Today, three percent of solicitors declare they have a disability, a figure virtually unchanged in the last ten years. This compares to thirteen percent of the workforce in the UK and, using the Equality Act (2010) definition, an estimated nineteen percent of the working age population is disabled.
This suggests many disabled solicitors are not declaring their disability, so are potentially missing out on support and adjustments which could and should be available to them – a situation which potentially has a detrimental effect on the individual, the firms they work for and ultimately the clients they serve.
The SRA wanted to find out more about what lies behind this apparent under-declaration and more importantly, using good practice examples, highlight what firms could do to address this issue for the benefit of all involved.
This research sets out disability inclusive measures that law firms can put in place for employees, clients and others they deal with in the course of their work.
Read the report here.
