International Day of People with Disabilities
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Published 3 Dec 2020 in Raising Awareness
Today is the annual celebration of people with disabilities known as 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities'. This year the theme is on ‘Not all Disabilities are Visible’ focusing on spreading awareness and understanding of disabilities that are not immediately apparent, such as mental illness, chronic pain or fatigue, sight or hearing impairments, diabetes, brain injuries, neurological disorders, learning differences and cognitive dysfunctions, among others.
"NOT ALL DISABILITIES ARE VISIBLE"
According to the World Report on Disability, 15 per cent of the world’s population, or more than 1 billion people, are living with a disability. Of this number, it’s estimated 450 million are living with a mental or neurological condition— and two-thirds of these people will not seek professional medical help, largely due to stigma, discrimination and neglect.
Another 69 million individuals are estimated to sustain Traumatic Brain Injuries each year worldwide, while one in 160 children are identified as on the autism spectrum.
These are just some examples of the millions of people currently living with a disability that is not immediately apparent, and a reminder of the importance of removing barriers for all people living with a disability, both visible and invisible.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, isolation, disconnect, disrupted routines and diminished services have greatly impacted the lives and mental well-being of people with disabilities right around the world. Spreading awareness of invisible disabilities, as well as these potentially detrimental— and not always immediately apparent— impacts on mental health is crucial as the world continues to fight against the virus.
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Employer.
What does it mean?
Disability Confident is a government scheme that is designed to help the Society recruit and retain disabled people and people with health conditions for their skills and talent. Being a Disability Confident employer could help to discover someone in our business that we just can't do without.
The Society completed a self-assessment that was grouped into two themes.
Theme 1 – Getting the right people for your business
Theme 2 – Keeping and developing your people
During the assessment, we confirmed that we:
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have undertaken and successfully completed the Disability Confident Employer self-assessment
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are taking all of the core actions to be a Disability Confident Employer
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are offering at least one activity to get the right people for your business and at least one activity to keep and develop your people
Wellbeing Passport
The Society now has wellbeing passports that allow Managers to support colleagues with a disability.
The passport has three main functions:
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to support a conversation between a colleague and their line manager about the disability, health condition or gender reassignment and any workplace adjustments that might need to be made
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to act as a record of that conversation and of the adjustments agreed
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to act as a record of any adjustment made for individuals as supportive measures.
The passport will be particularly helpful when a colleague changes line manager, as it will help the new line manager to understand what workplace adjustments the colleague had been receiving previously and avoid the need to begin the process again.
To download the Wellbeing Passport please see below, along with the guidance document:
Wellbeing Passport Guidance Document
Don’t forget there is always support from our HR Advice Line or our retail charity, GroceryAid if you need it: