“I’ve been very successful in my career, but I always felt I had to be better than the non-disabled person next to me. And I also had to manage other people’s preconceptions and discomfort about disability. For a long time I thought I was the only disabled person in the organisation” says Mike Smith, until recently a Director at PricewaterhouseCoopers.
People who experience ill-health, injury and disability can face significant barriers in terms of attitudes, policies and the environment in rising up the career ladder. Whether they are managing a mental health condition, facial disfigurement, hearing or sight loss, many people struggle to achieve their potential. Where they can hide a condition, many will keep it secret, certainly at the recruitment stage.

This affects individuals, employers and British society and the economy – when people can’t reach their full potential, we all suffer.

‘Doing Seniority Differently’ is a research project looking at what helps or hinders people with ill-health, injury or disability at work; what is it in terms of their own personal strategies or what organisations offer that allows talented people to get to the top. This could be development schemes, mentoring, peer support, training, flexible working or other, less tangible, aspects of organisational culture.

The research has been launched by Baroness Campbell of Surbiton DBE and Roger Berry MP, co-chairs of the All-Party Parliamentary Disability Group.

Liz Sayce, Chief Executive of RADAR, said: “This is currently an unresearched issue. Disabled people have talent, ambition and potential, which all too often goes to waste. They lack senior disabled role models who have succeeded in their chosen professions. This project will bring together the experiences of disabled leaders and managers to ensure that others can follow them up the career ladder.”

“In this project we really hope to reach all sorts of people who don’t necessarily identify as disabled (even though, technically speaking, they might qualify as such under the Disability Discrimination Act). These people will also have valuable contributions to the research.”

 o find our more visit the RADAR website or complete the ‘Doing Seniority Differently’ questionnaire, by 15^th July, to outline your experience.