Originally published here.
THERE is still much work to be done when it comes to including more disabled people in the workforce.
And the Covid pandemic has seen the jobs gap worsen, with the employment rate for this group now 28 per cent lower than for able-bodied people.
A pay gap persists, too, with the hourly wage for a disabled worker averaging £11.55 compared to £13.45 for others.
Despite the anti-discrimination laws, a fifth of employers admit being less likely to hire candidates with disabilities, due to fears such as the costs of modifying their equipment.
After facing a series of medical conditions in her twenties, fashion technologist Victoria Jenkins quit her job at Victoria Beckham’s firm to launch her own disability line.
And now the entrepreneur behind unhiddenclothing.com is encouraging more disabled people to start their own businesses.
Victoria, 36, from Islington, North London, says: “The biggest challenge has been fighting ‘ableism’.
“People simply don’t realise how many of us there are and how woefully underrepresented we are.
“Creative problem-solving is one of the single biggest things the disabled community are world leaders in.
“We all need to do much more and, ideally, support disabled entrepreneurs, before they even decide to become entrepreneurs, with a guide and grant system.”
She adds: “All we want is a level playing field.”
Today is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a UN-backed initiative that aims to break down barriers and raise employment rates. It is also the first Purple Sock Day, created to raise funds and awareness of disabled entrepreneurs.
This growing start-up sector is fuelled by disabled people turning to self-employment after being locked out of conventional roles.
Despite many disabled-backed businesses harnessing the power of the “Purple Pound” — the £274billion spent annually by disabled people — support is still limited.
To help, social enterprise Parallel Lifestyle has teamed up with sustainable brand Bam Clothing to sell specially designed purple socks. Half the profits from the £5 pairs will go towards a new fund to support and provide grants to disability-owned start-ups and entrepreneurs.
You can read the complete article here.