Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou was on hand to lend support to a government initiative to get more disabled people back into work. Speaking at a conference last week – “disability confident” – Sir Stelios reminded delegates that 100,000 disabled entrepreneurs already employed an equivalent number of people in their business start-ups. “This shows the extraordinary strength of the entrepreneurial spirit amongst our disabled friends and neighbours,” he said.
The conference, co-hosted by the Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey and the BBC’s Security Correspondent Frank Gardner, marked the start of a two year campaign, which aims to help tackle the preconceptions some employers may have about hiring disabled people. Around 300 employers, including FTSE 100 companies, small businesses and disabled entrepreneurs were also in attendance – the first government conference of its kind – to improve employment outcomes for disabled people. It was held as recently-published research shows that more disabled jobseekers cite employers’ attitudes (42%) as a barrier to work than transport difficulties (37%).
There are 6.9 million disabled people of working age in Great Britain, and the employment rate for disabled people has increased gradually over the years from 42.2% in 2002 to 46.3% in 2012. Sir Stelios wants to encourage more disabled entrepreneurs to recruit in order to make a significant change to the employment background for disabled people. His Stelios Philanthropic Foundation (in conjunction with Leonard Cheshire Disability) already encourages budding disabled business men and women by offering a £50000 cash prize for the best run start-up business. Last year’s winners Dave Hawkins and Stuart Dunne, joint founders of Cyclone Technologies, were also present to show how the prize had allowed their business to expand its range of mobility aids for paraplegics with the addition of walking suits and high-spec wheelchairs.
Plans for a new service for employers specifically for helping disabled people into work – and which make it easier for businesses to hire and keep disabled people in work – were also on the conference agenda, which had a heavy-weight backing from government ministers including Prime Minister David Cameron, Business Secretary Vince Cable and Work & Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith.