THE Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) provides all its 210,000 members with comprehensive legal advice regarding their obligations as employers under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). The vast majority of employers, according to the FSB’s in-house surveys, are aware that it is unlawful to discriminate against disabled people in recruitment and employment. Since October 2004 all employment has come within the scope of the DDA. The FSB always reminds its members of the need to make reasonable adjustments to recruitment processes, work arrangements and the working environment to accommodate disabled people. The experience of the FSB is that the cost of most adjustments is likely to be negligible. The FSB welcomes the Government’s Access to Work Scheme, which provides financial assistance to disabled people and their employers to help to overcome work-related obstacles resulting from disability.

The FSB agrees with research showing that employing people with disabilities makes sound business sense. Having disabled people in the recruitment pool offers more choice, and firms with a diverse workforce attract a diverse range of customers. This also increases the chance of gaining big contracts from the public and private sectors.

A better public image is more likely to be fostered by firms that employ disabled people as the business is then seen to be a fair and inclusive business. FSB members and other employers have found that disabled employees stay in the job for longer and have a strong commitment to work. We know that employing disabled people can help to increase the number of disabled customers using a business service.

There are some strong statistics backing up the case for employing disabled people. Almost one person in five within the working age population of Great Britain has a disability. There are 1.2 million disabled people who are available and want to work. The spending power of disabled adults in the UK is £80 billion a year. By 2031 more than 46 per cent of the population will be over 50. With age, disability increases. Given the debate on moving people from welfare into work, everyone is convinced of the benefit of a single person working for a full year, rather than claiming incapacity benefit. This has been estimated at more than £33,000 for the economy per claimant. Employers will want to play their part.

Stephen Alambritis is the head of public affairs at the Federation of Small Businesses

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