2.1 The economic case
Disabled people represent a vast, underutilised talent pool. Globally, there are 1.3 billion disabled people, this represents one in six of the world’s population.2
In the UK, 10.2 million working-age adults (24%) identify as disabled, yet their employment rate is just 53%, compared with 82% for non disabled people. This represents a 29% disability employment gap across the UK workforce.3
In engineering and technology, the gap is even wider: only 14% of people in engineering identify as disabled4 compared to 19% in other sectors.
Just 6% of the tech workforce is disabled despite making up almost a quarter of the working-age population.5
This provides a significant missed opportunity for a sector facing an annual shortfall of 37,000 59,000 engineers to meet UK skills demand.6
Closing the disability employment gap across the UK could increase innovation and productivity, boosting the economy by £17 billion annually.7
According to a 2023 report by Accenture, companies that lead on disability inclusion achieve 1.6x higher revenue, 2.6x greater net income, and are 25% more likely to outperform their peers on productivity.8
2.2 The legal case
Under the Equality Act 2010, UK employers have a legal duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure that disabled people are not ‘substantially disadvantaged’9 in recruitment, employment, or career progression.
Examples of reasonable adjustments may include flexible working, assistive technology, accessible facilities, or modified duties. Failure to comply with legal requirements on disability has tangible costs.
In 2023–24, the rate of disability discrimination employment tribunals increased by 40%, and the average award for disability discrimination in UK employment tribunals was £44,483, with the highest recorded award reaching £964,465.10
The UK government’s Access to Work scheme provides financial support for specialist equipment, support workers, and travel. But it currently serves less than 1.5% of disabled employees, with processing delays averaging 85 days, and over 62,000 applications pending as of early 2025.11
The European Accessibility Act (2025),12 which came into law in June 2025, sets accessibility standards for any business (including UK businesses) that provides goods and services to consumers in the EU.
It relates particularly to digital technology such as computers, smartphones and banking services, requiring products and services to be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (known as POUR) which it describes as the ‘underpinning principles’ of all digital accessibility.
2.3 Organisational performance and innovation
Evidence highlights the benefits of employing disabled people on organisational performance.
Research shows that employees with disabilities:
- Have 48% lower turnover rates than non disabled peers13
- Are of equal or greater productivity, with fewer workplace accidents14
- Drive innovation, particularly when designing for accessibility
- Bring valuable skills in resilience, adaptability, and creative problem-solving, precisely the qualities needed for the engineering and technology sector.15
The UK’s ‘purple pound’ (meaning the consumer spending power of disabled people) is worth £249 billion a year.16
Organisations that include disabled engineers and designers are better placed to understand this market and serve their needs, and to ensure that innovation breakthroughs themselves are inclusive.
In 2025 for instance, Apple launched a range of accessibility features for iOS, opening a whole new global market for its products.17
2.4 The talent and contribution case
This study also highlights the professional talents disabled engineers bring to the sector.
Participants described capabilities shaped through lived experience that directly strengthen engineering practice and organisational performance.
Key strengths include:
- Inclusive design insight - practical understanding of accessibility and user needs.
- Market awareness - alignment with diverse customers, including the ‘purple pound’.
- Culture leadership - shaping inclusive teams, networks and working practices.
- Systems awareness - identifying gaps, inefficiencies and risks in processes.
- Constructive challenge - confidence to question assumptions and raise concerns
- Adaptability - pragmatic problem-solving in complex environments.
Disability inclusion is therefore not only about removing barriers, but about recognising and leveraging capability within the profession.
2.5 The personal case
The emotional and practical toll of exclusion came through very clearly in the focus groups and interviews.
Participants described the fatigue and burden of self-advocacy, and a persistent fear of disclosure due to stigma and prior negative experiences.
Many spoke of the ‘disability tax’ – the extra time, energy, and emotional labour required to navigate systems not designed for them.
Others described being made to feel like ‘poster children’ for disability inclusion, compromising privacy to increase employer awareness. We will return to this in more detail later in the report.
But where inclusion worked, participants reported an increased sense of safety, belonging, and contributing to their organisation.
The personal case is clear: inclusion enables disabled people to thrive.
References
2 World Health Organization, Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities, Geneva: WHO, 2022.
Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240063600
3 Scope, Disability Facts and Figures, 2024.
Available at: https://www.scope.org.uk/media/disabilityfacts-figures
4 TechTalent Charter, Diversity in Tech Annual Report, London: TechTalent Charter, 2024.
5 EngineeringUK, Engineering and Technology Workforce May 2025 Update, London: EngineeringUK, 2025.
Available at: https://www.engineeringuk.com/research-and-insights/our-research reports/engineering-and-technology-workforce-may
2025-update/
6 Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Engineering Could Face NHS-Like Workforce Crisis Without Skills Focus in Industrial
Strategy, London: IMechE, 2024.
Available at: https://www.imeche.org/news/news article/engineering-could-face-nhs-like-workforce-crisis-without-skills-focus-in-industrial-strategy
7 Scope, Manifesto for an Equal Future, London: Scope, 2024.
Available at: https://www.scope.org.uk/campaigns/manifesto-for
an-equal-future
8 Accenture, The Disability Inclusion Imperative, Dublin: Accenture, 2023.
Available at: https://www.accenture.com/us-en/
insights/inclusion-diversity/disability-we32inclusion imperative
9 https://www.gov.uk/reasonable-adjustments-for-disabled-workers
10 Ministry of Justice, Employment Tribunal and Appeal Tribunal Annual Statistics 2023–24, London: UK Government, 2024.
Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employment-tribunal-and appeal-tribunal-statistics-2023-to-2024
11 National Association of Disabled Staff Networks (NADSN) STEMM Action Group (2025). Towards a Fully Inclusive Environment
for Disabled People in STEMM White Paper.
12 AbilityNet, European Accessibility Act Overview, London: AbilityNet, 2024.
Available at: https://abilitynet.org.uk/resources/european-accessibility-act
13 International Labour Organization (ILO), Disability Inclusion and Skills Publication, Geneva: ILO, 2023.
Available at: https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/wcmsp5/groups/public/@ed_emp/@ifp_skills/documents/pub lication/wcms_729457.pdf
14 Inclusive Technology and Disability Futures (ITDF) Project, Disability and Work Productivity Study, 2023.
Available at: https://itdfproject.org/
15 International Labour Organization (ILO), Businesses Leading the Way on Disability Inclusion, Geneva: ILO, 2023.
Available at:
https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/disability-and work/publications/WCMS_869976/lang--en/index.htm
16 Scope Business, The Purple Pound: The Economic Opportunity of Disability Inclusion, London: Scope, 2024. Available at: https://www.scope.org.uk/business/the-purple-pound/
17 The Guardian, ‘Apple to Launch New Accessibility Features for People with Vision or Hearing Impairments,’ The Guardian, 18
May 2025.
Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/may/18/apple-to-launch-new accessibility-features-for-people-with-vision-or-hearing-impairments