To be disabled in the workplace is to have to prove yourself more than anyone else in the room. Despite increasing awareness of the challenges faced by those with a disability, the number of places that are accommodating towards the needs of this section of the population are still low.
According to government figures, disabled people are more likely to be in employment than they were in 2002, but still less likely to be in employment than the vast majority of other people.
The figures continue, “In 2012, 46.3% of working-age disabled people are in employment compared to 76.4% of working-age non-disabled people.
“There is therefore a 30.1 percentage point gap between disabled and non-disabled people, representing over two million people. The gap has reduced by 10 percentage points over the last 14 years and has remained stable over the last two years despite the economic climate.”
Ebbing confidence
Although these figures show an increase in the number of disabled people in work, it also highlights a yawning gulf between the number of non-disabled people in work and their disabled counterparts.
The reasons behind this disparity are manifold – disabled people are less likely to be deemed fit for work – but it’s important to ask how many people are simply lacking the confidence to enter the workforce.
Confidence building, then, is a necessity when it comes to reintegrating someone into the working world. Like a hummingbird, people who feel happy in their career are have never stopped, always had a project on the go.
This motivation isn’t an inherent trait. Instead, it’s developed and nurtured from a variety of outside influences. A few of these influences include training and professional development – and they don’t always have to be tackled on the job.
Using the internet
It’s difficult to motivate yourself, but the internet can be a useful tool. An online degree, for instance, can be a perfect way to build your business acumen and enjoy a fully accredited qualification in your sector.
Online degrees build up slowly and are specially designed for people who require flexibility in their studies. So you’ll be able to study any time you like, holding down a separate job and still able to keep abreast of your modules.
What’s more, the vast majority of distance learning degrees (which are generally vocational) are designed to bolster people skills in the workplace, turning newcomers into leaders within a relaxed teaching atmosphere.
Charismatic workers
Determination and charisma are the keys to gaining entry into the workplace, especially if your disability has knocked your confidence in the past.
Although the government is arguably unreasonable in forcing people back into work (checks from private companies revealed that more than 2,300 people died shortly after being declared fit for work between 2011 and 2014), there’s a case to be made for training more disabled people who don’t feel confident or capable enough in the workplace.
And with a real, intensive and comprehensive educational strategy, more and more people will be able to enter the working world without a stutter.
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