Employer Toolkit Actions and Sources of Support

How to use these resources

This set of resources can be used to support identification of actions against each of the toolkit themes where lower scores may have been achieved.

In some cases the content of the questions within each theme itself provided a clear indication of potential action that would be required. For example, in Theme 1 if no reasonable adjustments policy is in place within the organisation this should prompt action to design and implement such a policy.

The potential actions listed below expand from this and provide a starting point through recommendations of ways to support disability-inclusive organisational policy and practice, and suggested further sources of support that can be sought to assist achievement of identified actions.

If you would like support in interpreting the toolkit results and identifying actions please contact the AI-empowered project team via the Contact Us section of this website, or via the Project Lead Professor Daniel Wheatley at d.wheatley@bham.ac.uk.

Theme 1 Actions

Organisational capabilities to support disabled workers

Ensure representation from staff networks and employee representation groups, where these are present, on relevant senior decision-making committees and governance groups. Where established networks or groups do not exist, actively invite and enable direct representation from disabled workers and other relevant employees, ensuring their lived experience and perspectives are considered when decisions, policies and organisational priorities are developed.
Establish an advisory group that includes disabled workers and provides a structured, accessible mechanism for consultation and meaningful input into organisational decision-making. Engage the group early enough for its views to influence proposals, rather than only seeking feedback on decisions already made, and establish clear routes for recommendations to reach senior leaders. Where appropriate, complement internal expertise by seeking advice, challenge or practical support from Disabled People’s Organisations (see further sources of support below for potential organisations that could be consulted).
Sign up to the Disability Confident scheme as a minimum commitment and work towards achieving Level 2 (Disability Confident Employer) or Level 3 (Disability Confident Leader), as appropriate to the organisation’s maturity and ambitions. Use participation in the scheme to support continuous improvement in the recruitment, retention, development and progression of disabled people, rather than treating accreditation as a standalone objective. Detail on how to join the scheme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign.
Develop clear guidance on reasonable adjustments within recruitment and establish a range of accessible adjustments that can be offered ‘as standard’, reducing the need for candidates to make individual requests wherever possible. This could include, for example, providing interview questions or information about the assessment process in advance, offering flexibility in interview formats and timings, and ensuring candidates are routinely informed about how to request any additional adjustments they require.
Provide multiple, clearly communicated opportunities for candidates and new starters to shared details of disability or health condition during recruitment and onboarding, recognising that individuals may not feel comfortable or see a need to disclose at the first opportunity. Clearly explain why information is being requested, how it will be used and protected, who will have access to it, and provide appropriate assurances about confidentiality and the handling of sensitive personal data.
Assign clear responsibility to an appropriate role or team for providing information and practical support relating to relevant Government employment support schemes, including helping employees and managers understand how available support can be accessed. Ensure that named points of contact, routes for seeking assistance and relevant guidance are communicated clearly and consistently to employees and managers, and that this information is easy to locate when support is needed.
Review existing recruitment and onboarding processes and implement proportionate monitoring to understand the experiences and outcomes of disabled candidates and new starters, identifying potential barriers or areas for improvement. Gather feedback at appropriate stages, for example through designing and implementing accessible candidate and new-starter surveys, and regularly review the findings alongside relevant recruitment data to identify themes, assess the effectiveness of adjustments and inform continuous improvements to recruitment and onboarding practices.
