Disability remains an “afterthought” in the voluntary sector, the chief executive of Disability Rights UK has warned.

Speaking at Bayes Business School in London on Wednesday, Kamran Mallick said there was a “chasm between rhetoric and reality” when it came to inclusion in the sector.

At the event, hosted by the Centre for Charity Effectiveness and convened by Paul Streets, an honorary visiting professor at Bayes and the former chief executive of the Lloyds Bank Foundation, sector leaders discussed how charities can embed an inclusive and diverse work culture.

Mallick said: “Many organisations are quick to say they value diversity, but how many of us truly set clear targets for disability representation? 

“For example, how many have audited their workplace accessibility and enacted on what that tells them? How may have appointed disabled people into leadership roles, not just senior positions?”

Mallick said that in the voluntary sector, disability “at best, remains an afterthought, at worst, [is] ignored altogether”.

He said a “fundamental shift in thinking” was needed, adding: “Inclusion is not about making adjustments to fit people in, it’s about redesigning our system so that everyone belongs from the very start.”

“Disabled people in our organisations should lead the fight for our rights. We have lived experience, expertise and solutions. 

“But we cannot and should not do this alone. It’s imperative that organisations that are explicitly based on disability, whether in the charity sector, business or government, see this as their responsibility too.”

During the question and answer session, Mallick discussed the need for “active allyship”, adding that a lot of people avoid disabled people because of a fear of not being able to engage with them.

He said that organisations often walk away from employing people with severe speech impediments or who use sign language, because it feels more challenging. 

“What that means is you marginalise this huge amount of talent that could be part of your organisation,” he said.

Ruth Ibegbuna, founder and chief executive of Rekindle School, shared her experience of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a charity leader, after which she attended meetings with several MS charities. 

“Every time, they would ask me if I wanted to be a case study. I was just sat there, thinking: do you not recognise that I’m someone with fire and passion, who would love to be in a senior leadership position. 

“But I was seen as the perfect case study, which I thought was so telling,” she said.

Louise Harris, chief operating officer at the homelessness charity Crisis, said it was important for charities to build flexibility into disability policies.

“Our organisation has strong disability policies, but when I have conversations with our disabled network staff, they often say: ‘I don’t want to have to go to HR, I just want to have a chat with my manager and actually, we can work it out between ourselves’. Rather than being directed to a policy, which is really good and helpful but instantly makes you feel like a problem to be solved.”