that could be used e.g. Disability Now, UK Council of disabled people, impairment-specific websites.
  2. Work towards the ‘two tick’ scheme. This is awarded through Job Centre Plus, and is a powerful symbol to encourage disabled people to apply.
  3. Add a statement on encouraging disabled people to apply. Positive action to actively recruit disabled people is perfectly acceptable legally – it is fine to add ‘we would particularly welcome applications from disabled people’. Requirements such as knowledge of BSL or ‘personal experience of disability’ also encourage disabled people to apply, but do not exclude others.
  4. Offer all information in alternative formats. State that this is available in the advert, and ensure it can be done quickly. There are many companies in the UK that provide alternative formats with a quick turnaround time, e.g. Vision Support Trading ( or
  5. Ensure that application forms are also available in alternative formats, and that they can be completed electronically (not handwritten).
  6. Check the language, especially in job description sections on desired skills. For example, ‘good level of spoken English/French’ could exclude Deaf people or those with come communication impairments; instead use phrases like ‘the ability to work with English/French’. Conditions such as ‘must be in an excellent state of health’ are also exclusionary.
  7. Provide space for textphone numbers on the application form (as well as telephone), and if there is space for a mobile phone add a tick box to indicate if this should only be used for SMS messages. These are small adjustments, but they show a positive and encouraging attitude.
  8. Qualification requirements: many disabled people do not have the same opportunities to acquire formal qualifications. This needs to be considered in the JD, e.g. use ‘or equivalent experience’.

Many disabled people in the UK do not have development experience. This raises the question of recruiting trainees with disability experience and providing them with development experience. There are schemes that provide government funding to employ disabled people for internships.

Interview process

  1. When interview offers are made, ask candidates to get in touch ASAP if they have any specific needs. This is critical. It may be the first time that you realise someone who is disabled has applied.
  2. Make sure you respond well to any indicated needs. HR staff need to know how to handle requests and to reply positively.
  3. You may need to hire BSL interpreters or other forms of assistance. Job centre Plus can help with this (advice and costs).
  4. It is important to have an accessible environment, e.g. sufficient light, physical access; change location if it is not suitable.
  5. Ensure that arrangements for the interview are sent out in good time, including instructions and names of those who will be interviewing.
  6. Take care with activity based tasks, for example. people with visual impairments will need more time for tasks involving written materials, group activities need to be set up carefully or those with sensory or communication impairments may be excluded.
  7. Pace the process and allow time for breaks. You will not get the best out of people by rushing.
  8. Focus on getting evidence of achievements rather than the process of work. If the candidate has the right qualities, you should not be put off by any adjustments that will be needed – there are always solutions.
  9. Avoid questions on disability such as ‘how will you manage travelling overseas?’ during the interview; these can be asked later if the job is offered. Focus on their experience.

Much of this is better for everyone, not just disabled people.

Disclosure of disability by candidates is a personal choice, affected by experience. Some people feel comfortable disclosing an impairment on the application form and prefer to do this so there are no surprises; others are wary of employers’ attitudes and prefer to wait. However, disclosure of disability at this stage is important to ensure that the organisation is prepared to provide support with any specific needs.

Phase 3: integration

  1. Once you have hired a disabled person there will need to be an open discussion on the provision of support, asking the recruit what is needed in order to be prepared. This is reassuring and shows the employee that support will be ready when they arrive.
  2. It is important to discuss any needs as soon as possible, and to place orders for any specific equipment in good time as it may take a while for it to be ready and delivered.
  3. Adjustments are often only very minor. The amount spent on reasonable accommodations is on average around £75.
  4. The government initiative ‘Access to Work’ is a very valuable scheme that can reduce the cost to employers of hiring disabled people (available through JobCentre Plus). It is important to meet them as soon as possible to maximise the amount of funding they will provide. Set up a meeting between the disabled person, an Access to Work advisor, and the line manager as soon as possible, and go through all aspects of the job and the required budget.
  5. Access to work is also a valuable source of information. It is not always possible for disabled people to know exactly what support will be needed.
  6. One limitation of Access to Work is that it does not cover costs for employees working overseas; this is an issue for advocacy.
  7. Talk to the team about the new appointment and arrange disability awareness training if needed.
  8. Those managing disabled people need to be aware that issues may arise over time. It is important for everyone in the team to have space to air any concerns and ensure the environment remains inclusive. The manager needs to become aware of any issues before they become problems.
  9. Ensure continued assessment of the work environment. Busy offices mean access commitments can get forgotten; regular follow up is needed.