Review the organisation’s reasonable adjustment policy and associated processes, with particular focus on areas identified as lower scoring through assessment, employee feedback or monitoring. Identify and address barriers such as unclear responsibilities, inconsistent decision-making, delays in implementing adjustments or difficulties accessing support, and ensure that policies and processes provide employees and managers with clear, practical guidance on requesting, agreeing, implementing and reviewing reasonable adjustments. If no processes are in place explore opportunities to develop defined policy and processes. Guidance can be sought, for example, from Acas: https://www.acas.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments.
Implement a reasonable adjustments passport scheme that provides a live, accessible record of adjustments agreed between a disabled worker and their employer, helping to reduce the need for employees to repeatedly explain their circumstances or renegotiate established adjustments. Ensure the passport can support continuity when an employee changes role, team or function, or when a new line manager comes into post, with appropriate arrangements for periodically reviewing and updating adjustments as an individual’s role, working environment or needs change. Trade Union Congress provide details on reasonable adjustments passports here: https://www.tuc.org.uk/disability-passports-what-reasonable-adjustments-passport.
Seek appropriate external support and specialist expertise to review and strengthen the organisation’s approach to reasonable adjustments, particularly where internal knowledge or capacity is limited or more complex barriers have been identified. Draw on relevant external organisations, including Disabled People’s Organisations and other specialist sources of advice, to help identify good practice, improve policies and processes, build organisational capability and ensure that the experiences and perspectives of disabled people inform improvements (see sources of support below).
Develop or review existing in-house learning, leadership and career development programmes, or source appropriate external provision, to ensure that tailored components are available to support the development and progression of disabled workers. Consider whether programmes adequately address barriers that disabled employees may experience in accessing development opportunities and ensure that appropriate adjustments, flexibility and targeted support are available so that disabled workers can participate fully and benefit equitably from development activities.
Co-design development programmes with disabled workers, involving employees with a range of lived experiences in the design, review and evaluation of learning and career development opportunities. Use their feedback to identify and remove potential accessibility barriers in areas such as programme content, delivery methods, learning materials, technology, venues and assessment approaches, ensuring accessibility is considered from the outset rather than relying solely on individuals requesting adjustments once programmes have commenced.
Trial mentoring, peer support and/or buddy schemes within the organisation to provide disabled employees with additional opportunities for career development, knowledge-sharing, networking and workplace support. Engage disabled workers in shaping the purpose, structure and accessibility of these schemes, and seek feedback from participants on the type and level of support they find most valuable. The suitability of the different schemes may also vary dependent on the size of the organisation. In smaller organisations closer relationships may already exist and building these into more formally recognised schemes may be effective. Use learning from initial pilots to refine the approach, address identified barriers and determine whether schemes should be expanded or embedded more widely across the organisation.
Collect and analyse disability pay gap data to identify potential differences in pay and, where possible, understand the factors that may contribute to them across different roles, grades or levels of seniority. Review findings alongside relevant workforce information to identify patterns or potential inequalities and use the evidence to inform appropriate actions on recruitment, retention, development and progression. Recognise that meaningful analysis may depend on sufficient levels of disability declaration, and therefore consider complementary actions to build employee confidence in declaring disability and clearly communicate how information will be kept confidential and used to support organisational improvement.

