Sir Charlie Mayfield joins UK’s leading disability charities and businesses to Keep Britain Working

Sir Charlie Mayfield, who recently published the independent review ‘Keep Britain Working’,  gave a keynote speech at the event which was held at Amazon’s Headquarters in London. 

Sir Charlie outlined his findings and next steps for his review. Delegates then heard first-hand accounts from disabled people about their experience, both positive and negative, of employment with panel discussions addressing the types of adaptations which help drive change.

The summit also featured a presentation from Microsoft and workshops equipping attendees with ideas to crack the disability employment gap. Practical insights were shared on how employers can unlock opportunities and create a working environment which is diverse and accessible for all.    

Matt Stringer, RNIB’s CEO said: “The Keep Britain Working review revealed that disabled people remain locked out of work at twice the rate of non-disabled people. That’s an unacceptable gap of nearly 30 per cent. With nearly one in four of the working-age population classified as disabled and that figure continuing to rise, it’s more urgent than ever to turn this around.   

“Bringing together passionate employers today proved that real change is possible. Hearing from those leading the way shattered misconceptions and offered practical insights for building truly inclusive workplaces. Ultimately, it’s about giving employers the knowledge and skills to unlock opportunities for all.”  

Mark Hodgkinson, Chief Executive at Scope and Co-chair of the Disability Charities Consortium, said: “It’s vital that employers have the tools and the confidence to support disabled people to stay in work and get back into work. The Disability Charities Consortium is delighted to have joined up with employers and Sir Charlie’s team to make this happen.”

Diane Lightfoot, Chief Executive at the Business Disability Forum and, Co-chair of the Disability Charities Consortium, said: “We know that lots of employers want to do more to recruit and retain disabled employees but don’t know where to begin. We’ve set up this breakfast roundtable to provide practical hints and tips to those just starting out and an opportunity to learn from and share what works with their peers.”

The DCC will continue to work with the Government to move forward with a cross-governmental strategy to increase access and take-up of employment programmes focused on disabled people.   

RNIB have specialists who can help organisations implement practices which enables them to become an inclusive employer for anyone with sight loss. 

To find out more, please email the RNIB Employment Team at: [email protected] or visit www.rnib.org.uk/VisiblyBetterEmployer  

For all media queries, please contact Gorki Duhra, RNIB PR Manager, 07732 405825    

The event took place at Amazon’s London Headquarters in Shoreditch.    

The Disability Charities Consortium (DCC) brings together CEOs and policy-leads from nine of the UK’s leading not-for-profit disability organisations. The consortium works to improve how disabled people’s experiences are reflected in UK policy making, by working collaboratively to influence Government.     

The DCC members are:     

Business Disability Forum (BDF)     

Leonard Cheshire    

National Autistic Society    

Mencap    

Mind    

Royal National Society for Deaf people (RNID)     

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB)    

Scope    

Sense    

Business Disability Forum jointly chairs the DCC with Scope