Employ and support people with disabilities

There are several organisations that offer specialised help to employers who employ people with disabilities. We have outlined some of the support services these organisations offer employers and how you can access these services.

Employers for Disability Northern Ireland

Employers for Disability NI (EFDNI) promotes disability positive practices by supporting employers and disabled people. They offer a number of support services to employers, including:

Training and awareness

Training and awareness sessions from EFDNI are available to any organisation, regardless of size. Member organisations can avail of their free training hours, with additional hours at a discounted member rate. The content and duration of each session is tailored depending on the organisation’s needs, and can be delivered online or in-person.

Popular training and awareness sessions include topics such as:

• mental health
• neurodiversity
• hidden or non-visible disabilities
• physical disabilities
• learning disabilities
• recruiting disabled people
• hearing and sight loss

Disability Positive Accreditation

EFDNI can provide Disability Positive Accreditation, which recognises local employers who put their commitment to the employment of disabled people into practice. The three As – audit, action and accreditation are the key steps involved. Those who complete these steps successfully will be recognised as a Disability Positive Employer with AAA status.

Information and support

Employers for Disability NI provides free, confidential support to disabled employees, their employers and managers. Their helpline offers information, signposting and emotional support. Their resolution service helps disabled employees and managers to identify adjustments and resolve any work-related challenges.

Wellbeing service

Employers for Disability NI provides mind and body therapy. This includes cognitive behavioural therapy, sleep awareness, stress management and therapeutic massage.

Read about the support services available from Employers for Disability NI.

Disability Action

Disability Action provides advice and support for employers considering employing somebody with a disability or needs advice to support an existing disabled employee.

Read about the support available for employers from Disability Action.

NOW Group

NOW Group provides a diverse range of solutions to businesses, such as recruitment assistance and supported employment. They also offer businesses inclusion and disability awareness training.

NOW Group works with employers to find staff for your organisation. Also, their supported employment service can work with you to support existing employees with a learning difficulty or disability. They work in partnership with your HR and management team to ensure that your employee remains in work and happy in their role.

Read about the business support services from the NOW Group. 

Stepping Stones

Stepping Stones works with employers to support inclusive, socially responsible hiring while helping them build stronger, more diverse teams. They work with employers to advise on specific issues or difficulties that an applicant may have and support employers to make reasonable adjustments to create a supportive working environment.

Employer partnerships

Stepping Stones provides a full package of support to their employer partners to help with socially responsible recruitment strategies that include:

• bespoke recruitment academies with job-ready training provided by their team
• six months of support on the job for employees and line managers
• inclusion and diversity training for hiring managers and team leads

Find out how to become a Stepping Stones employer partner.

Cedar Foundation

The Cedar Foundation delivers a range of services to support people with disabilities, autism and brain injury to live and work. The Cedar Foundation engages with businesses to explore how they can work together to develop opportunities for their participants and benefit their organisations.

The Cedar Foundation offers employers support with:

• promoting diversity and inclusion
• making reasonable adjustments and improving staff retention
• disability equality training for staff
• helping your employees with disabilities and health conditions

Read more about the help for employers from the Cedar Foundation.

Orchardville

Orchardville supports people with learning disability or autism to live, learn and work. They help promote inclusive employment with access to support, advice and opportunities to engage people with learning disabilities or autism in work experiences. Businesses can access free training on learning disability and autism and become employer champions.

Read more about the support for employers from Orchardville.

Association for Real Change Northern Ireland (ARC NI)

ARC NI works alongside people and organisations to help communities to respect, listen to and include people with a learning disability, autism and other support needs. They offer employers in the health and social care sector training and consultancy services.

Training

ARC NI runs several training courses on a range of topics, including:

• supporting people with a learning disability
• managing stress
• managing challenging behaviour
• mental health
• autism awareness

Consultancy

ARC NI’s health and social care consultants offer confidential advice and practical ways to help organisations, employers and managers. Their consultancy service offers workforce development reviews, policy reviews, and service reviews.

Read about the services available from ARC NI.

Action Mental Health

Action Mental Health delivers mental wellbeing training and consultancy focused on workplace mental health in Northern Ireland. These services are designed to support employers to promote wellbeing, and may help reduce staff absence and turnover.

Training programmes

Action Mental Health offers a number of training programmes, including:

• mental health awareness
• mental health first aid
• mindful manager
• compassionate conversations
• applied suicide intervention skills

Read more about the workplace support from Action Mental Health.

Mencap

Mencap can work with employers to provide opportunities for people with a learning disability and autism. Their support can include in-work assistance from caseworkers and skills coaches to help individuals understand and carry out workplace tasks.

Mencap can also work with employers and teams to identify and implement any reasonable adjustments that may be required, and to build confidence in supporting the individual in the workplace. Employers offering work experience may also have access to disability awareness training.

In addition, Mencap provides a range of resources for employers on how they can support people with a learning disability to access, stay in, and progress in work.

Read about the support for employers from Mencap.

Adapt NI

Adapt NI can help if you are recruiting or employing someone who is deaf, has hearing loss or tinnitus. They can help you with:

• recruitment advice and guidance
• advice and guidance to aid with deaf awareness
• support with reasonable adjustments in the workplace
• workplace deaf awareness and basic sign language training

Read more about the employer support from Adapt NI.

Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) NI

RNIB is a UK sight loss charity that offers practical and emotional support to blind and partially sighted people, as well as their families and carers. Its employment team in Northern Ireland provides specialist support and advice to help people with sight loss to find or remain in work.

RNIB’s business services

RNIB can help your business by offering the following services:

• document transcription
• digital accessibility services for web and mobile devices
• design and adapt products for a wider audience
• improve accessibility in your commercial premises
• upskill employees with training to support people with sight loss

Read more about RNIB’s business services.

Understanding sight loss e-learning for employers

RNIB NI offers a free e-learning course for employers and staff about working with blind or partially sighted colleagues. The course covers the impact of sight loss, workplace responsibilities, inclusive recruitment, accessibility and the use of assistive technology.

Read more about the understanding sight loss for employers e-learning course.