Theme 2 Actions

Organisational capabilities for inclusive AI

Review organisational governance structures to define or refine clear responsibilities, accountability and reporting lines for the adoption and use of technology, including AI, and its relationship with workplace inclusivity. Ensure appropriate ownership is established for assessing opportunities, risks and workforce impacts, with clear mechanisms for escalating issues and incorporating employee perspectives into decision-making. In medium and larger organisations, consider how responsibilities are shared across relevant functions, such as HR, IT, digital, equality and inclusion, and operational leadership, to support a coordinated approach to accessible and inclusive technology adoption.
Provide appropriate training and development for the senior leadership team to establish a consistent baseline of AI literacy across all leadership roles, including an understanding of AI capabilities, limitations, opportunities, risks and potential workforce implications. Nominate one or more senior leadership team members with responsibility for developing more advanced AI knowledge and providing visible leadership on its responsible adoption, supported by suitable in-house or externally sourced training and expertise. In large organisations there may be need for multiple of these roles aligned with key functions. In smaller organisations there should be an attempt to ensure a minimum of two people hold such expertise to minimise risk. Ensure leadership capability is kept under review as technologies, organisational use cases and associated risks continue to evolve.
Develop a clear organisational AI strategy or establish specific AI-related strategic objectives within the broader organisational strategy, setting out how AI will support organisational priorities, workforce outcomes and service or operational improvements. Include principles and objectives relating to responsible and inclusive adoption, accessibility, employee engagement, skills and capability development, governance and management of potential risks. Establish appropriate measures and review arrangements so that progress, impact and emerging priorities can be monitored and the organisation’s approach adapted over time.
Undertake a strategic review of job roles, functions and workforce activities, involving consultation with disabled workers and other relevant employee groups, to understand where and how AI could affect the organisation and its workforce and opportunities for embedding inclusive design principles into job roles. Depending on the organisation’s size, structure, resources and readiness, the review could be undertaken across the whole organisation at once or through a staged approach, focusing initially on priority roles, functions or areas before extending the review more widely. Assess potential applications against three broad categories of adoption: (1) AI-integration, where AI tools are incorporated into existing ways of working; (2) AI-augmentation, where AI supports or enhances employees’ capabilities and productivity; and (3) AI-automation, where some or all tasks may be undertaken by technology. Use the review to identify opportunities to improve accessibility, job quality and productivity, alongside potential risks, skills requirements and impacts on roles, responsibilities and employment.
Build social value considerations into organisational strategy and strategic decision-making on AI, automation and other emerging technologies, ensuring that investment decisions take account of their potential impact on employees and wider workforce inclusion. Give specific consideration to how technological investment could support disabled workers, for example by improving accessibility, removing workplace barriers or creating new employment opportunities, while also assessing the potential implications of automation for job security, job quality, skills and progression. Use these considerations to help ensure that technology investment delivers sustainable organisational benefits alongside positive and inclusive workforce outcomes.
Work with existing employee representation groups, staff networks and/or recognised trade union structures, where present, to establish meaningful employee involvement in organisational decision-making on AI and its workplace implications. Where appropriate representation mechanisms do not exist, establish an advisory or consultation group that includes disabled workers and reflects a range of roles and employee experiences. Engage representatives sufficiently early in the development, procurement and implementation of AI initiatives to enable their perspectives to influence decisions, identify potential accessibility or inclusion barriers and contribute to the design of appropriate safeguards and support.
Seek appropriate external expertise and independent perspectives to strengthen organisational decision-making on the adoption and workforce implications of AI, particularly where specialist knowledge or internal capability is limited. Engage relevant organisations such as Disabled People’s Organisations, professional bodies, trade unions and membership organisations to understand emerging good practice, accessibility considerations, employee concerns and potential opportunities or risks associated with AI adoption. Use this external insight alongside employee consultation and internal evidence to inform strategy, governance, technology investment and implementation decisions (see further sources of support below).
Design and implement a proportionate process for screening AI systems before procurement, development or deployment, and for periodically reviewing them throughout their use, to ensure they continue to meet organisational requirements for responsible and inclusive AI. Assess systems against clear criteria covering accessibility and inclusive design; transparency about how AI is being used and how outputs are produced; appropriate traceability and verification of information and sources; potential risks of bias, discrimination or other adverse impacts on disabled workers and other employee groups; and wider ethical considerations. Ensure appropriate assessment of compliance with UK GDPR and other relevant data protection requirements where personal data is processed, with clear responsibilities for documenting findings, escalating concerns and taking remedial action where risks or shortcomings are identified. Review systems at appropriate intervals and following significant changes to the technology, its use or the context in which it operates, recognising that risks and impacts may change over time. Details of UK GDPR requirements and guidance can be found here: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/.

