Disability Pride Month - Stop Talking, Start Hiring Disabled Talent

Twenty-eight point four percent..

That's the employment gap between disabled and non-disabled people in the UK.

While 81% of non-disabled people have jobs, only 52.7% of disabled people can say the same.

July marks Disability Pride Month in the UK. A time when social media fills with supportive posts and companies share carefully crafted statements about inclusion.

But here's what matters more than your LinkedIn post: who you hired last month.

The Rhetoric Reality Gap

The numbers tell a story that corporate messaging tries to hide. 79% of UK businesses claim they're committed to improving disability inclusion.

Yet only 50% have an actual strategy to employ more disabled people.

This gap between good intentions and concrete action reveals something uncomfortable. We've become comfortable with performative inclusion. The kind that looks good in annual reports but changes nothing in practice.

Disabled people don't need more awareness campaigns. They need job opportunities.

The Business Case You're Ignoring

Companies that actively employ disabled people aren't just doing good. They're doing better business.

Accenture's research found these companies achieve 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins over four years.

These aren't feel-good statistics. They're bottom-line results.

When you exclude disabled talent, you're not just failing morally. You're failing financially.

What Real Inclusion Looks Like

Genuine disability inclusion starts before the interview. It begins with how you write job descriptions, where you post openings, and what assumptions you make about an individual's capabilities.

Remove unnecessary requirements that screen out disabled candidates. "Must be able to lift 50 pounds" for a desk job. "Excellent communication skills" when you mean "can use email effectively."

Design accessible interview processes. Offer multiple formats. Provide questions in advance when requested. Judge candidates on their ability to do the job, not their ability to navigate your broken recruitment system.

Create workplace accommodations before you need them. Flexible schedules, remote work options, and accessible technology benefit everyone. Stop treating these as special requests.

The Pride Connection

Disability Pride Month exists because disabled people have been told to hide, apologise, or overcome their disabilities to fit into spaces that weren't designed for them.

Pride means refusing to shrink. It means demanding access, opportunity, and respect.

When you hire disabled people, you're not doing charity work. You're recognising talent that other employers are too narrow-minded to see.

Your Move

This July, skip the inspirational posts about overcoming obstacles. Instead, examine your hiring practices. Look at your recent hires. Count how many were disabled people.

If that number is zero, you have work to do.

Review your job descriptions for hidden barriers. Train your hiring managers on inclusive interviewing. Partner with disability organisations for recruitment.

Make your next hire a disabled person. Not because you need to tick a box, but because you need their skills, perspective, and talent.

Beyond July

Disability Pride Month lasts 31 days. Real inclusion is a 365-day commitment.

The employment gap won't close through good intentions or awareness campaigns. It closes when hiring managers choose differently. When recruiters expand their networks. When companies measure inclusion by outcomes, not inputs.

The disabled community has pride. The question is whether you have the courage to match it with action.

Your hiring decisions reveal your values. Make sure they're values you can be proud of.