Disability Pride Month 2025: Improving awareness and driving change
Disability Pride Month is a time to celebrate disabled identity, challenge stigma and recognise the valuable contributions of disabled people in society and the workplace. It’s a powerful reminder that real inclusion goes beyond removing barriers. Organisations should aim to create environments where everyone feels proud to be themselves.
At AdviserPlus, we’re proud to be a Disability Confident Leader, recognised with a ‘Highly Commended’ award at the Disability Smart Awards. But more importantly, we’re committed to helping organisations move beyond compliance, embedding practical, meaningful inclusion for disabled colleagues every day of the year.
What is Disability Pride Month?
Disability Pride Month began in the US in 1990 and has grown into an international movement. It’s not only about raising awareness of disability, but celebrating disabled people for who they are, recognising disability as an important part of their identity, and challenging negative perceptions or stereotypes.
Approximately 24% of the UK population (around 16 million people) report a disability and more than 7 million of those are of working age, yet only half (3.5 million) are in work. Many more would like to.
In fact, a long-term DWP study (from 2013/14 – 2021/22) found that of the ‘economically inactive’ people who were surveyed, disabled people were consistently higher in indicating that they wanted to work, with an average of 26.6% against 19.7% for those classified as ‘non-disabled’.
It’s crucial for organisations to help bridge this gap by taking steps to ensure that your workplace is accommodating to disabled employees’ requirements, and that people policies and your culture reflect a commitment to enabling all employees to thrive, contributes and feel valued.
The importance of disability inclusion in the workplace
Despite growing awareness of the importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), disabled people continue to face barriers, whether that’s a lack of understanding, stigma, or not having access to the right support to help them thrive at work.
Disability inclusion is a vital part of being a socially responsible employer. It sends a clear message to employees, potential applicants, customers and partners that your organisation is committed to fairness, representation and creating opportunities for everyone.
Taking proactive steps to build disability inclusion does more than improve individual experiences; it directly contributes to stronger cultures, higher engagement and better business outcomes.
In a competitive labour market, it also strengthens your reputation as an employer of choice for people who expect organisations to lead with purpose and integrity, not just profit.
How disability inclusion helps organisations
There are some key benefits to organisations who put in the time and energy to improving their disability inclusion:
- Increased revenue and profit margins: for organisations that invest in disability employment and inclusion had, on average, 28% higher revenue, two times the net income and over 30% higher profit margin than competitors, according to an Accenture study.
- Improve productivity: according to a study by the Job Accommodation Network, employers see a 53% increase in productivity.
- Boost morale and wellbeing: 71% of employers surveyed by the DWP reported that hiring or retaining an employee with a disability positively influences staff morale. The vast majority, 83%, did not perceive employing individuals with disabilities or long-term health conditions as an obstacle to productivity.
Breaking down barriers
A common misconception is that supporting disabled employees is expensive or complicated. The reality is that most workplace adjustments are relatively simple and increasingly supported by technology, whether that’s offering flexible working patterns, adaptive software, accessible communication formats, or changes to physical spaces.
The most important starting point is listening and creating systems and cultures that make it easy for employees to share what they need to thrive.
Building Disability Confident workplaces
So, how can your organisation embed disability inclusion throughout? Here are our top tips:
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Create a culture of disability inclusion through ongoing learning
Creating a truly inclusive workplace starts with knowledge, understanding, and confidence. Equipping leaders, managers and employees with the practical skills to support disabled colleagues and embed inclusion into everyday working practices is essential.
Our Learning and Development solutions is designed to build real confidence in having conversations about disability, understanding reasonable adjustments, and tackling common misconceptions.
Coaching and diversity-focused learning also support leaders to better understand the role inclusion plays in team performance, collaboration, and wellbeing. It encourages reflection on unconscious biases that can affect decisions, and highlights how diverse, inclusive teams drive better outcomes for both individuals and the business.
For line managers in particular, ongoing training provides the confidence and knowledge they need to support disabled employees effectively, manage adjustments sensitively and contribute to an inclusive culture.
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Embedding inclusion into HR policies
Inclusive workplaces are built on the foundation of inclusive policies. The right policies empower HR teams and managers to more confidently handle disability-related matters, reducing risk, improving employee experiences, and creating a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to succeed.
Our HR policy support helps organisations review, refresh and redesign policies to ensure they remove barriers and actively support disabled employees.
We help organisations create legally compliant, genuinely inclusive policies, from recruitment to performance management, sickness absence, and workplace adjustments. We ensure your language, processes, and expectations reflect a real commitment to disability inclusion.
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Expert HR advice to navigate disability inclusion with confidence
Even with clear, inclusive people policies in place, real-life situations aren’t always straightforward. Disability-related matters can be sensitive, complex, and sometimes unexpected. Whether it’s navigating reasonable adjustments, supporting employees with long-term health conditions, or handling employee relations issues where disability is a factor, the right approach isn’t always black and white.
In those moments, having immediate access to expert HR advice can make all the difference. Our HR advice line acts as an extension of your team, offering practical, on-the-spot guidance and coaching to help managers and HR teams apply policies confidently, fairly and consistently.
It means fewer risks, faster resolutions, and the reassurance that your organisation is not only meeting its legal obligations but providing the right support for disabled employees to thrive.
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Turning insights into action for disability inclusion
Crating an inclusive workplace isn’t just about policies or training, it’s about knowing where barriers exist and that more support might be needed, and where things are working well that can be learnt from. Without visibility, it’s easy for issues to go unnoticed until they become bigger critical challenges that affect employee experience and business outcomes.
That’s where having the right data makes a real difference. With clear insights into employee relations activity, organisations can spot patterns, identify gaps and take proactive steps to improve how disabled employees are supported.
When working with Wickes, for example, data revealed a trend in ER cases linked to neurodivergent colleagues. This insight led to targeted manager training, improving understanding and ensuring the right support was in place.
The same principle can apply to disability inclusion. Whether it’s understanding how adjustments are handled, where line managers may need extra guidance, or where processes might unintentionally disadvantage disabled employees, insight turns intention into measurable action. Our empower® employee relations technology helps make that possible by enabling HR teams to take data-driven steps to embed fair, consistent and inclusive practices.
Moving beyond intention to inclusion
Disability Pride Month is a vital reminder that inclusion must be more than a statement. It requires action, insight and ongoing commitment. By combining practical learning, inclusive policies, expert advice, and data insights, organisations can create workplaces where disabled employees are truly supported to thrive.
We’re here to help you turn good intentions into measurable progress. If you’re ready to take the next step on your disability inclusion journey, get in touch to find out how we can support your organisation every step of the way.