Business Disability Forum

03/09/2026

When is it reasonable to adjust targets and objectives for employees with a disability or long-term condition?

Join our free webinar to find out how to respond sensitively and constructively to performance concerns, and support employees to work to the best of their ability.

We will provide:

- A summary of the law and requirements.

- Help to support all employees who have, or may have, a disability to thrive in their jobs.

- Advice on having sensitive conversations.

Thursday 15 October, 12pm to 1pm.
Online via Zoom.
Free and open to all.

Book your place: https://ow.ly/st9N50ZFI79

[Image description: Graphic for the webinar 'What works?: Performance management', featuring the photo of professional who wears a prosthetic leg in a meeting with a colleague.]

01/09/2026

Our Chief Executive, Diane Lightfoot, commented on the Government’s announcement that the first cohort of young people have now started work through the Jobs Guarantee. Diane was pleased to share her thoughts on the announcement: “The Jobs Guarantee is a practical opportunity for eligible young people to gain paid work experience, build their skills and take a positive step into employment, while giving employers access to new talent. We know that disabled people can face additional barriers to entering and progressing in work. Making sure the right support is in place will be key to ensuring opportunities like this are accessible and inclusive. We welcome the focus on helping young people, including disabled young people, into work and look forward to seeing the difference the Jobs Guarantee can make.”

The first young people supported by a new Government programme for the long-term unemployed have started their jobs.

01/09/2026

Accessibility is easier to deliver when expectations are clear.

An IT accessibility policy helps organisations set a consistent approach to accessibility across technology teams, projects, products and services.

It provides a foundation for decision-making and helps ensure accessibility is considered from the outset, rather than as an afterthought.

Not sure where to start? Our free guide lays out what to consider when creating an accessibility policy, and how it can support long-term organisational change.

https://ow.ly/l4go50ZFfml

[Image description: Person with less-visible disabilities working on a laptop outdoors. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.]

27/08/2026

New vacancy: we are recruiting a Head of People and Transformation.

This is a hands-on leadership role, responsible for providing practical HR leadership while driving organisational improvement and transformation.

You'll have previous experience developing people strategies and leading organisational change in a senior HR, People, Organisational Development or Change Management role.

Permanent, full-time role.
Flexible working options available.
Competitive salary to be discussed with shortlisted candidates based on skills and experience.
Deadline Monday 7 September 2026.

Find out more and apply: https://ow.ly/qs7N50ZG8RZ

[Image description: Business Disability Forum-branded image, with the text 'Vacancy: Head of People and Transformation' in white against a blue background.]

27/08/2026

Sessions announced for our hybrid Annual Conference on 21 October 🎤. Hosted by Bank of America.

Disability inclusion leaders and experts will get together to explore the role of business in creating an inclusive ecosystem for disabled people.

Sessions include:

- In conversation with Sir Charlie Mayfield: The future of work and disability inclusion.

- Panel: Supporting young people into meaningful employment.

- Case studies: Stepping in to support good mental health and wellbeing.

- Delivering a disability-inclusive frontline customer service.

- Panel: Removing the barriers for employees and consumers.

- Future proofing the disability inclusion ecosystem: What's the role for business?

Free for Members and Partners. In-person spaces are limited, but you can invite as many colleagues as you wish to join the event online.

Not in membership? Please email [email protected] if you're interested in attending.

Find out more and register: https://ow.ly/vZw950ZFfpo

[Image description: Annual Conference 2026 graphic. 'The disability inclusion ecosystem: What's the role for business?' On the left are the event details. On the right is a cog-shaped icon representing a person, surrounded by smaller icons in purple and blue (a train for transport, a heart with a heart rate line for health, a book for education, a laptop for work and a house for home). ]

2026

25/08/2026

The European Accessibility Act is already reshaping how organisations design products and services for disabled customers across the EU. Do you know what it means for your business?

Access our free resource to find out what the EAA covers, who it applies to, and what practical steps you can take now.

https://ow.ly/YT2u50Zu8ER

[Image description: Traveller, who has scarring and less-visible disabilities, and her friend, who also has less-visible disabilities, receive directions from an employee in a high-vis jacket in an airport. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.]

20/08/2026

Updates to our Disability Smart Image Bank. 📸

We have:

- added 56 new close-up, square-format images and grouped them in the 'Square format collection';

- created the 'Young disabled people at work' collection to help make searching easier for you.

You can find them in the Featured Collections of the Image Bank.

Our Disability Smart Image Bank offers 750+ authentic photos, featuring real models with lived experience of disability. Open to our membership only, with a media collection available upon request.

How to sign up (Member and Partner organisations): https://ow.ly/76wG50ZBQw1

How to sign up (Media): https://ow.ly/870z50ZBQwu

Find out about our membership benefits: https://ow.ly/8hvC50ZBQwQ

[Image description: Square photo of a young café worker with less-visible disabilities, who wears a sunflower lanyard, smiling as she hands over a tray to a customer. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.]

19/08/2026

Disabled employees shouldn't be more impacted by financial downturn than their non-disabled peers.

We’ve created our free Redundancy and Redeployment Toolkit to support businesses to make individual and person-centred decisions during times of economic turbulence.

It covers:

- Frequently Asked Questions.

- How to ensure redundancy criteria are fair and non-discriminatory.

- The law and best practice on making disabled colleagues redundant.

- Consultations and appeals.

- Managing colleagues that remain.

Access the Redundancy and Redeployment Toolkit (free and open to all): https://ow.ly/17kj50ZAy2o

[Image description: Professional with a mental health condition sitting opposite a colleague in conversation. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.]

18/08/2026

Rolling out new software?

Skipping accessibility testing now means bigger, costlier fixes later, and disabled colleagues and customers left with a worse experience in the meantime.

Find out how to build accessibility testing into your software roll outs, upgrades and updates in our free guide:

https://ow.ly/oq1U50Zu7T7

[Image description: Two colleagues with less-visible disabilities sitting together listening to audio. The person on the left, who wears a sunflower lanyard, is putting on headphones while the person on the right is holding a phone. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.]

12/08/2026

Our Member Derwent London, London's largest office-focused real estate investment trust, has been driving continuous improvement in disability inclusion.

Find out how they improved across the areas of leadership, Learning & Development, retention, built environment and technology with the help of our Disability Smart Self-Assessment.

Read the Impact Story: https://ow.ly/vBYo50ZyQ61

[Image description: Group of four friends, some of whom have disabilities, seen entering a building through two open glass doors. The second person from the left uses a wheelchair. To the right of her is a man wearing leg splints, and a woman wearing a sunflower lanyard. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.]