For this year’s Disability History Month, the theme is Livelihood and Employment. As Muscular Dystrophy UK’s Employability Officer, I thought I would look over the last few decades at how things have changed. As someone who is disabled and lives with a muscle wasting condition, I’ve often found myself feeling frustrated, both personally and professionally, when it comes to employment. However, it is important to remember the progress we have achieved, and hope this improvement continues.
Changes to disabled employment rights across the years

Disability Discrimination Act 1995
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 was a landmark piece of legislation in the UK, providing the first comprehensive legal protection against discrimination for disabled people. Before the DDA, disabled individuals had limited legal recourse against discrimination. The act was the result of extensive campaigning and protests by disability rights groups.
The DDA made it unlawful to discriminate against disabled people in various areas, including employment, education, and access to goods and services. It required employers to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate disabled employees and applicants, ensuring they were not at a disadvantage compared to non-disabled individuals.
Equality Act 2010
The Equality Act 2010 merged and replaced previous anti-discrimination laws, including the DDA (although Northern Ireland still has the DDA). It aimed to simplify and strengthen the legal framework for equality and anti-discrimination. The act covers nine protected characteristics, including disability, and aims to provide protection against discrimination in employment and other areas.
Under the Equality Act, employers are required to make reasonable adjustments for disabled employees and job applicants. This includes changes to the work environment, job duties, or providing aids and services to ensure disabled individuals can work effectively.
Access to Work scheme
The Access to Work scheme is a government initiative designed to support disabled people in employment. Launched in 1994, it provides practical and financial assistance to help disabled individuals overcome work-related barriers. This can include funding for special equipment, adaptations to the workplace, travel to work, and support workers.
Access to Work aims to ensure that disabled people have equal opportunities in the workplace by providing the necessary resources to perform their jobs effectively. It can be a vital scheme to enable disabled people to work and reach their potential.
Disabled people in employment and the Disability Employment Gap
The amount of disabled people in work has been increasing. Comparing the latest statistics from 2023 to 2013, there are 2.6 million more disabled people in work. This means 54.2% of disabled people were employed last year, compared to 44.2% in 2013.
The Disability Employment Gap refers to the difference between disabled people and non-disabled people in employment. In 2013, this gap was 33.6%. It has reduced by 5.5% to 27.9% in 2023. Although this narrowing of the gap is a step in the right direction, this has been relatively stable since 2019. It would be great to see more disabled people being given an equal chance in the workplace to showcase their talent and experience.
Disability Pay Gap
Many people may be aware of the Gender Pay Gap. The Disability Pay Gap is similar. It compares the average pay of non-disabled and disabled people. In the latest reporting, disabled people were paid an average of £13.69 per hour, compared to £15.69 per hour for non-disabled people. This means that the disability pay gap is 12.7%.
It’s disappointing this has remained relatively unchanged for nearly 10 years. However, in the most recent King’s Speech, the government announced that as part of the Equality (Race and Disability Bill), large companies will have to report their disability pay gap, similar to the way the gender pay gap is reported. Hopefully, this will mean that these organisations pay their disabled employees equally.
Our Employability Service
If you have a muscle wasting or weakening condition and would like employment advice and support, you can get in touch with our Employability Service.
Your opinion
As someone with a muscle wasting or weakening condition, what has your experience of work been like over the years? Have things changed at all? What would you like to see happen in the future?