Be an ally during Disability Pride Month

Be an ally during Disability Pride Month

You may not know it, but it’s Disability Pride Month, an opportunity to push back against the stigma that disabled people and the barriers people with physical and non-visible disabilities may face in everyday life.

It’s a great time to highlight issues and spark debate, but just like the IMI Diversity Task Force’s work in this area, it’s a continuous process. It has to be. There isn’t a simple solution to make everything perfect, and we’re all part of the process.

Whether it’s working towards making the sector a more diverse and inclusive workplace in terms of Physical and Non-Visible Disabilities, Race and Ethnicity or Gender and Sexual Orientation, there’s lots we can all do to make positive changes.

Being a strong ally can help counter discrimination.

An ally is someone who wants to make positive changes, is willing to use their position to help make it happen and speaks out when they see something that isn’t right.

There’s a really useful resource produced by Business in the Community that outlines the steps individuals in the workplace can take towards becoming an effective ally. It’s focus is on anti-racism, but the principles can be transferred to every part of the diversity challenge.

It’s incredibly important to be that ally if we want to make automotive more inclusive.

There are plentiful resources for those wanting to find out more about supporting and treating disabled people fairly at work whether you’re an employer, manager, disabled employee or job applicant. ACAS’s Disability at Work is great starting place.

There’s a host of materials on the IMI’s Careers Hub dedicated to disability including disability friendly employers, when to disclose your disability and more general information to help increase your understanding.

It’s a huge task and we’re all part of the change, so if you want your voice heard, the IMI is here. Please get in touch. Call +44 (0)1992 519025, or send an email to hello@theimi.org.uk.

With my very best wishes

Vijayacittā