Disabled FE Staff Face Discrimination

There has been a systemic failure to take disabled staff working in lifelong learning seriously, which has led to widespread institutional discrimination. That is the headline finding of the NIACE-led Commission for Disabled Staff in Lifelong Learning in its final report to be published today, Wednesday 5th March 2008.

The report – From Compliance to Culture Change – illustrates how many disabled staff members are reluctant to disclose impairments because they fear discrimination. 20 per cent of the adult population have a disability, however the disclosure rate among staff in lifelong learning is only 4 per cent.

The Commission was struck by the ‘fatalism’ of many disabled staff about promotion and career progression. There is a culture of low aspiration among disabled staff, exacerbated by a systematic failure to address their requirements and a lack of consistency in employment practice. Few organisations employ disabled people in senior or strategic positions. This leads to a waste of talent and untapped potential and a lack of role models throughout lifelong learning.

The Commission recognises how well institutions have responded to student needs which makes the treatment of staff all the more striking.

However the Commission did encounter evidence of good practice and of ‘reasonable adjustments’ in recruitment, induction, employment and promotion practices. Practical support for disabled staff would include funding ‘reasonable adjustments’ from a central budget and trained disability equality officers or staff with a responsibility for disability equality.

Above all, the Commission found a lack of consistency in the lifelong learning sector – in terms of recruitment, induction, employment and promotion of disabled staff – that amounts to institutional discrimination.

The first recommendation of the Commission is that a disability equality implementation group should be convened and serviced by Lifelong Learning UK (LLUK) to ensure disabled staff are treated as fairly as students in lifelong learning.

Leisha Fullick, from the Institute of Education and Chair of the Commission, said:

“There is a clear problem about the under-representation of disabled staff in lifelong learning. And we saw little evidence of organisations adopting a strategic approach to current and future disabled staff. At the very least this represents a huge loss of potential and is not a sound business approach. It is also an indication that, 10 years on, the legislation designed to reduce discrimination against disabled people in the workplace is not having a sufficient impact on employment practice in lifelong learning. This is in marked contrast to the very evident and positive changes that have taken place for learners and students in the sector over the same period.”

Peter Lavender, Deputy Director of NIACE, said:

“We’ve not done well by disabled staff in lifelong learning. We found a confused picture: reluctance to disclose disability, hesitant management support and little real disability equality. This report helps unpick the problem and suggests ways to change the picture to improve disability equality.”