Participants attending the “Working Towards Inclusion Disability event held in the Guildhall. (Photo – Tom Heaney, nwpresspics)
Derry City Council has hosted a “Working Towards Inclusion’ event targeted at local businesses offering them information and practical advice to ensure inclusion of potential employees with disabilities.
Among the organisations which took part were the Cedar Foundation, Mencap, Liberty Consortium, Foyle Down Syndrome Trust, and ‘Tuned In’.
Deputy Mayor, Alderman Gary Middleton who attended the event, said it provided the “perfect opportunity” for employers and voluntary organisations to learn about opening their workplace to all individuals.
He added: “The event provided much in the way of information regarding the financial and practical advice and support which is available to employers from the many organisations within the City.
“However, for attendees the most successful and poignant section of the event was the personal stories from members of disability groups who had secured employment or volunteering placements and the positive impact it had on not only them as individuals but their employers and other members of the workforce.”
He concluded: “A poignant event with great potential to encourage direct change.”
According to the Labour Force quarterly survey results for January to March 2014 just over a third (38.0%) of disabled persons are in employment compared to 76.4% of non-disabled persons.
Equality Officer with Derry City Council, Kay McIvor said this was a situation that needed to change.
She added: “The partnership approach taken between Derry City Council and disability groups in the City has highlighted that this is not just an issue for those in the Health Care Sector or voluntary sector who represent people with a disability but something that all employers have a role in helping create an environment that promotes equality of opportunity for all in the workplace.”
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