Disability inclusion should not require a diagnosis

Disability inclusion should not require a diagnosis

By Jo Faragher on 9 July 2025

“In most organisations, workplace adjustments come with a cost: not just financial, but emotional. Employees are often asked to disclose a diagnosis, go through HR processes, or wait months, just to access support that lets them work well,” explains Atif Choudhury, CEO of Calling All Minds and co-creator of the AXS Passport. “For many, especially those from marginalised backgrounds, that barrier is too high.” Requiring employees (or potential recruits) to jump through hoops to get support or adjustments at work carries with it a range of negative consequences, he argues, and this is why Choudhury wants to challenge how we think about inclusion altogether.

There is no legal duty for someone to tell their employer they’re disabled, but when they do, the employer has a legal responsibility to support them. Yet disability stigma in society means that many workers shy away from sharing information about their condition at work, with less than a quarter happy to disclose it at recruitment stage, according to Evenbreak. Rather than waiting for a “label” for employees or candidates to be able to access support, Choudhury believes companies should “flip” the traditional adjustments model – so rather than asking for people to prove a diagnosis, employers listen and respond to everyone’s needs. “That simple shift makes a big difference – especially for those who face cultural stigma or systemic barriers to getting a formal label,” he says. “When adjustments are available to all, support is quicker and more consistent, people feel safer to self-identify, and inclusion becomes part of the everyday, not just a crisis response. Too often, support comes after burnout or exclusion.”

Offering an inclusion passport such as the AXS Passport is one way to do this, and reflects the social model of disability in action. This model sees people as disabled not by their differences, but by the environments and systems around them. A digital passport declaring someone’s specific support needs or working preferences is portable and editable, so can be taken between roles within an organisation and to a new employer. Choudhury adds: “This approach asks employers to move from performative inclusion to practical anticipation. It means asking questions such as ‘what might someone need to thrive here – and how do we offer it before they burn out or opt out?’ Adjustments aren’t special treatment, they’re a reflection of the reality that we all work differently, and we all deserve dignity in how we show up.” Furthermore, making these passports available to all staff, not just those who declare, means your approach to inclusion is truly intersectional.

Single entry point

“Two of the key elements to a proactive approach to workplace adjustments is having a robust process with a single entry point, which all line managers know how to use, and clearly communicating about the process in your internal communications,” advises Angela Matthews, director of public policy and research at the Business Disability Forum. “Employees need to know what is available to them and how to access it, if and when they need adjustments and, similarly, line managers need to be confident using the process.” The BDF’s Great Big Workplace Adjustments Survey found that 80% of employees felt that adjustments had helped them to stay in their job and be more productive, while 60% said they enjoyed their job more since having adjustments in place.

But it also found that the stigma around workplace disability did not help, with only 37% of disabled employees feeling their employer was genuine about removing all disability-related barriers and making the workplace inclusive for disabled employees. Matthews adds: “Having adjustments processes that are open to everyone, regardless of whether or not a person has identified themselves as disabled, can help overcome this stigma and also allows employees to request adjustments when they need them, which may be before they have had a full diagnosis of a condition or disability. We also find that when employers have inclusive and easy to access adjustments support for all employees, disclosures fall because employees don’t have to say they have a disability to get the support they need.”

Employers often ask the BDF if opening up the adjustments process will push up costs because “everyone will want them”, but this is not the case. “Cases we work on suggest when employees understand there is a provision for anyone to choose the way they work and how, they respect that trust and do not ask for things that they don’t need,” she explains. Allowing managers to sign off lower cost, regular adjustments can help reduce waiting times, she adds.

Avoiding assumptions

Sue Tumelty, founder and executive director of the HR Dept Ltd, is profoundly deaf, and argues that too often, employers adopt a one-size-fits-all approach to adjustments for employees. “Falling into the trap of making assumptions around disabilities can be very detrimental. When it comes to remote working for example, there is often an assumption made that working from home will somehow be helpful to everyone who is disabled,” she says. “Part of the problem here is that we are prone to bulking everyone who is disabled into the same pot, which is really frustrating and a bit ignorant to be honest. It’s important to understand that the term ‘disability’ refers to anyone with a physical or mental impairment that has a long-term adverse effect on their ability to perform day to day tasks.”

She adds: “For example, whilst someone who uses a wheelchair may benefit from the option to work from home, having virtual calls can be very challenging for those with eyesight impairments or if someone has IBS or something similar, they may feel embarrassed that they need to go off to the loo regularly on a zoom call. As someone who is profoundly deaf, I regularly use zoom calls so that I can look at someone’s face whilst they’re talking. But if there are 10 people on the call it becomes incredibly challenging to keep track of what’s going on. And if somebody has chronic severe depression, that can be made worse by being isolated from colleagues.”

James Chave, Managing Consultant at The Clear Company, emphasises that the UK Equality Act is designed so candidates and employees do not have to provide proof. Employers can ask if someone needs any adjustments before an interview, and adjustments can follow after an offer has been made, but these options “should be communicated in a positive light, and not simply to tick a box”. He says: “It’s worth checking in with candidates about their requirements throughout their application, as answers regarding adjustments may change at different stages of the hiring process. For example, some candidates may not require changes for a phone interview, but may for face-to-face interviews. Making these regular checks increases candidate confidence that you are actually willing to make the adjustments and aren’t just paying lip service. Many people don’t make requests as they fear bias, so asking more than once goes some way to mitigating this.”

Access all areas

Communicating in this way and making tweaks adjustments as part of “business as usual” has wider business benefits too, adds Chave. “Any improvements made to make the business more inclusive directly increases access to talent who may not be receiving the same high level of commitment from other employers, and even candidates who don’t require adjustments could read your openness and commitment as a positive sign of the inclusive culture within your business. In addition, making these adjustments enables employers to see all of their candidates at their best, and removing any barriers ensures you can make a truly effective judgment on who to hire,” he explains.

Tumelty reminds businesses that this open attitude should extend to all aspects of the workplace, including ensuring that company social events are accessible. “It’s all very well ensuring that the home working environment is suitable but if employees aren’t able to join in with team building activities and social gatherings, they aren’t going to feel like a member of the team or part of the business’ culture,” she says. They should also put the focus on what people can do, rather than focusing on what they cannot. She adds: “As a deaf person, I get sick to death of people talking to me as though I’m slow at processing and I’ve noticed that people often don’t speak to my husband when he’s in a wheelchair, they talk to me instead. Taking a more inclusive and proactive approach requires employers to respect people’s abilities, avoid making assumptions and work with their employees to find creative solutions that will allow them to be as successful as possible in their roles.”