Starting today, we’re pleased to launch our new campaign to counter discrimination based on visible or invisible disabilities or health conditions.

Our ‘Disability works for us’ campaign shares a strong message of taking a positive and inclusive approach to all forms of disabilities and long-term health conditions and focuses on what people can do, not what they can’t do.

It is important to understand the possible barriers people living with disabilities or long term health conditions may face and provide them with the right support.

You may be surprised to know that about one in 10 of us here at BSMHFT live with a disability or long-term health condition. This is a substantial number of our workforce. We are encouraging colleagues to take the pledge to be disability-aware.

Our Disability and Wellbeing Staff Network (DAWN) has been instrumental in creating this campaign. The DAWN is a space to provide all staff with disabilities (both visible and non-visible), long-term conditions, mental illness and neurodivergence the opportunity to communicate, network, and support each other. We aim to provide a safe and supportive collective space and, to hold the Trust to account on issues relating to disabilities, neurodivergence and mental illness.

See the ability, not just the disability.