Business Disability Forum

Business Disability Forum Member graphic, with the OPDC logo in a white circle against a blue background.

We look forward to working with our newest Member Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC).

Thank you for joining us on your disability-smart journey!

Find out out more about membership: https://ow.ly/py5J50YoZFE

#NewMember #Welcome #DisabilityInclusion

Customer who uses a wheelchair being handed popcorn across a counter by a sales assistant in a cinema. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

Are you confident in welcoming #DisabledCustomers?

Get practical guidance in our free suite of resources, which covers specific aspects of #CustomerService and specific disabilities and conditions. Free as part of our Disability Essentials range.

https://ow.ly/9wHo50YoCeY

#DisabilityInclusion

Business Disability Forum Member graphic, with the City of London Corporation logo in a white circle against a blue background.

City of London Corporation has just joined our membership.

Welcome! We look forward to helping you reach your goals in disability inclusion.

Find out more about joining us: https://ow.ly/3AUm50YnW3J

#DisabilityInclusion #DisabilitySmart #NewMember #DisabilityCharity

Deaf professional, who wears a hearing aid, gets shown text on a smartphone by a colleague with a less-visible disability. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

#AssistiveTechnology is a driver of innovation, not a niche add‑on.

Find out how to normalise AT as part of mainstream tech in the resource 'What is assistive technology?' in our free Technology Toolkit.

https://ow.ly/apRQ50YlZJa

#BDFTechTaskforce #DisabilityInclusion

Health professional, who has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and uses an electric wheelchair, talking to a patient who sits on a bed in a consultation room. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

It's #EndometriosisActionMonth2026. What do you know about this condition, and how it can affect employees at work?

Read our free factsheet on gynaecological conditions to get general advice on #WorkplaceAdjustments, support and legal duties: https://ow.ly/K1ZZ50YnUOs

#Endometriosis

'Can't find authentic images to represent disability? Join us to access 750 images in our Disability Smart Image Bank'. 3 photos side by side: professional who wears a prosthetic leg looking over documents with her service dog at her feet; engineer with less-visible disabilities, who wears noise cancelling headphones in a workshop; person who wears glasses looking up close at a store directory in an outdoor shopping centre. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo.

Our member organisations enjoy access to the Disability Smart Image Bank, which offers authentic and diverse images of disabled people and disability to use in communications.

Read about our membership benefits: https://ow.ly/swBX50Yes73

#DisabilityRepresentation #DisabiliyInclusion

Professional with Chanarin-Dorfman syndrome, who uses an electric wheelchair, writing in a notebook at a desk with a laptop, coffee cup and bottle next to her. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

#AccessibleTechnology isn’t just the right thing to do: it improves productivity, reduces support costs and unlocks the Purple Pound.

Make the business case with confidence using our free resource 'How #Accessibility benefits your business': https://ow.ly/x97450YcaOR

#BDFTechTaskforce

Business Disability Forum Member graphic, with the Lord's Taverners logo in a white circle against a blue background.

We're very happy to welcome the UK’s leading youth cricket and disability sports charity Lord's Taverners to our membership.

We look forward to working with you on your disability inclusion journey.

Find out more about joining us: https://ow.ly/70Jg50YesYp

Professional with a mental health condition, who wears a waistcoat and tie, talks to a colleague at a shared desk in an open plan office. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

So, you want to improve #DigitalAccessibility in your organisation? Begin by figuring out where you are.

Our free Accessibility Maturity Model (AMM) exists to give you a clear picture of your current position and plan meaningful, sustainable progress: https://ow.ly/kVvP50Y8RpN

#BDFTechTaskforce

Business Disability Forum's Director of Policy and Research Angela Matthews putting questions out to a panel of 3 at the event. All 4 speakers are sitting under a screen that shows their names and the conference graphic.

Last week we were delighted to deliver our first policy-focused conference, kindly hosted by PwC UK. We explored the recent developments in #DisabilityPolicy and what they mean for business.

Read the highlights: https://ow.ly/EySE50YgIm5

#AccessToWork #MilburnReview #KeepBritainWorking

Business Disability Forum Member graphic, with the Great Western Hospitals logo in a white circle against a blue background.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has joined our membership. A very warm welcome, we look forward to support you in achieving your goals in disability inclusion.

Find out more about joining us: https://ow.ly/7GyV50YesWp

#DisabilitySmart #DisabilityInclusion #NewMember

[Video description: Joel, a white man with shoulder-length blonde hair, who has a sight impairment, sits in a chair in a room with white walls. Next to him is a window and a potted plant with big leaves.]

Our colleague Joel shares top tips on how #Retail staff can support #DisabledCustomers.

For more guidance on how to equip shop floor colleagues with greater confidence around disability, purchase our new resources.

50% off until 29 April (discounted for our members): https://ow.ly/ujiM50Yeg3P

Professional with less visible disabilities, who wears a sunflower lanyard, adjusts a heat pad behind her on her office chair. On the desk in front of her are an accessible keyboard, an ergonomic mouse and a wrist brace. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

How much do you know about #ReasonableAdjustments? What is meant by 'reasonable'?

Join us for an in-depth exploration of reasonable adjustments (#WorkplaceAdjustments) and the law of disability in a free webinar on 26 March, 11 am - 12 pm.

Register (webpage): https://ow.ly/Eyna50YcbNj

Professional with less-visible disabilities, who is wearing noise-cancelling headphones, writing notes at a desk. In front of her are a computer screen, an open laptop and different coloured highlighters. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

Test with real people. #UserTesting without disabled people is incomplete testing.

