Disability Confident is a government initiative which aims to enable employers to engage proactively with disabilities and to improve the recruitment and retention of disabled workers for their skills and talent.
The scheme has three levels of commitment, each requiring additional commitment and evidence of action than the preceding level. The official accreditation of Level 3 ‘leader’, the most advanced level, was first achieved in 2020. We then renewed our commitment in 2023.
Our external validator from Historic England assessed our renewal application and shared:
It's amazing all the work you are doing on the disability confident scheme and how inclusive you are as an organisation
Richard Brooks, Director of HR, also reflected on our progress and where we are going next:
We are delighted to have renewed our Disability Confident Leader status for a further three years. Since 2023, we have made significant progress in strengthening our approach to disability inclusion, including enhancing leadership and governance and maintaining a strong focus on staff health and wellbeing. We are clear that there is more to do, particularly in addressing barriers to disclosure and continuing to embed inclusive practice across the University. The forthcoming appointment of a Disability Inclusion Institutional Lead will be central to driving this next phase of our work as we build a more inclusive and accessible community.
For more information about the University's approach to disability and how we support disabled members of staff, please take a look at the following: