Disability Standard
Encyclopedia
The Disability Standard is a benchmarking assessment run by Employers' Forum on Disability.
Best described as a management tool for employers, the Disability Standard acts as a statistical study providing us with a snapshot of UK businesses performance on disability
in line with the disability discrimination act
(DDA)
.
All participating organisations receive a rank to demonstrate their commitment to disability confidence. Top scores achieve Platinum followed by Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participants ranks.
(DDA)
.
The original research and development group who took part in this pilot project consisted of:
Abbey
, BT
, BUPA
, Barclays, Centrica
, Cable & Wireless
, HSBC
, Royal Mail
, PricewaterhouseCoopers
and UnumProvident
in the private sector and The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Metropolitan Police Service
, Jobcentre Plus
, Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions in the public sector.
Following the success of the initial trail the Disability Standard was officially launched in 2005 with help from secretary of state
at the time, Alan Johnson
, under the title of Employers' Forum Disability Standard 2005 with 80 UK organisations taking part including the House of Commons.
The benchmark survey ran again in 2007 with 116 participants and additions such as DisabilityStandard.com enabling organisations to browse case studies and submit online. In 2009 - during the recession - 106 organisations participated taking the total number of organisations to have taken part in the Disability Standard since 2005 to over 200.
The Benchmark report for 2009 is available here.
Best described as a management tool for employers, the Disability Standard acts as a statistical study providing us with a snapshot of UK businesses performance on disability
Disability
A disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these.Many people would rather be referred to as a person with a disability instead of handicapped...
in line with the disability discrimination act
Disability discrimination act
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of countries have passed laws aimed at reducing discrimination against people with disabilities. These laws have begun to appear as the notion of civil rights has become more influential globally, and follow other forms of anti-discrimination and...
(DDA)
Disability discrimination act
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of countries have passed laws aimed at reducing discrimination against people with disabilities. These laws have begun to appear as the notion of civil rights has become more influential globally, and follow other forms of anti-discrimination and...
.
All participating organisations receive a rank to demonstrate their commitment to disability confidence. Top scores achieve Platinum followed by Gold, Silver, Bronze and Participants ranks.
History
The UK benchmark on Disability - later to become the Disability Standard - was first devised and piloted in 2004. Built by the Employers' Forum on Disability on the foundation of the 'Diversity Change Model', designed by Dr. Gillian Shapiro as a method for measuring an organisations performance on diversity strands, the benchmark assessment enabled an organisation to assess their organisations performance on disability in relation to the Disability Discrimination ActDisability discrimination act
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of countries have passed laws aimed at reducing discrimination against people with disabilities. These laws have begun to appear as the notion of civil rights has become more influential globally, and follow other forms of anti-discrimination and...
(DDA)
Disability discrimination act
In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, a number of countries have passed laws aimed at reducing discrimination against people with disabilities. These laws have begun to appear as the notion of civil rights has become more influential globally, and follow other forms of anti-discrimination and...
.
The original research and development group who took part in this pilot project consisted of:
Abbey
Abbey National
Abbey National plc was a UK-based bank and former building society, which latterly traded under the Abbey brand name. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of Grupo Santander of Spain in 2004, and was rebranded as Santander in January 2010, forming Santander UK along with the savings business of the...
, BT
BT Group
BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of...
, BUPA
Bupa
Bupa is a large British healthcare organisation, with bases on three continents and more than ten million customers in over 200 countries. It is a private healthcare company, in direct contrast to the UK's National Health Services, which are tax-funded healthcare systems and do not require private...
, Barclays, Centrica
Centrica
Centrica plc is a multinational utility company, based in the United Kingdom but also with interests in North America. Centrica is the largest supplier of gas to domestic customers in the UK, and one of the largest suppliers of electricity, operating under the trading names "Scottish Gas" in...
, Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless
Cable & Wireless Worldwide PLC is a global telecommunications company headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom. Cable & Wireless specialises in providing communication networks and services to large corporates, governments, carrier customers and resellers...