Theme 3 Actions

Digital technology and AI skills, training and usage

Develop an ‘assistive technology menu’ and accompanying guidance for disabled workers, setting out the range of assistive technologies, accessibility tools and workplace solutions available within the organisation. The menu should provide practical information on what each solution can support, how employees can access or request it, any assessment or approval processes involved, and where to obtain technical support or further advice. Ensure the menu and guidance are accessible, easy to navigate, regularly reviewed and actively promoted so that disabled workers and managers are aware of the support available. Where additional support is needed, e.g., where organisational expertise is limited on assistive technologies, organisations should assign responsibility to a nominated role to work with external sources of support including Disabled People’s Organisations, to access details on assistive technologies (see sources of support table).
Assign clear organisational responsibility and support structures for Government employment support programmes and schemes, including Access to Work, ensuring there is appropriate internal expertise to help disabled workers and managers understand, access and navigate relevant support. Define the responsibilities of key teams and named points of contact, including who can provide advice, support applications, coordinate with external bodies and resolve issues or delays. Communicate these routes clearly and consistently to employees and managers through accessible internal channels, and periodically review arrangements to ensure information, contacts and guidance remain current and effective. Details and guidance on Access to Work including application processes and eligibility can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work.
Provide AI literacy training to all employees, ensuring colleagues have a suitable baseline understanding of AI, its potential workplace applications, limitations and responsible use. Training should be appropriate to different roles and levels of digital confidence, and should include practical guidance on using AI tools effectively, safely and inclusively. Delivery can draw on the UK Government’s AI Skills Boost (https://aiskillshub.org.uk/), existing in-house learning and development capability, or suitable external training providers. Consider ongoing or refresher learning as AI technologies and organisational practices continue to develop, and ensure continued input from disabled staff into the review and/or development of AI training to maintain accessibility and effective outcomes.
Co-design AI training programmes with disabled employees to ensure accessibility and inclusion, involving colleagues with a range of disabilities and access requirements in the design, testing and evaluation of learning materials and delivery methods. Where externally developed training is used, establish an accessibility review process to identify and address potential barriers before wider rollout. Ensure reasonable adjustments and alternative formats are readily available, and use participant feedback to continually improve provision. Where additional expertise is required, draw on specialist accessibility organisations such as AbilityNet (https://abilitynet.org.uk/) to support the development or review of inclusive training approaches.
Design monitoring actions and mechanisms into the implementation and ongoing governance of AI systems and tools across the organisation, enabling appropriate oversight of how, where and by whom AI is being used. Establish proportionate processes for monitoring patterns of adoption, identifying emerging risks or unintended consequences, and assessing whether AI systems are being used consistently with organisational policies and expectations. Where appropriate, monitoring should consider differences in experiences and outcomes across employee groups, including disabled workers, while ensuring that approaches are transparent, proportionate and consistent with privacy and data protection requirements. Use findings to inform governance, training, accessibility improvements and future decisions about AI deployment. In smaller organisations, it may be suitable to engage in more frequent conversations on the accessibility, use levels and impacts of AI use within existing meeting and feedback structures.
Collect regular feedback from employees on their experiences of using, or being affected by, AI in the workplace, using a combination of staff surveys, focus groups, listening events, employee networks and other established forums. Feedback mechanisms should capture how AI is being used in practice, its perceived benefits and challenges, accessibility or inclusion barriers, and any positive or adverse impacts on different employee groups. Ensure disabled employees and other potentially affected groups have accessible and meaningful opportunities to contribute, and establish mechanisms for analysing, reporting and acting on findings so that employee experiences inform the organisation’s ongoing approach to AI implementation and governance.

