Why PR must do more to support disability inclusion this Disability Pride Month and beyond

It’s Disability Pride Month this July, and its mission to change the narrative around disability and recognise it as a natural part of human diversity rather than a deficit is more important than ever.  

As well as helping raise awareness around disabilities, start positive conversations and celebrate the differences within the disabled community, Disability Pride Month also highlights the challenges disabled people still face every day to be treated equally. 

Disability is still underrepresented in PR

This is never more visible than in the workplace, not least in the PR industry. There are around 16 million people with a disability in the UK - about 24% of working age adults - yet according to the most recent figures from the PRCA Census, just 5% of PR professionals consider themselves to have a disability. 

Clearly, more needs to be done to recruit more people with disabilities into the industry if PR is to be truly representative of the British population.  

But it often feels that disability comes as an afterthought following gender, sexuality and ethnicity when it comes to improving diversity and inclusivity in PR’s workforce. And that’s if it’s thought about at all. 

Yet according to a recent Accenture report, companies that lead in disability inclusion see 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income and two times more economic profit compared to companies who aren’t.  

I’m disabled myself - I walk with a stick, suffer chronic pain and have partial paralysis in my left leg after a major spinal injury more than 10 years ago - and I have certainly experienced thoughtlessness at work concerning my disability. One of the most humiliating times was when a company-wide sports day was announced as a team-building exercise. When I pointed out I was physically unable to take part in any of the planned events, I was told to go to the pub afterwards and serve drinks to my colleagues instead. 

It might have been unthinking rather than deliberate, but it was still discrimination and made me feel really upset and ‘othered’. Not long after, I left the company. 

Inclusion must go beyond compliance

The Equality Act 2010 might technically make it unlawful to treat disabled people unfairly at work, but whether you’re an agency owner, manager or an early-career PR professional, I can guarantee that unless you’re disabled or a loved one is, you won’t have given much thought about whether your workplace is welcoming to someone with a disability.  

Sure, the equality act mandates that "reasonable adjustments" should be made to remove barriers for disabled employees and says businesses should proactively change practices, policies and physical premises to ensure they are accessible for disabled people. 

Accessibility is about more than physical barriers

But merely fitting a few ramps isn’t enough, not least when disabilities don’t just encompass mobility or physical issues, but can also include mental and learning disabilities and other invisible disabilities.  

Hybrid and flexible hours with more opportunities to work from home are essential for many disabled people. Consider where I live in London - only 34% of London Underground stations have step-free access, and that’s if the lifts are working.  

But think outside the box too. Is the software your company uses accessible for the visually or hearing impaired? Are your recruitment processes accessible? Do you have a  wheelchair-friendly toilet with rails?  

Building a workplace where disabled people can thrive

Even if you fix accessibility issues, is your company culture inclusive and supportive enough to keep disabled people happy and fully engaged once they are recruited, not least when the PR industry is the second-worst for staff retention in the country?  

Maybe consider appointing a disability champion - they wouldn’t allow a company sports day if disabled people can’t take part… 

Disability Pride Month is a chance for people with disabilities to come together and celebrate being themselves, as disability certainly doesn’t mean inability. Isn’t it about time that the PR industry truly celebrated them too?  

Jody Thompson is an award-winning freelance journalist, editor, PR & media consultant, whose bylines have appeared in the likes of The Guardian, Telegraph, Metro, Mail, Mirror, HuffPost and more. 

Further reading

Supporting invisible conditions and disabilities in the PR workplace

Katy Talikowska, CEO of global disability organisation Valuable 500

Does Pride still matter to public relations?