Looking for a job can be difficult, especially if you have a disability or a health condition. However, this shouldn’t put you at a disadvantage and you shouldn’t be discriminated against by potential employers. This is why it’s important to know your rights, as well as what help is available to you.
With this in mind, we’ve written a short article to help you find the information and support that you need so that you can get applying and hopefully land a role that you love.
Help and support when searching and applying for jobs
The first part of the employment process is searching and applying for roles. And if you’re disabled or have a health condition, there are a range of things you can do to make this process more manageable.
1. Look out for disability confident employers
In 2016, the UK Government launched the ‘Disability Confident employer scheme’, which is designed to change how people with disabilities are viewed in the professional world, and to help and encourage employers to recruit more people with disabilities and health conditions.
If a company is a Disability Confident employer, this means that they’re 1) committed to employing disabled people, and 2) that you’ll be guaranteed an interview if you meet the basic conditions for the job.
When you’re searching for roles and applying for positions, try to look for the Disability Confident symbol (pictured above) on job advertisements and application forms. Or, if you’re interested in finding out if an employer is part of the scheme, then take a look at this list of Disability Confident employers.
If you want to find out more about the Disability Confident employers scheme, then why not head over to the government website?
2. Get help from Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus is a service run by the government that aims to help unemployed people find work, as well as support people going through times of financial hardship due to unemployment.
If you have a disability or a health condition that affects your work and/or ability to search and apply for jobs, then it’s worth contacting your local Jobcentre Plus. Here, you can get support from a work coach and a disability employment advisor (DEA), who’ll help you with finding a job, going through the application and interview process, as well as what comes next.
Your work coach and DEA will also carry out an employment assessment. This will help to identify your strengths and weaknesses, and find out what type of work you’re best suited for.
If you’d like to contact your local Jobcentre Plus to seek support, then head on over to the government’s website.
3. Seek help from a disability charity
Thankfully, there are lots of charities and non-profit organisations that are dedicated to offering support and creating professional opportunities for people with disabilities and health conditions.
Scope, for example, is a disability and equality charity that operates in England and Wales. They not only raise money and campaign to create a fairer society, but they also provide information and support for people with disabilities and health conditions. Part of this includes their Support to Work employment programme.
Scope’s Support to Work programme is a free online and over-the-phone service that aims to help people with disabilities and health conditions find and succeed in paid employment. It involves getting help from an employment adviser who’ll support and guide you over the course of twelve weeks.
For example, they’ll give you advice on:
Developing a personalised plan to meet your goals
Conducting mock interviews
Identifying and talking to potential employers about what reasonable adjustments you may need during the recruitment process (which we’ll cover below)
Other notable charities that offer career advice and support to people with disabilities and health conditions are Enable Scotland and Disability Rights UK. Although, there are many that operate all over the UK. To search for charities that offer similar services, take a look at this directory here.
Help and support during the interview process and beyond
Once you’ve found some roles that you’re interested in and sent off your applications, hopefully, you’ll receive an invitation to interview for a position.
If you have a disability or a health condition, this next step can involve some new challenges. But try not to worry, there’s plenty of help and support available, so you shouldn’t be at a disadvantage when interviewing for a position.
1. Apply for government schemes like Access to Work
If you have a disability or a health condition, job interviews can be tricky. For example, if you’re physically disabled and your interview is in person, then transport to and from wherever it’s being held can pose a problem. Or, if you’re deaf or have hearing loss, you might experience communication difficulties.
However, through the Access to Work scheme, you can apply for support (for example, with communication) to make sure that the interview process doesn’t put you at a disadvantage. If your application is successful, this could provide you with money to help pay for a BSL interpreter, lip speaker, advocate, or communicator to assist you if you’re deaf, hard of hearing, or have any other communication difficulties.
In some cases, Access to Work will also fund job coaching, to help you transition as smoothly as possible into a paid role. Plus, you can receive help after you’ve been offered a job and beyond – as well as if you’re participating in any work experience, government training, or apprenticeship programmes.
This help can involve applying for a grant to put towards any practical support you might need when you secure a role. For example, if you’re physically disabled and cannot use public transport, you might be able to use an Access to Work grant to help pay for taxi fares to and from work.
And finally, if you suffer from a mental health condition, the Access to Work scheme also offers a free, confidential mental health support service where you can access support for up to nine months after you start a job. This will include an individual support plan, which has steps to ensure that you don’t just retain your new position, but thrive in it.