Theme 4 Actions

Organisational culture and practices supporting disability-inclusive AI

Co-design line manager disability inclusion training with disabled employees, ensuring that lived experience informs the content, format and delivery of learning and that training addresses the practical situations managers are likely to encounter. Training should build managers’ confidence and capability in creating inclusive working environments, responding appropriately to individual needs, facilitating workplace adjustments, and supporting disabled employees throughout the employee lifecycle. Where appropriate, involve external expertise from professional bodies, trade unions, disabled people’s organisations and membership organisations to review, strengthen or supplement internal provision.
Review existing processes and, where necessary, design and implement alternative reporting pathways for employees to provide feedback, raise concerns or make complaints, recognising that established line management or formal reporting routes may not be appropriate or accessible in every circumstance. Provide multiple, accessible routes through which employees can raise issues safely and confidentially, with clear responsibilities for receiving, escalating and responding to concerns. Periodically review these mechanisms, including through employee feedback, to assess their accessibility, effectiveness and levels of employee confidence in using them. In smaller, and especially micro, organisations aim to offer at least two different points of contact, or in practical absence of such opportunities indirect methods such as suggestion boxes, to ensure opportunities for employees to feedback.
Put in place a clear and accessible communications plan to increase awareness and understanding of alternative reporting mechanisms, ensuring employees know what options are available, when they can be used and how to access them. Communications should explain relevant points of contact, confidentiality arrangements and what employees can expect after raising an issue and should be available through a range of accessible formats and internal channels. Reinforce communications periodically, including through induction, manager training and employee networks, rather than relying on a one-off communication exercise.
Embed flexible and inclusive job design principles across the organisation and establish regular opportunities to review job roles alongside employees’ individual needs, recognising that requirements and workplace barriers may change over time. Reviews should consider working patterns, responsibilities, workplace adjustments and opportunities to (re)design or personalise aspects of a role to enable employees to contribute effectively. As part of this process, assess how AI, automation and other emerging technologies could remove barriers, support accessibility or enable greater job personalisation for disabled workers, while ensuring that technology complements individual choice and does not unintentionally introduce new barriers or disadvantages.
Where effective disability representation is not already in place, establish and support employee representation group(s) that enable disabled employees to contribute to organisational decision-making and workplace improvement. Ensure representation provides a meaningful route for disabled employees to share lived experience, identify barriers, contribute to the design and review of policies and initiatives, and provide constructive challenge on issues affecting disabled workers. Give representative groups appropriate sponsorship, resources and opportunities to engage with relevant decision-makers, while recognising that employee representation should complement, rather than replace, direct engagement with individual disabled employees.
Seek external disability representation, expertise and advice where this can strengthen internal capability and provide additional perspectives on disability inclusion. Consider engaging with trade unions, Disabled People’s Organisations and relevant professional or membership organisations, such as Business Disability Forum (https://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/), particularly when designing or reviewing policies, workplace practices, technology, adjustments and organisational change. Where possible, prioritise engagement that incorporates the lived experience and perspectives of disabled people, and establish clear mechanisms for translating external advice and good practice into practical organisational improvements.
Collect regular feedback from employees through staff surveys, focus groups, listening events, employee networks and other appropriate forums to understand the experiences of disabled workers and identify emerging barriers or areas for improvement. Ensure engagement methods are accessible and provide different ways for employees to participate, including opportunities to provide confidential or anonymous feedback where appropriate. Analyse feedback to identify recurring themes and differences in experience across employee groups, and establish a clear process for communicating findings, agreeing actions, assigning accountability and reporting back to employees on changes made as a result of their input.
Incorporate AI into the organisation’s communications strategy or, where no overarching strategy exists, develop a clear communications plan covering the adoption, integration and ongoing use of AI across the organisation. Communications should provide employees with timely and accessible information about where and why AI is being introduced, how it may affect roles and ways of working, and the principles and safeguards governing its use. Clearly signpost opportunities for employees to ask questions, provide feedback or raise concerns, and use a range of accessible communication channels and formats to reach different employee groups, acknowledging the varied ways in which employees will access and engage with information. Review and update communications regularly as AI adoption develops, ensuring employees remain informed and can engage meaningfully with organisational change. This may require internal upskilling or engagement with external sources of support (see potential actions under Theme 2 and the further sources of support table below).
Collect employee feedback, or expand existing feedback mechanisms, to build an ongoing understanding of how AI is being used in practice and its impacts across the workforce. Use a combination of staff surveys, focus groups, listening events, employee networks and other appropriate forums to capture employee experiences, including perceived benefits, concerns, accessibility barriers and unintended consequences. Ensure mechanisms are accessible and provide opportunities for potentially affected groups, including disabled employees, to contribute meaningfully. Analyse findings across employee groups where appropriate, establish clear routes for escalating emerging issues, and communicate how employee feedback has informed decisions, improvements or changes to the organisation’s approach to AI.

