Disability in the workplace, discrimination and Disney casting
This month's disability and accessiblity news
It’s been a busy month, so let’s take this opportunity to look back on some of the biggest news stories to impact the disabled community in October and early November.
You may have heard of the #PurpleLightUp campaign led by PurpleSpace. The global movement aims to celebrate and draw attention to the 365 million disabled workers across the world.
Don’t forget to join in on the movement on 3rd December by tweeting and browsing the #PurpleLightUp hashtag, and find out more about how to get involved over on the PurpleSpace website.
On the topic of disabled people in the workplace, this Buzzfeed article caught my eye earlier in the month. The piece tells the story of 16 people who have experienced discrimination in the workplace because of their disabilities. I think this article is particularly interesting as it covers a wide range of disabilities, including those which are often overlooked like ADHD and PTSD.
Even though this article focuses on US employers, it says a lot about how little businesses are doing to accommodate their disabled employees. In the UK, the unemployment rate for disabled people is nearly double that of those without disabilities (8.4% vs. 4.6%). Many disabled people want to work and are able to work but they struggle to find roles and, most importantly, employers who suit them. It’s illegal in the UK for employers to discriminate based on disability, but 1 in 3 disabled people feel like there’s a lot of disability prejudice. Furthermore, 1 in 3 people sees disabled people as “less productive” than non-disabled people. So, it’s no surprise that disabled people are still experiencing discrimination in the employment process and at work.
Last month, I briefly touched on Disney’s efforts to hire disabled actors, particularly in the Marvel franchise. 5th November saw the release of The Eternals starring “the first deaf superhero” Makkari, played by Lauren Ridloff. Often when you see a disabled actor on the big screen, their disability ends up being the main facet of their personality. When, in reality, disabled people are just like everyone else - they just so happen to have a disability. The Eternals respects this, as Makkari’s character’s deafness is not her ‘superpower’, it’s merely just a part of her personality (see also Isaac in Sex Education, who I mentioned in a previous post.)
That’s all from me this month. Don’t forget to subscribe if you arrived here from social media, and please forward this email to anyone you think would enjoy it!
Cheers,
Dean