Member Article

Employers voice concerns about language of disability

Four out of five of Britain’s employers believe they should make every effort to employ disabled people, a survey published yesterday revealed. However, many of these bosses are put off by politically correct “language of disability”.

The survey, conducted for Remploy, a provider of employment services for disabled people, shows that more than three-quarters of employers believe firms and organisations, independent of the government, should work toward creating a diverse workplace. But employers told researchers that there was difficulty understanding the language used to describe disability, particularly around the desire to be politically correct and not to cause offence.

One employer told researchers: “The ballpark is always moving as are the words that I can say. You don’t say that someone is blind, you say visually impaired.”

Researchers also found that one of the main reasons given by businesses for not employing more people with disabilities was that disabled people did not apply for jobs. There was widespread agreement that disabled people are capable of performing most jobs although a few areas, such as construction and the fire service, were not thought suitable.

Beth Carruthers, Remploy’s Director of Employment Services said: “The survey shows very clearly that employers recognise the talents and skills disabled people can bring to the workplace. There is a strong desire in business to hire disabled people. “But we need to overcome the concerns voiced by some employers. The important thing is not the language used to describe disability but that disabled people receive the same respect and opportunities as non-disabled people.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .