Scotland’s colleges are making rapid progress towards creating fully inclusive workplaces for staff with disabilities, according to the leader of the national body for colleges as employers.

Gavin Donoghue, Director of College Employers Scotland (CES), also said the improvement was a sign of how committed institutions are to Fair Work principles.  

His comments come as UK Disability History Month - an annual event highlighting the struggle for equality and human rights - draws to a close.

To mark the month, CES has published multimedia case studies that show how disabled employees are being supported to flourish and achieve their professional goals at work.

Among them is HR advisor Darren Abel, who was born with neuroblastoma and uses a wheelchair. Darren discussed how Dundee and Angus College had offered him the chance to begin an associate diploma in people management within his first year of employment.

At Borders College, Hayley Redden, who has fibromyalgia, highlighted the various workplace and technological adaptations which are helping her succeed in her role as a student support officer.   

Efforts to boost inclusion have also come amid growing evidence of an increase in college engagement with disabled staff.

According to Scottish Funding Council statistics, the proportion of college employees with a declared disability jumped by 44 per cent between 2016/17 and 2022/23.

Some institutions have recorded a particularly steep rise. At Glasgow Kelvin College, for example, the staff disability disclosure rate is now above 13 per cent.

Gavin Donoghue, Director of CES, said:

“It’s been fantastic to shine a light on the excellent work being done by colleges to boost inclusion and remove barriers to success for people who live with a disability.

“It’s clear there has been significant progress, as indicated by strong growth in the number of staff opting to declare a disability and seek support from their employers.

“This progress underscores how determined colleges are to ensure fair opportunity, in line with their commitment to Fair Work principles.”