Next Steps: Turning Disability Confidence into Action

Learning how to become Disability Confident requires practical action. From signing up to the Disability Confident Scheme to conducting accessibility audits and improving inclusive recruitment, small workplace changes can create lasting disability inclusion.

You’ve explored what it means to be a disability confident employer, learned about the resources and support available and discovered practical steps for creating an inclusive workplace. Now, the most important part – taking action.

At SENDme2work, I don’t just talk about inclusion; I help businesses create, nurture and enable it. Disability confidence isn’t a one-time achievement – it’s an ongoing journey. The key is to start where you are and commit to progress.

Where Do You Begin?

✅ Step 1: Sign Up for the Disability Confident Scheme

• If you haven’t already, visit gov.uk/disability-confident to sign up.
• Complete Level 1 (Committed) to make your first move towards inclusion.

✅ Step 2: Conduct an Accessibility Audit

• Review your workplace, digital platforms and hiring processes for accessibility gaps.
• Get support from organisations like AccessAble, Business Disability Forum or from us here at SENDme2work.

✅ Step 3: Implement Quick Wins

• Offer alternative job application formats (e.g., email, phone).
• Enable live captions in meetings.
• Provide disability awareness training for your team, get in touch for topic ideas.

✅ Step 4: Listen to Disabled Voices

• Gather feedback from employees – what’s working, what’s not?
• Set up a disability inclusion network or mentoring scheme, contact us for easy and quick tips.

✅ Step 5: Embed Inclusion into Company Culture

• Ensure senior leadership champions disability confidence.
• Regularly review policies, recruitment, and workplace adjustments.

Five Practical Actions You Can Take This Month

1️⃣ Promote Your Commitment

• Add the Disability Confident logo to job adverts and your website.

2️⃣ Connect with an Advisory Organisation

• Reach out to BASE, BDF, Evenbreak or ourselves for expert support.

3️⃣ Start an Internal Inclusion Conversation

• Host a lunch & learn session on accessibility or disability awareness – we can help.

4️⃣ Review Your Hiring Process

• Check job descriptions and interview processes for unintentional barriers.

5️⃣ Plan for a Disability Awareness Event

• Recognise key awareness days (e.g., International Day of Disabled People) to engage staff, happy to share a calendar resource to help.

Small Steps = Big Impact

Every positive change – no matter how small – moves your business closer to being truly inclusive. Taking action today will help remove barriers, attract top talent and future-proof your organisation.

What’s Next?

In our final blog post of this series, we’ll focus on Events & Theme Days – how businesses can use awareness days to drive deeper understanding and disability inclusion.

FAQ’s

What are the first steps to becoming a Disability Confident employer?
The first steps include signing up to the Disability Confident Scheme, reviewing workplace accessibility, improving recruitment processes and providing disability awareness training.

Why is an accessibility audit important for employers?
An accessibility audit helps identify barriers across physical spaces, digital systems and recruitment practices, allowing employers to make practical improvements.

How can businesses improve disability inclusion quickly?
Quick wins include enabling live captions, offering alternative application formats, reviewing job adverts and listening to disabled employee feedback.

How long does it take to become Disability Confident?
Disability confidence is an ongoing journey rather than a one-off task. Employers can begin with small monthly actions and build long-term inclusive practices.