We know that disabled people can still face additional barriers in the labour market, which may make securing the graduate job that you want harder. That’s why we have developed our support with disabled students and graduates in mind. Everyone deserves a fulfilling career; the Careers Service is here to support you to achieve yours. Your Rights Direct or indirect discrimination related to a disability breaches the Equality Act 2010. Disability is defined by the Act as a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Employers are required by law to make reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process to prevent a disabled person being disadvantaged compared to a non-disabled person – if they know about your disability. For many, though, it’s not just a legal requirement – they have a genuine desire to create a diverse and representative workforce, and to benefit from the insights which this will bring. Resources and Events Some of our resources and events are particularly relevant to disabled students and graduates. We have lots of resources on finding and applying for jobs. You can watch subtitled recordings of our Top Tips session at a pace and time that suits you.We have online CV and interview feedback tools which are really helpful for honing your skills. We can support you to request reasonable adjustments which can help you access elements of the recruitment process. We also have information on requesting reasonable adjustments at work. Examples of reasonable adjustments There are some amazing resources on Careers Service Plus including webinars on disclosing disability or health conditions and tips for jobseekers with disabilities. We use hashtags on our social media channels and MyCareerHub such as #EdInclusiveCareers to highlight events and vacancies which may be of particular interest to disabled students. Careers Service resources on applying for jobs EmployAbility Careers Service support is not provided in isolation, our team works in partnership with various organisations to support our work in this area, including the University’s Disability and Learning Support Service. EmployAbility To complement the support our team provide we have invested in a partnership with the organisation, EmployAbility. Through this partnership you can access specialist advice on applying for jobs and tailored webinars. This partnership enhances our drive to support students with mental health conditions, neurodiversities and other disabilities, to ensure you get the careers you deserve. EmployAbility can provide you with individual advice and support about adjustments for recruitment and the workplace, information about your rights, and support you with job applications. The EmployAbility team will also advocate for you with an employer to ensure you receive the adjustments you need, taking any stress and anxiety out of the process. We will be running a number of webinars and one-to-one sessions with them throughout the year, when you can learn more and ask EmployAbility any questions you may have. Register with EmployAbility Opportunities on internship and graduate programmes offered by EmployAbility, Change 100 (internships) and similar organisations, targeted at students and graduates with disabilities, are advertised on MyCareerHub. Opportunities (MyCareerHub) Finding support during the recruitment process Graduate recruiters are keen that you ask for relevant reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process. However, whether you do this, and at what stage, is entirely up to you and will depend on what you feel comfortable with. We talk about this in more detail on the following page, and it’s something you can discuss with us at a career's appointment: Sharing your disability Examples of reasonable adjustments are given here: Disability and inclusion: find positive employers Book a careers appointment with us (MyCareerHub) These recorded sessions from EmployAbility offer in-depth explanations of how to approach the recruitment process. Mental health - your rights to privacy and adjustments (needs UoE login) Neurodiversity - managing the hidden barriers in recruitment (needs UoE login) Talking about disability with an employer: when, why and how (needs UoE login) We are not alone in wanting to support students make a successful transition to life beyond university. For more information and links to organisations offering support to disabled students and graduates look on our website: Disability and mental health | Careers Service (ed.ac.uk) Finding employers and vacancies We suggest ways to identify employers with a positive attitude towards disability and inclusion: Disability and inclusion: find positive employers Support organisationsThe following organisations offer advice and support for people with specific disabilities. This isn’t a comprehensive list. Astriid - a charity which helps people with long-term health conditions find meaningful employment or volunteering opportunities.Astriid British Dyslexia Association – includes advice on dyslexia support in the workplace.British Dyslexia Association National Autistic Society (NAS) National Autistic Society employment support MIND MIND - applying for jobs Blind in Business Blind in Business employment services The following have a broader remit: Access to Work scheme – financial support to help disabled people with interview costs or help employers to make reasonable adjustments to their workplace. Access to Work Access to Work (BSL translation, in YouTube) Access to Work - response to Covid-19 (BSL translation, in YouTube) IntoWork – personalised employment advice for people with long-term disabilities in Edinburgh and Midlothian. IntoWork Remploy – advice for disabled people on finding and staying in work.Remploy We are not alone in wanting to support students make a successful transition to life beyond university. For more information and links to organisations offering support to disabled students and graduates look on our website: Disability and mental health | Careers Service (ed.ac.uk) This article was published on 2024-05-14