Discussion

It was agreed that the discussion had been extremely helpful, and that it would be useful to prepare something similar for a wider audience, including HR/personnel staff.

Many of these issues are relevant for all, not just disabled people. It is about broadening the range of people we work with.

2. Update from DFID (Zoe Stephenson)

  1. DFID’s Guidance note on disability:

-Many useful comments were received on the draft guidance note, from DDG and overseas DFID COs. Finalising the Note is taking longer than expected due to the high number of comments received.

-They are currently gathering case studies from DFID country offices, which can potentially be used as an advocacy tool for all offices to show what is possible.

-It is not too late to input comments – email Zoe.

-The final Guidance Note will be put the DFID on website but Zoe will also share it with contributors.

  1. Funding:

-The Equity and Rights team in the Policy Division does not provide significant direct funding; however they do fund a few small pieces of work, including:

-African Decade Secretariat: ER team is providing joint funding with DFID’s research division to strengthen the Decade’s research capacity and provide evidence for policy/advocacy. Although this is a small project, it is seen as an important first step in establishing a link with African Decade and should help raise awareness of the Decade within DFID (potentially opening the door to larger funding).

-Funding to IDEA to build the institutional capacity of southern NGOs, exploring what capacity building means and different experiences, and informing DFID’s thinking of what they should support. This is still at an early stage, and has so far engaged in a consultation process with DPOs in the South. This is an opportunity to come together to share ideas.

-Early discussion with DEE (Disability Equality in Education) about a small pilot project on inclusive education, looking at on-the-ground training and capturing this for dissemination to take it elsewhere and show it is doable.

  1. Secondee to DFID:

-DFID’s Equity and Rights Team hoping to have a secondee (1 year) from ADD to provide the team with more expertise on disability and further ADD’s PPA objective on influencing/engaging/maintaining relationship with DFID. This objective has not happened as yet and a secondee might bridge the gap.

-Although some objectives have been set, much of the work will arise once the secondee is in post as they see what opportunities arise.

-It will be a strategic role, using opportunities for external and internal influence.

-They hope to work with the secondee to discuss approaches to disseminating the Guidance Note within DFID and accompanying it with training. The budget for this is limited, so there may need to be regional rather than country training.

  1. UN Disability Convention

-FCO currently have e-grams which allow communication with posts overseas. DFID are working with the FCO to develop a joint e-gram that can be sent to DFID and FCO overseas offices. This will be a useful way of making UN Convention more noticeable to high-level officials overseas.

-It is taking time to decide the language because DFID is much more decentralised than FCO, which has more authority over country offices.

-There is ongoing thinking about the implications of the UN Convention for DFID and the best way to use its influence to get funding for disability.

-Progress on this is hampered by the high number of PQs, which are taking time from more proactive work.

-UK has not signed the Optional Protocol; an email will be circulated explaining the thinking on this.

  1. Update from Nustran Bryce, DFID Diversity Manager (based in East Kilbride)

-DFID’s work on diversity has a particular focus on disability because research suggests this area needs improvement.

-The Disability Equality Scheme is in place, and has been published and submitted to the DRC.

-Feedback from the DRC has been positive although there are some suggestions for improvement.

-DFID have appointed a Disability Liaison Officer to advise on e.g. ‘reasonable adjustment’, and a senior level Diversity Champion on Disability.

-There is an issue around declaring disability within DFID: Of 1400 staff only 50 have declared a disability, which is probably not a true reflection. Hence they are developing a suitable confidential communication strategy for staff to help them get the necessary support.

-A Disability Forum Network has been set up as a safe space to discuss the issues. However, this only has around 30 members and its capacity needs building e.g. more senior representation is needed.

-DFID was awarded the two ticks symbol last week.

-The DES action plan is about HR issues, but it will raise the profile of disability within and its ultimate goal is to mainstream disability into DFID’s core work.

-Legally, the DES does not apply to overseas offices. However, it contains strong language about applying the spirit and principles of the Act overseas.

3. DDG day 3rd December

The minutes from the planning meeting have been circulated.

Action

Please feedback to Icky.

Lorraine will circulate the key questions to the wider group as a reminder.

Next meeting: September. Please send agenda items to Lorraine.