Gayle Brewer – Written evidence (YDP0008)
Summary of Personal Experience
1. I am a disabled academic with substantial experience of the education sector and advocating for disabled people. Holding doctorates in both Psychology and Education, I have worked in Higher Education for twenty years and have additional experience teaching in Secondary and Further Education. Current roles include Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Wellbeing co-Lead for the University of Liverpool Institute of Population Health (comprised of the Departments of Health Data Science, Psychology, Public Health Policy & Systems, Primary Care & Mental Health, and Health Sciences). I have previously presented written and oral evidence to Parliament on behalf of the National Association of Disabled Staff Networks and in 2022 published a book entitled ‘Disability in Higher Education: Investigating Identity, Stigma, and Disclosure Amongst Academics’.
Evidence submitted in a personal capacity, Gayle Brewer PhD, Ed.D, FBPsS, PFHEA.
General Comments and Scope of the Inquiry
2. As outlined in the call for evidence, disabled people are more likely to be unemployed or economically inactive than non-disabled people. Young disabled people face a greater number of barriers when leaving education and entering the job market or workplace than their non-disabled peers. For example, disabled people may be less likely to have undertaken appropriate work experience and be required to spend time requesting and arranging necessary accommodations. Disabled people also encounter ableism outside the workplace (e.g., inaccessible public transport) which impacts on their access to employment. Further, disabled employees (including those based in public services) are more likely to experience discrimination, bullying, and harassment than their non-disabled colleagues (Lindsay et al., 2022; Manolchev & Lewis, 2021). It is essential that systems are in place to assist young disabled people and that young disabled people are supported to navigate those systems.
3. This response discusses the experience of disabled people as a collective, it is important however, to recognise the range of disabled experiences and the ‘hierarchy of disability’ that impacts on perceptions of disabled people (Thomas, 2000). For example, many conditions may be misunderstood, stigmatised, or take years to be diagnosed which may impact on identification as disabled, willingness to disclose a disability, employer willingness to provide accommodations, and the ability to provide supporting evidence. It is important for the inquiry to recognise the breadth of conditions and circumstance experienced by disabled young people including those without an Education, Health, and Care plan.
4. I wish to emphasise that it is important to focus not only on levels of employment but to consider appointment to appropriate employment. Disabled people are often perceived to be less capable than their non-disabled peers and appointed to roles not commensurate with their experience. Such bias may affect a range of provision (e.g., guidance provided by Career and Employment Support Advisors, employer recruitment). Therefore, for disabled graduates it is important to not only monitor levels of employment but also levels of employment in graduate positions.
5. It is also important to adopt an intersectional approach, recognising the importance of other protected characteristics in the education and employment experiences of disabled young people (Fuentes et al., 2023; Kim et al., 2020).
Career and Employment Support
6. In recent years, Higher Education has placed greater emphasis on graduate employability. Career and Employment Services should acknowledge and address the additional barriers experienced by disabled students. For example, work experience (e.g., placements, internships) provide important opportunities for students to implement their subject-specific and transferable skills, network, obtain an insight into specific organisations or sectors, and develop practical experience. It is important that the accessibility of these work placements is prioritised. For example, existing schemes (such as Access to Work) may not enable accommodations to be implemented in sufficient time for a temporary contract and alternative schemes are required. Indeed, it is especially important that disabled young people are provided with positive and inclusive work experience given the barriers to employment experienced by disabled people and greater incidence of discrimination etc.
7. For some disciplines (e.g., those in the healthcare sector), disabled students may be reluctant to disclose a disability or discuss accommodations, fearing that they will be deemed unfit to practise. Greater discussion of these issues is required (e.g., Bevan, 2014; Hargreaves et al. 2014; Hargreaves & Walker, 2014), including guidance for both disabled students and their employers.
8. Many employers perceive Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives to be at the detriment of a skilled and experienced workforce and / or employ discriminatory practice. For example, employers may perceive disabled employees to be less reliable or competent than their non-disabled peers (Strindlund et al., 2019). Initiatives targeted at employers should address their concerns (Bonaccio et al. 2020) and highlight the benefits of recruiting a diverse workforce, including employment of disabled people (Aichner, 2021; Hartnett, et al. 2011).
9. It is essential that Career and Employment Services support disabled people not only secure employment, but also to navigate some of the additional challenges they may encounter as a disabled person. For example, advice and guidance may cover disclosure, self-advocacy, and the arrangement of individual accommodations. Providing peer support and access to disabled mentors would also be of benefit. Of course, many Career and Employment Service Advisors may not fully comprehend the barriers experienced by disabled people (Vincent, 2020). Therefore, institutions should ensure that Advisors with specialist knowledge of disability are available.
Public Services Employment
10. Public services have the potential to implement and model best practice in the employment of disabled people. Though individual accommodations may be required, adopting an inclusive design approach that anticipates the employment of disabled people both minimises the barriers experienced by disabled people and provides a clear signal that disabled people are welcome and belong in that organisation. Practical examples include ensuring that building maps indicate accessible routes and handbooks are available in accessible formats (without individual request or delay).
11. Specific aspects of the working environment should be considered. For example, open plan offices (with little opportunity to control noise or light levels and temperature) may be problematic for those with increased sensitivity to noise etc. Open plan environments may also be problematic for other employees such as those who are immunocompromised. The COVID-19 pandemic has provided additional opportunities for flexible working (e.g., home working) and these can be especially valuable to disabled people. It is, however, important to ensure that those working from home have access to appropriate equipment, are not perceived to be less committed to their work, and opportunities (e.g., for training) are disseminated in an open and transparent manner that does not unfairly advantage those party to ‘water cooler’ discussions.
12. Recruitment practice may also demonstrate best practice. Communicating a commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion initiatives should be an important aspect of a recruitment strategy (Heath et al., 2023), including recruitment through graduate schemes. In addition to text actively encouraging disabled applicants, employers should outline the practical support available to disabled employees (e.g., the presence of a disabled staff network) that provides a clear and concrete indication that disabled employees are valued. During the interview process, best practice may include providing interview questions in advance etc. Recruitment and selection practices that incorporate artificial intelligence should also consider the potential for bias (Nugent & Scott-Parker, 2022).
19 August 2023
References
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Brewer, G. (2022). Disability in Higher Education: Investigating identity, stigma, and disclosure amongst academics. Open University Press.
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