Our free Technology Toolkit includes an Inclusive User Testing Guide to help teams recruit, plan and run meaningful sessions: https://ow.ly/szrb50Y5YAm

#BDFTechTaskforce #A11y #DisabilityInclusion

[Video description: Head-and-shoulders shot of Kylie from Boots, a white woman with short hair, who's speaking from the back of house of a store. Behind her is a notice board against a white wall.]

Our new #DisabilityInclusion resources for #Retail workers come in bite-sized chunks and flexible formats, to accommodate colleagues who often spend the day on the move. 

Available at 50% off until 29 April (preferential prices for our membership).

Find out more: https://ow.ly/bakE50Y8PBn

Professional with less-visible disabilities, who wears a sunflower lanyard and is using highlighters, talks to a colleague during a meeting. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

#DigitalAccessibility isn’t complicated, but it's essential. Too many organisations still rely on ad‑hoc fixes or individual champions, which isn't sustainable in the long run.

Get practical guidance on digital accessibility in our Technology Toolkit, free and open to all: https://ow.ly/LPip50Y4SHo

Business Disability Forum branded card for the webinar, featuring the photo of a professional with less-visible disabilities, who's wearing a sunflower lanyard, working on a computer.

Master the essentials of #Neurodiversity in the workplace with our FREE 'What Works?' webinar on 10 February, 12 - 1 pm.

You will get the tools to understand neurodiversity, talk about it and support neurodivergent employees to thrive at work.

Book your place (webpage): https://ow.ly/BrC850XSTcX

Deaf sales assistant, who wears a hearing aid and a sunflower lanyard, talking to a smiling customer in a supermarket. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' is in the lower right corner of the image.

There are many things you can do to make retail staff more confident with #DisabilityInclusion.

Get our top tips on how to equip shop floor colleagues to support your #DisabledCustomers, drawn from our new set of resources for #Retail Workers.

Read the blog: https://ow.ly/CrzS50Y4MhF

Shopper with spina bifida, who uses a wheelchair, laughs with a friend in the soft furnishings section of a store. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

New #DisabilityInclusion resources for #Retail workers, 50% off until 29 April💡

Guarantee customer satisfaction with our pack designed to give shop floor workers the skills to remove barriers for #DisabledCustomers. (Preferential price for our membership.)

https://ow.ly/Zazt50Y4L0x

Business Disability Forum Disability Smart Impact Awards graphic, with purple and blue stars against a lilac background.

The #DisabilitySmartImpactAwards are now closed for entries.

Thank you to all the organisations who shared their disability inclusion stories.

The finalists will be announced after 6 March, and the winners will be revealed during our award ceremony on 29 April, hosted by HSBC.

Stay tuned! ✨

The deadline to enter the #DisabilitySmartImpactAwards is TOMORROW! Have you finished your entries?

Person of short stature, who has a facial difference, listens to audio sitting next to a colleague. She is wearing headphones while her colleague is holding a phone. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

If you only do one thing in #DigitalAccessibility this year: make sure it’s part of your procurement processes.

Our #BDFTechTaskforce has created free resources and guidance on getting started with inclusive tech #Procurement: https://ow.ly/Rqia50XNf8t

3 previous winners taking a selfie against a screen that reads 'Disability Smart Awards 2023'.

There's still time to enter the #DisabilitySmartImpactAwards: deadline is Wednesday 28 January at 5 pm.

Good luck to all!

How to enter the Awards (including a video on how to write a winning entry): https://ow.ly/NGYW50Y0ww0

FAQs: https://ow.ly/8kGn50Y0wwf

Woman with bright blue glasses and a patterned shirt networks with 2 other guests around a standing table at a corporate event.

A simple way to show commitment to #DisabilityInclusion: #Sponsor our events, resources or research! 🤝

We offer an audience 600+ members, 30k social media followers and 10k newsletter recipients that encompasses the private, public and voluntary sectors.

Find out more: https://ow.ly/l5tJ50XU01K

View of the Houses of Parliament at night.

Speakers announced for our hybrid public policy conference on 12 February:

Keith Roberts, Deputy Director, DWP, and Sarah Minor-Massy, Head of Inclusion, Engagement and Culture, PwC will join us to discuss the current policy landscape.

Members only. Kindly hosted by PwC.

https://ow.ly/uzAS50Y134u

Person with a spinal cord injury, who uses a wheelchair, and her friend, who wears a sunflower lanyard to show she has less-visible disabilities, using a touchscreen kiosk in the lobby of a cinema. Business Disability Forum's 'Changing the image of disability' logo is in the lower right corner of the image.

Do you know how to consult with your disabled customers? Not thinking about the #Accessibility of your digital products and services could be costing you billions of pounds.

Access our free guide on customer consultation methods: https://ow.ly/MvNI50XNefB

#BDFTechTaskforce

DEADLINE EXTENDED for the #DisabilitySmartImpactAwards! ✨ You now have until Wednesday 28 January at 5 pm to submit your entries.

Find out more: https://ow.ly/BW0050XXiwK

[Video description: Our CEO Diane against a neutral background. The Awards' logo is on the upper left corner of the screen.]

[Image description: article preview featuring the photo of a professional, who uses a wheelchair, showing a colleague something on his laptop screen. Headline reads: 'Disability Confident Scheme Set for Major Reform After Employer Scrutiny.']