THIS WEEK
Feature Improving accessibility
Access Denied: disabled employees and job seekers reveal their stories
An in-depth report into the publishing industry, and how accessible it is to those with disabilities, shows there is much work to do to make the book trade truly reflective of society
ok Cat Mitchell @catmitchell17 ‘‘T
he industry disables me.” “It simply wasn’t designed for us.”
These quotes, taken from a study conducted earlier this year at the Universit of Derby and involving more than 200 people, epitomise the experiences of disa- bled job-seekers and employees in the UK publishing industry, many of whom describe feeling excluded, judged, misunderstood and unable to be fully open about their needs.
Entering the industry To begin with, the study revealed clear barriers for disabled people entering the industry. Fort-five per cent of disabled job-seekers have not had positive experiences of job hunting in the industry in relation to their disabilit, and during the application process, 35% have experienced prejudice or discrimination. Alongside inaccessible applica- tion processes—including requirements to do timed tasks or proofreading, the use of online forms that can’t be adjusted, a lack of salary transparency and very tight deadlines—strict behav- ioural expectations in interviews were raised as a particular issue. This included having to hold eye-contact, not being able to
22 24th September 2021
“stim” (perform calming, repeti- tive, self-stimulating behaviour) and prioritising candidates that come across as passionate and outgoing.
Some 93.4% of job seekers said they were worried companies wouldn’t employ them due to their disabilit, and applicants therefore sometimes spend their energy “masking”—i.e. hiding their symptoms or traits—rather than concentrating on excel- ling at answering questions. Some participants also felt that interviews were dominated by discussions about their disabilit accommodation needs, rather than their skills for the job, which automatically puts them at a disadvantage. As one interviewee said: “You spend a lot of time reassuring people, and the prob- lem with reassuring people is that you’re not puting your best foot forward and saying, ‘I’m the best candidate’, you’re just saying, ‘I’m capable of being here.’”
Support and career impact Many disabled people felt unable to be open about their disabilit during job application processes or at work, mostly due to fears of discrimination. Some 66.2% of employees did not disclose their disabilit during the job
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