UK Disability History Month

Submitted by charly.peters_12674 on

UK Disability History Month – 16 Nov – 16 Dec

This month (16 Nov – 16 Dec) is UK Disability History Month, a month which focuses on promoting an understanding of disability issues and the history of disabled people's struggle for equality and human rights. This year, UKDHM is looking at the experiences of disabled children and young people, and encourages us to consider what steps we can all take to ensure that young disabled people grow up in a world which is free from stereotypes, prejudice, and socially-created barriers to inclusion.

History of Disability Activism in Manchester

In 2020, the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People produced a series of short films showcasing examples of disability activism, protest, and celebration in Greater Manchester in the 80’s, 90’s and 00’s. The series, called From Manchester and Beyond, is available here:

International Day of Disabled People - 2020 - YouTube

What are we doing at Action Together?

At Action Together, our purpose is to enable positive social change and promote social justice. We also know that without disabled employees, we would be a less effective organisation. We have therefore been making tangible improvements to our recruitment process to ensure that we are an inclusive and accessible employer with a highly skilled workforce. Here are just some of our recent actions:

  1. We are reviewing and standardizing the language and formatting used in our job adverts, person specifications, and interview questions. This will ensure that we give all candidates the opportunity to showcase their skills and experience, and that our recruitment materials work with assistive technology.
  2. We have committed to advertising opportunities on recruitment sites which specifically work with disabled candidates. We are currently in the process of deciding which sites we will use to have the greatest possible impact.
  3. We have committed to offering a guaranteed interview to all disabled candidates who meet the essential criteria for a role. We don’t want to miss out on the opportunity to interview excellent candidates, so we clearly signpost the essentials and any additional skills/experience are a bonus.
  4. We have recently achieved the Disability Confident Employer charter mark, and are challenging ourselves to achieve Disability Confident Leader status by this time next year. Disability Confident is a government scheme which aims to support employers in making their workplaces supportive environments for disabled employees. Initiatives which are good for disabled people are good for everybody, and we are proud to now be a Disability Confident Employer.

How can you make sure your organisation is inclusive?

  1. Visit the website for more information about becoming Disability Confident: Disability Confident employer scheme: GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
  2. If you are a non-profit which provides services for disabled people, you can apply for VODG membership: VODG | Homepage
  3. For information on how to get started with equality, diversity and inclusion, check out this information from NCVO: Get started with equity, diversity and inclusion | NCVO
  4. If you are one of our member organisations, you can work towards achieving our Quality in Action Award: Quality in Action Award | Action Together
  5. Visit the UK Disability History Month website for more information, ideas and resources: UK Disability History Month – 16 November – 16 December (ukdhm.org)