If you are experiencing difficulties or discrimination in the workplace, we can provide support and advice.

Our Employment Advocacy programme aims to help you with disability related employment issues. We focus on early action to maintain good relationships, to develop positive communication and to enable people with disabilities to stay in employment. The programme also helps and encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled employees.

What is advocacy?

Advocacy is helping someone to know what choices they have and what the consequences of those choices might be.  It is not making decisions for them.

We cannot provide legal advice, but we will help provide the information you need to make informed choices to self advocate and in some cases we may advocate on your behalf.

Who can use the service?

• You must have a disability.
• The employment issue or query must be directly linked to your disability.
• The employment issue/query must centre on getting into, remaining in, or progressing in work.
• You must live and work in Northern Ireland.

We will prioritise people with significant multiple disabilities and those who do not have other sources of support.

What support is available?

We can provide information and support to disabled employees and their employers in the following ways:

• Telephone/ SMS messages
• Email / post
• Face to face contact with you and your employer

 We can help employers by:

• Awareness raising activities
• Help them target disabled people as employees
• Develop actions to encourage recruitment and retention of employees with disabilities

Resources

• The Purple Workforce: The Impact of Employing Disabled People
  Employing disabled people works. Inclusive recruitment practices can increase your profitability whilst positively impacting on the skill base and culture of your company. The latest Quick Guide is outlines how employing disabled staff can enhance the skill base, culture and profitability of an organisation.
  
  
• Getting into Work: Reasonable Adjustments & Positive Action
  Getting into employment can be difficult for anyone, but for disabled people it can be even more challenging. This guide will help you understand your rights when applying for a job, what is expected from employers and what actions they can positively take to increase the number of disabled people they employ.
  
  
• Telling an Employer about your Disability
  Deciding weather to tell a prospective employer about your disability can be difficult. Some people are happy to discuss their disability, while others feel that they may face discrimination if they tell an employer. This guide covers the law, advantages of and common fears surrounding disclosure of disability, and sources of support.
  
  
• Reasonable Adjustments in the Workplace
  A reasonable adjustment is something that can help prevent, or reduce, any disadvantage being faced by a disabled person. Reasonable adjustments allow people with disabilities equality of opportunity in the workplace. This guide aims to help employees with disabilities think through what sort of changes might help and how to go about asking for them.
  
  
• Hard at Work Report
  Report to highlight the key actions needed to increase equality in employment for disabled people in Northern Ireland.

How do I get more information?

You can contact us at Disability Action on 028 9029 7880 or email [email protected]

For more information on other Advocacy services we provide, please visit our Advocacy section.