About Disability Equals Business
Disability Equals Business was funded primarily by the European Social fund as part of its Equal programme. Equal’s brief was to test and promote new means of combating discrimination and inequalities in the labour market for employed and unemployed people.
Disability Equals Business was part of the "Employability" section within this initiative. Disability Equals Business worked together with many partners with a variety of complimentary specialisms and experiences. These partners included disability specialists, three Local Authorities, business specialists, a Health Trust and the regional Development Agency for the South East. Disability Equals Business also worked in Partnership with other European Equal projects, sharing good practice, experiences, outcomes, evaluation and dissemination.
By utilising the Partners’ expertise Disability Equals Business helped local small to medium size business effect cultural change in terms of diversity and equality, focussing on disability.
Disability Equals Business encouraged a wider range of work opportunities for disabled people by helping businesses to see the potential and business benefits of recruiting and retaining staff from a largely untapped pool of talent. Disability Equals Business worked with businesses providing support, guidance and training on relevant issues, including policies and procedures, the Disability Discrimination Act and reasonable adjustments. The consultants provided hundreds of Sussex businesses with in- depth action plans tailored to individual business’s specific needs.
The project ended in December 2007. The final aim of the project was to have created a major impact on local businesses, feeding good practice into local and national policies and ultimately government initiatives and law. One important way DEB did this was by working with local council procurement teams to help them to maximize the influence they have over local businesses in terms of becoming more disability confident.
What Businesses Say...
Having staff who needed extra support within the team changed our ways of working in a very positive way. I feel that staff moral, productivity, and maintenance of stock levels all increased, which helped to present a product which was attractive to customers.
Jeremy Mather
Store Manager
Woolworths
Store Manager
Woolworths
The adaptations to the way of working for our disabled employees did not cost a penny and we have all learnt a great deal. I now look at their abilities, not their disabilities!
Nick Boyd
Manager
Gochers Laundry
Manager
Gochers Laundry
We have made small adjustments to working patterns that have not cost the company any money and are delighted with the employees progress within the company.
Roger Sargeant
Contracts Manager
Mackley Construction
Contracts Manager
Mackley Construction