An ally is someone who is not a member of an underrepresented group but who takes action to support that group to help make their workplace more diverse and inclusive for all.
For workplaces to become truly inclusive it is up to people who hold positions of privilege to be active allies and to take responsibility for making changes that will help others be successful.
Allies at all levels can take action with simple, everyday efforts that make a real difference and in this series, we highlight some things that you can do to be an ally and to support your colleagues from underrepresented groups.
#49: Be a Disability Ally
This month is UK Disability History Month, (UKDHM) so we wanted to remind you about the importance of being a disability ally and being an ally to your disabled colleagues (and clients). Most of our “How to be an Ally” series will apply to but we also wanted to highlight the importance of the following:
- Start by educating your staff about disability, ableism, microaggressions and implicit biases. The first step towards being an effective ally is to be educated about the basics of disability, including types of disabilities and the laws and policies regarding disability. UKDHM is a perfect opportunity to raise awareness and educate staff about disabilities. However, disability is not just about UKDHM and you should raise awareness all year round.
- Invite disabled people to the discussion table and include them in pilot schemes, surveys, roundtables and other decision-making processes. Engaging in both formal and informal conversations with people with various types of disabilities is key to understanding lived experiences of disabled people and to ensuring that the workplace is accessible to them.
- Engage with the disabled community and the the resources out there to make your workplace is disability inclusive.
Further Reading:
- Law Society: Easy wins and action points for disability inclusion
- Law Society: Reasonable adjustments – best practice guidance
Read the full “How to be an Ally” series here.