To find out more about the Access to Work scheme and whether or not you’re eligible, take a look at the government’s website. While this particular scheme is only available to those who live in England, Scotland, and Wales, there’s a different but similar scheme in place in Northern Ireland, which you can find out about here.
2. Ask employers to make reasonable adjustments
Under the Equality Act of 2010, employers must make suitable adjustments to job application processes and workplace conditions so that workers with disabilities and health conditions are not put at a considerable disadvantage.
This can include changing policies, processes, or physical spaces to ensure that people with disabilities are not discriminated against or treated less favourably than non-disabled applicants.
What’s considered a ‘reasonable’ adjustment depends on a few factors:
- It must reduce or remove a disadvantage for a person with a disability.
- It must be realistically affordable for the employer to implement.
- It must be practical.
- It must not pose a health and safety threat to others.
To make this a little clearer, here are some examples of reasonable adjustments:
Examples of reasonable adjustments in the interview process
Examples of reasonable adjustments during employment
1. If you’re a wheelchair user and you’re attending a job interview in person, your potential employer must ensure that it’s held at a place that’s easily accessible to you.
They could perhaps do this by making sure the interview is on the ground floor of a building, that you have access to a parking space, and that there’s a disabled toilet facility available.
2. If a test is required and an applicant suffers from dyslexia, procedural changes can be made to the test so that the applicant isn’t disadvantaged.
This could involve verbal instructions being given as well as written ones - or allowing slightly longer for the test than the usual allotted time.
1. Allowing a period of disability leave to someone who has to undergo treatment, therapy, and/or rehabilitation for their condition.
2. Allowing someone with a disability or health condition to work flexible hours if possible, so that they can take regular breaks.
If you require reasonable adjustments to be made during the recruitment process, then you’ll need to inform your potential employer beforehand. Many companies will ask if you need reasonable adjustments in the job advertisement, on the application form, or when you’re invited to attend an interview. However, you can also inform your employer of your needs in your cover letter or CV.
It’s worth remembering that you’re not required to disclose to your employer the specific nature of your disability. Though, if you do need reasonable adjustments, you must make sure that your potential employer is aware of what you need.
Also, other than making enquiries as to whether or not you need reasonable adjustments or asking voluntary questions for diversity reasons, remember that employers are not allowed to ask you questions relating to your disability.
To find out more about reasonable adjustments, head over to the government’s website.
What to do if you’re being discriminated against during the job application process
Although many employers are increasingly more aware of how to make the employment process fairer for people with disabilities and health conditions, and are taking additional steps to improve their recruitment systems, unfortunately, discrimination is still an occurrence in today’s professional world – despite the fact that it’s illegal under the Equality Act of 2010.
With this in mind, it can be helpful to be aware of ways that discrimination can occur throughout the recruitment process, how to recognise it, and what you can do about it.
Discrimination can involve harassment and victimisation. However, in the employment process, discrimination can occur more subtly.
Always remember that:
It’s illegal to exclude people with disabilities and health conditions from job applications.
Reasonable adjustments must be made to ensure that applicants with disabilities and health conditions aren’t put at a significant disadvantage to other, non-disabled applicants.
Employers are not allowed to ask about a prospective employee’s health or disability unless there are necessary requirements of the job that can’t be met by making reasonable adjustments – or if they’re taking positive action to help or recruit a disabled person.
To find out more about what counts as disability discrimination in the workplace and beyond, take a look at this comprehensive article from Citizens Advice.
If you think you’re being discriminated against during the employment process, the government recommends that you contact the Equality Advisory Support Service. You may also be eligible to take your complaint to an employment tribunal. Though, bear in mind that this must happen within three months of the discrimination occurring.
Final thoughts…
Searching and applying for jobs can be tough, and having a disability or a health condition can make it that much more tricky. But try to remember that there is support available, and that having a disability or a health condition shouldn’t mean that you can’t find a job that you love and find fulfilling.
For more information on your rights and available support, why not head over to the government’s website? One of the best resources here is the National Careers Service. They provide confidential and impartial advice to help you make decisions about training and work if you’re facing difficulties because of a disability or health condition.
And finally, for more general career advice and support, including tips and tricks on writing cover letters and acing interviews, check out the careers section of our site.