Being a disability confident organisation is not about getting everything perfect immediately. Most employees are not expecting that. What they tend to notice more is whether there is genuine willingness to listen, improve, and remove barriers where possible.
That often shows up in areas such as:
- Recruitment processes being accessible and easy to navigate
- Managers feeling confident discussing adjustments and support needs
- Workplace systems considering different communication or working styles
- Staff feeling comfortable speaking openly without fear of judgement
- Accessibility becoming part of normal planning, rather than an afterthought
One of the biggest misconceptions is that disability confidence only relates to recruitment. In reality, it affects the full employee experience. Someone may join an organisation through an inclusive recruitment process, but still struggle later if managers lack confidence handling conversations around accessibility or if workplace systems unintentionally create barriers.
The Disability Confident scheme is a government-backed framework designed to help organisations become more inclusive for disabled people and people with long-term health conditions.
The framework is split into three levels, with each stage helping organisations strengthen their approach to disability inclusion over time.
Level 1 — Disability Confident Committed
This is the starting point for organisations beginning their disability confidence journey.
At this stage, employers commit to inclusive and accessible recruitment practices and identify actions they will take to improve opportunities for disabled people.
This can include things such as:
- Reviewing recruitment processes
- Offering reasonable adjustments
- Improving accessibility within communication or applications
- Encouraging more inclusive workplace practices
For many organisations, this stage is about becoming more aware of where barriers may already exist.
Level 2 — Disability Confident Employer
At Level 2, organisations build on those commitments and begin putting stronger systems and practices into place.
This often includes:
- Actively supporting recruitment and retention of disabled employees
- Reviewing workplace policies and processes
- Developing manager confidence around accessibility conversations
- Demonstrating how inclusion is being embedded across the organisation
At this point, organisations are usually moving beyond awareness alone and focusing more on consistency and practical implementation.
Level 3 — Disability Confident Leader
Level 3 is the highest stage within the framework.
To achieve this level, organisations must have their self-assessment independently validated and demonstrate leadership around disability inclusion.
This includes areas such as:
- Publicly reporting on disability, mental health and wellbeing
- Demonstrating leadership and continuous improvement
- Providing evidence of inclusive practices across the organisation
- Showing long-term commitment to accessibility and inclusion
The focus at this stage is not simply meeting requirements, but helping drive wider cultural change around disability confidence.
One thing many organisations realise during this process is that disability confidence is not only about policies. It often comes down to how supported people feel day to day. Whether managers feel confident having conversations around accessibility, recruitment feels genuinely inclusive and employees feel comfortable asking for support early, rather than waiting until difficulties escalate.
These are not always areas organisations have previously been taught how to approach confidently, which is why many employers choose additional support while working through the framework.
Through Halo Disability Confidence Consultancy, Halo Staffing supports organisations at every stage of the Disability Confident journey.
As Disability Confident Leader, we provides consultancy support including:
- Reviewing workplace processes, practices and values
- Creating action plans towards different Disability Confident levels
- Accessibility and recruitment guidance
- Support with validation and reporting requirements
- Ongoing consultancy and review meetings
- Disability equality and accessibility training for teams
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