Research released by the SRA has highlighted unwillingness amongst legal professionals with a disability to inform their employer of their situation. This, in turn, suggests that firms may not be doing enough to facilitate working conditions that are conducive to working with a disability.
The report finds that 3% of solicitors report as having a disability, a figure that has not significantly changed in 10 years. This compares with 13% of the UK population, demonstrating a significant disparity. This suggests either that individuals are under-reporting due to discomfort over identifying as disabled, or that firms are not doing enough to improve accessibility for employees.
Paul Philip, SRA Chief Executive said: “It is important that people who need legal services have access to a profession that is diverse and inclusive. We know that diverse businesses are better businesses so wanted to find out more about what lies behind the apparent under-declaration of disabilities in the legal workforce. Our new report also looks at what firms can do to promote a much more disability-inclusive working environment, highlighting best practice.”
The full report is available here.