Disability

Improving the experience of colleagues with disabilities

 

Our Disability steering group was established in 2014. The key objective of the group is to improve the experience of disabled colleagues at Royal Mail and provide easy-to-access information and guidance to colleagues who have a disability of any kind. 

The Disability network has an online group which can be accessed through SuccessFactors. Click on ‘SAP Jam’ in the main menu, and then search for disability. Alternatively, if you're already logged into SuccessFactors, you can click here.

Accessibility

  • Royal Mail was a founder member of the Business Disability Forum when it was launched some 25 years ago. We have consistently had a senior manager on the board, including two periods as Chair
  • In 2008, Business Disability Forum launched the Technology Taskforce, a Partner initiative which brings together some of the world's largest procurers and suppliers of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) including: American Express, HMRC, Sainsbury’s', Cisco Systems and Fujitsu 
  • The Taskforce was created because the technology which should liberate talent and productivity for everyone can make it unnecessarily difficult to recruit and retain good employees, and to do business with millions of customers if it is inaccessible to people with a disability
  • In 2008, the Accessibility Maturity Model (AMM) was launched as a tool to help organisations to self-assess their accessibility status, both internally and externally. This was revised in 2016. The tool positions accessibility as a business-wide priority that affects the board, line managers, HR, marketing, new product development, legal and procurement teams as much as the IT department
  • In 2011 the Accessible Technology Charter was launched, as a 10 point commitment to best practice on ICT accessibility
  • In 2017, we formally signed up to the Charter.

The Accessible Technology Charter helps organisations to develop a more diverse and inclusive working environment. Signature to the charter is a public declaration by an organisation that it will make 10 commitments on accessibility as part of its ICT strategy, including executive sponsorship, and developing and buying accessible ICT systems.

By signing up to the charter, we have committed to achieve continuous improvement in this area in order to meet the accessibility requirements of our colleagues and customers.

The Accessible Technology Charter’s 10 commitments to good practice on ICT accessibility are:

  • Executive level ICT Champion
  • How technology can liberate
  • Consultation
  • Personalisation of technology
  • Reasonable adjustment
  • Disability know-how
  • Accessibility Maturity Model
  • ICT development lifecycle
  • Procurement and supply partners
  • Continuous improvement

For more information on each of the above 10 points of the charter, please click here.

Supporting our people

As one of the UK’s biggest employers, we are committed to putting equality and diversity at the heart of our business. Call our internal disability helpline on 0800 028 6142 for advice if you are a disabled employee or manager looking for support with organising reasonable adjustments.

For more information on how to obtain support from the group or if you would like advice on managing someone with a disability, please contact DisabilitySteeringGroup@royalmail.com