How workplaces are excluding disabled workers

The Equality Act is intended to protect disabled people from being disadvantaged at work. Yet many of the disabled people we support continue to face significant barriers because employers are failing to comply with the law. In 2025 alone, we helped 5,393 people with health-related employment discrimination. On average, this means our advisers are supporting someone with this issue every 1.5 hours.

Our latest report lays bare the reality of today’s labour market for many disabled people — one where access to work remains restricted and exclusion is widespread.

Barriers when applying for jobs

We regularly support people who believe they have been refused job offers after disclosing a disability. However, proving this discrimination is often extremely difficult. Employers may give an alternative explanation for rejecting a candidate, or no explanation at all, even when the individual strongly feels that their disability was the underlying reason.

“They had a preference for someone else. I wasn’t sure whether there was a genuine thing there or whether there was a sort of an unconscious bias. They did say in the telephone conversation when they called me back, that they know I’ve had a career break. So that just unconsciously knocks me back a couple of points.”
— Citizens Advice client

Barriers to getting reasonable adjustments

Securing employment does not mean the challenges end. Under the Equality Act, disabled people have the right to request reasonable adjustments — changes that remove or reduce disadvantage related to a disability. Despite this, many disabled workers fear negative treatment if they ask for adjustments.

One client with mobility issues resulting from polio worried he might lose his job if he requested regular breaks to avoid standing for long periods. Alongside these fears, many disabled workers face employers who are unwilling to put reasonable adjustments in place at all. Employers’ failure to make reasonable adjustments remains one of the most common health-related employment discrimination issues we advise on.

Persistently poor attitudes towards disability

Stigmatising, misguided, and offensive attitudes about disability are still widespread in the workplace. We’ve supported people whose employers have restricted their duties or working hours because of their disability. In some cases, disabled workers have been unfairly dismissed — often due to incorrect assumptions about their capabilities rather than any evidence of underperformance.

We also help disabled people who experience harassment at work because of their disability. Sometimes this harassment comes directly from employers; in other cases, employers are aware it is happening but fail to take action.

Difficulties enforcing rights

When discrimination occurs, many disabled people struggle to resolve the situation. Attempts to address issues directly with employers, or through conciliation with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, often fail. As a result, taking a case to an employment tribunal becomes the only remaining option.

However, the tribunal process presents serious barriers. It is complex, time-limited, and can be costly. Many disabled people lack access to advice and support, and fear the impact legal action could have on future employment. As a result, many choose not to proceed, leaving discrimination unresolved and, in some cases, forcing disabled people out of work altogether.

Meaningful action is needed

Too many disabled people continue to be excluded from work because workplaces and policies fall short of what the law requires.

While government efforts have largely focused on improving employment support to help disabled people into work, this alone is not enough. Without meaningful action to make workplaces genuinely accessible and inclusive, there will simply not be enough suitable jobs for disabled people to move into — regardless of the support offered.