Further sources of information, guidance and support

AI Skills Boost: https://aiskillshub.org.uk/
Free to access AI upskilling programme available to UK organisations and individuals.
Disability benefits and financial support: https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits/disability
Provides details of support for those living with a health condition or disability.
Access to Work: https://www.gov.uk/access-to-work
Access to Work is a grant designed to help disabled people get into or stay in work. Details eligibility and application guidance as well as links to application form.
Disability Confident: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign
Voluntary three-level framework supporting employers to improve hiring practices and reasonable adjustments.
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) disability at work: https://www.hse.gov.uk/disability/index.htm
Guidance for both employers and employees on supporting disabled people at work. Provide guidance on range of other topics including workplace stress and mental health.
Information Commissioners Office (ICO):https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/uk-gdpr-guidance-and-resources/
UK General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) guidance and resources.
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS):https://www.acas.org.uk/reasonable-adjustments.
Independent advisory for employers and employees on workplace rights including reasonable adjustments.
Business Disability Forum: https://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/
Business membership organisation on disability inclusion working with business, government and disabled people.
Business in the Community: https://www.bitc.org.uk/
Membership organisation championing responsible business as essential for long term economic growth and resilience. Offer free-to-access resources and membership-based support.
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD): https://www.cipd.org/uk
Professional body for Human Resources (HR) and Learning and Development (L&D). Offer free-to-access resources as well as membership-driven support.
Equality and Human Rights Committee (EHRC): https://www.equalityhumanrights.com/guidance/business/employing-people-workplace-adjustments
Independent regulator enforcing Equality Act 2010 including duty to make reasonable adjustments.
TechUK: https://www.techuk.org/
Membership organisation championing technology's role in preparing and empowering the UK.
Trade Union Congress: https://www.tuc.org.uk/
Trade Union representation organisation providing support, advocacy, research and campaigning, and connections to specific trade unions.
Disability UK: https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/
Led by, run by, and working for Disabled people. Offers information and support on disabled people's rights and resources on benefits, social care, and other disability-related issues.
Scope: https://www.scope.org.uk/
Offers free, independent, and impartial advice and support for disabled people and their families.
AbilityNet: https://abilitynet.org.uk/
Support for disabled people with technology and digital professionals advocating accessibility and inclusion best practices within their organization.
British Assistive Technology Association: https://www.bataonline.org/
Providing voice from disabled advocates to the assistive tech. industry. Offers information on sources of support.‍
Work Inclusivity Research Centre (WIRC): https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/work-inclusivity
Based at the University of Birmingham, WIRC advances the critical study of equality, diversity and inclusion in work and employment guided by principles of social justice and an impactful community of researchers, practitioners, and partner organisations.
National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat): https://www.ncat.uk/
ncat works with disabled people, transport organisations, and policymakers to conduct research, shape solutions, amplify lived experience, and influence policy through evidence and good practice.
The Centre for Disability Studies (CDS): https://disability-studies.leeds.ac.uk/
Established in 1990 and internationally recognised, research at CDS spans disability policy, social justice, human rights, inclusive design, transport accessibility, assistive technology and Deaf Studies.
Centre for Disability Research (CeDR): https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/health-and-medicine/research/cedr/
CeDR conducts research on the experiences of disabled people in Scotland, the UK and internationally, with a particular focus on disability rights and co-production with disabled people and their representative organisations.
Intellectual Disabilities Research Institute (IDRIS): https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/intellectual-disabilities-research-institute
IDRIS focuses on improving the lives of people with learning/intellectual disabilities and their families through applied research, service evaluation and policy engagement.
The Alan Turing Institute: https://www.turing.ac.uk/
The UK's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence. Conducts world-leading research in AI, machine learning, data science, ethics, safety, public policy and real-world applications across health, government and industry.
Centre for Human-Inspired Artificial Intelligence (CHIA): https://www.chia.engineering.cam.ac.uk/
A large interdisciplinary AI research community covering machine learning, healthcare AI, robotics, data science and AI innovation.
Imperial College London AI Group: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/artificial-intelligence/
A large interdisciplinary AI research community covering machine learning, healthcare AI, robotics, data science and AI innovation.
Oxford Internet Institute (AI & Society): https://www.oii.ox.ac.uk/
Globally influential research on AI governance, ethics, regulation, social impacts and responsible innovation.
UCL Centre for Artificial Intelligence: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/centre-for-artificial-intelligence/
Research across machine learning, computer vision, neuroscience, healthcare applications and responsible AI.
AI Management Lab (AIM Lab): https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/aim-lab
AIM Lab serves as a hub for cutting-edge interdisciplinary research, student engagement, and industry collaboration in the field of AI use and innovation