EFD welcomes launch of DWP's 'Employ ability' campaign
5th September 2007
Employers' Forum on Disability (EFD) welcomes the launch of the Department for Work and Pensions'(DWP) 'Employ ability' campaign, in the north of England today.
'Employ ability' aims to challenge views on disabled people in the workplace. There will be advertsin newspapers, on poster sites, in buses and taxis, and on telephone boxes in Leeds, Bradford,Manchester and Liverpool.
The campaign's aim is to give out the message that a disabled person applying for a job is just aslikely to be the right person for the role as a non-disabled candidate.
EFD chief executive Susan Scott-Parker said: “We are pleased to support this DWP awarenesscampaign.
“Research shows that twenty per cent of the population believe that disabled people cannot beas effective at work as their non-disabled colleagues.
“In fact, many disabled people are skilled, capable and productive and bring unique insights tothe workplace.
“EFD members believe that it is unacceptable to exclude people from work simply because theyhave a disability.
“Employers who concentrate on candidates' abilities, rather than their disability or healthcondition, increase their available talent pool and benefit from improved recruitment practices. It hasalso been shown that they develop more innovative and sustainable work practices foreverybody.”
More information on the campaign can be found at www.dwp.gov.uk/employability
Ends
Notes to editors
Media enquiries, please contact:
Liz Nightingale, Communications Manager
Employers' Forum on Disability
Email: liz.nightingale@efd.org.uk
Telephone: 020 7403 3020
About Employers' Forum on Disability
Employers' Forum on Disability is the employers' organisation focused on disability as it affects employers and service providers. With over 400 members, EFD represents organisations that employ around 20 per cent of the UK workforce.Since its establishment in 1991, EFD has worked closely with government and other stakeholders, sharing best practice to make it easier to employ disabled people and serve disabled customers.