Why Disability Should

Matter to Boards

Mike Adams, CEO of Purple

10 October 2017

• To make the commercial case for disability

• To make the people case for disability

• To identify and discuss those key factors that will support

Board’s involvement in disability matters

Aims of the session

• The Purple Pound refers to the spending power of disabled households which

is defined as a household in which at least one of the members have reported

a disability

• The key statistics are as follows:

- More than 1 in 5 potential UK consumers are disabled

- The number of disabled people in the UK is increasing – from 11.9

million (in 2014) to 13.3 million

- The prevalence of disability rises with age

- 3 in 4 disabled people and their families have walked away from a UK

business citing poor accessibility and/or poor customer service

- Nearly three quarters of disabled online consumers will click away

from websites due to inaccessibility

The Equation - disabled consumers

• There is a 32% gap in the employment rates between disabled and

non-disabled people

• In a tight labour market there are just under 1 million unemployed

disabled people. Evidence shows:

- Higher loyalty by disabled employees

- Equivalent productivity to their peers

- Lower absence records

• But 45% of hiring managers are nervous/not prepared to recruit a

disabled person

The Equation – disabled

employees

• How can we support businesses to affect their bottom line

by accessing the Purple Pound

• How can we support businesses to access the disabled

employee talent pool

• Where does disability sit in an organisation’s commitment

to wider diversity and inclusion issues

The challenge

• A not for profit organisation

• It’s predecessor, ecdp, was a nationally recognised

disability leader

• A turnover of £1.5m with a business plan to double

turnover in 3 years

• 34 members of staff

Who is Purple?

• An offer to business

• An offer to disabled people

• We bring the two audiences together to inform future

solutions

What we do

• Disability Confident accreditation

• Consultancy services from training to access audits

• Employment agency

• An apprenticeship programme for disabled people,

including work placements

Our offer to business

• How do we engage with organisations

- Triggers and approach

• Would a guide for Boards be useful

- Issues and content

• How can organisations lead the conversation

The issues

wearepurple wearepurpleorg we-are-purple wearepurple.org.uk

Purple – Contact Details

wearepurple.org.uk/Purpleportal

PurplePortal@wearepurple.org.uk

Telephone 01245 392300