, HSBC
HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in Canary Wharf, London, United Kingdom. it is the world's second-largest banking and financial services group and second-largest public company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine...
, Royal Mail
Royal Mail
Royal Mail is the government-owned postal service in the United Kingdom. Royal Mail Holdings plc owns Royal Mail Group Limited, which in turn operates the brands Royal Mail and Parcelforce Worldwide...
, PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....
and UnumProvident
UnumProvident
Unum is a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based insurance company previously named UnumProvident, which was formed from the merger of two competing insurance companies, Unum of Portland, Maine, and Provident Life and Accident Insurance Company of Chattanooga. It is currently the largest disability...
in the private sector and The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Metropolitan Police Service
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
, Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus
Jobcentre Plus was a government agency for working-age people in Great Britain. The agency was formed when the Employment Service, which operated Jobcentres, merged with the Benefits Agency, which ran social security offices, and was re-named Jobcentre Plus on 1 April 2002...
, Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions in the public sector.
Following the success of the initial trail the Disability Standard was officially launched in 2005 with help from secretary of state
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
at the time, Alan Johnson
Alan Johnson
Alan Arthur Johnson is a British Labour Party politician who served as Home Secretary from June 2009 to May 2010. Before that, he filled a wide variety of cabinet positions in both the Blair and Brown governments, including Health Secretary and Education Secretary. Until 20 January 2011 he was...
, under the title of Employers' Forum Disability Standard 2005 with 80 UK organisations taking part including the House of Commons.
The benchmark survey ran again in 2007 with 116 participants and additions such as DisabilityStandard.com enabling organisations to browse case studies and submit online. In 2009 - during the recession - 106 organisations participated taking the total number of organisations to have taken part in the Disability Standard since 2005 to over 200.
Disability Standard 2005
The findings from the Disability Standard form the base of the Benchmark Report that is published by the Employers' Forum on Disability after each assessment. The Disability Standard Benchmark Report for 2005 is available here.Disability Standard 2007
The Disability Standard Benchmark Report for 2007 is available hereDisability Standard 2009
Over 100 organisations took part in the 2009 Disability Standard. For the first time since the inauguration of the benchmark the Employers' Forum on Disability have published top ten:| Position | Organisation |
|---|---|
| 1. | The British Library |
| BT BT Group BT Group plc is a global telecommunications services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is one of the largest telecommunications services companies in the world and has operations in more than 170 countries. Through its BT Global Services division it is a major supplier of... |
|
| 3. | Motability Operations Motability Motability is a United Kingdom scheme which enables disabled people to obtain a car, powered wheelchair or scooter by using their Government-funded mobility allowances.... |
| 4. | Barclays Plc Barclays plc Barclays PLC is a global banking and financial services company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. As of 2010 it was the world's 10th-largest banking and financial services group and 21st-largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine... |
| 5. | Disability East |
| London Borough of Tower Hamlets London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London borough to the east of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It is in the eastern part of London and covers much of the traditional East End. It also includes much of the redeveloped Docklands region of London, including West India Docks... |
|
| 7. | Microlink PC (UK) MicroLink MicroLink was Estonian IT company, founded in August 1991. In 2005 it was acquired by Eesti Telekom. In 2009, MicroLink sold its software development business along with competencies to Helmes AS. By the end of 2010, the reminder of MicroLink claimed to employ up to 200 people... |
| 8. | Habinteg Housing Association |
| Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust Luton and Dunstable Hospital NHS Trust The Luton and Dunstable Hospital is a medium-size, general hospital run by the National Health Service in Luton, Bedfordshire. Founded in 1937, the hospital is currently an NHS Trust, providing general medical and surgical services, for over 350,000 people in Luton and Dunstable, the south of... |
|
| 10. | Ministry of Defence Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom) The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces.... |
The Benchmark report for 2009 is available here.