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EDI | Supporting Disability in the Workplace

Here you'll find findings from the 'Supporting Disability in the Workplace' pulse survey conducted in March 2023.
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Supporting Disability in the Workplace

Responses: 118 recorded responses (7% of the DCU employee population)

Gender breakdown of respondents: 

  • 66% woman
  • 28% man
  • 3% non-binary
  • 3% prefer not to say

Key findings: Culture at DCU

  • Just under half of respondents agree that they are fairly treated in DCU regardless of their disability, while 43% agree that there is a stigma when discussing disability in DCU.
  • 45% of respondents are comfortable disclosing their disability to their line manager, while 34% believe a disclosure would have a negative impact on their career.
  • 90% of respondents are aware of DCU’s autism-friendly initiative.

Key findings: Experiences of unfair treatment

  • 16% of respondents have experienced bullying, harassment and/or discrimination because of their disability in the past 12 months.
  • 42% are aware of how to report such incidences, while 43% are comfortable in reporting such issues.

Key findings: Accessibility in DCU

  • Just under half of respondents overall believe that DCU is an accessible place to work; 44% of those who identify as having a disability agree DCU is accessible compared to 51% who do not have a disability.
  • 62% of respondents overall agree that they are able to access and exit buildings in DCU without problems; this increases to 70% when filtering by those who have a disability. However, when looking specifically at those who have a physical impairment or mobility difficulty, this drops to 17%.
  • 73% of respondents agree that they are able access and use restroom facilities without problems, However, this drops significantly to 33% when looking at respondents who have a physical impairment or mobility difficulty.

Key findings: Reasonable accommodations

  • Only 33% of respondents are aware of access to reasonable accommodations, with less awareness among those who indicate they have a disability (26% in agreement).
  • Only 27% of respondents believe that DCU responds positively to appropriate requests for reasonable accommodations, and only 16% have availed of reasonable accommodations in DCU. 

Key findings: Perceptions of available resources

  • Just under half of respondents are aware of the specific supports available to autistic staff at DCU.
  • Only 22% of respondents are aware of the anonymous reporting tool, Speak Out.