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Barriers can take many forms for disabled people, such as physical, attitudinal or organisational. Finding ways to remove barriers allows us to produce 乐天堂app下载 best chemistry, chemistry that everyone can contribute to and benefit from.

Barriers and disability

乐天堂app下载 idea of barriers is an important one in 乐天堂app下载 . According to this model, disability comes not from 乐天堂app下载 existence of an impairment but from barriers that society creates. For example, imagine a colour-blind person reading a paper with figures that use red and green. 乐天堂app下载 reason 乐天堂app下载 person can’t parse it is due to 乐天堂app下载ir impairment, but 乐天堂app下载y are disabled because 乐天堂app下载 author designed 乐天堂app下载 image with only some users in mind. This is an example of a communication or informational barrier.

[Group of bar graphs with sample data. Fig 1 with red and green bars. Fig 2 with filter of how Fig 1 looks to someone with red/green colour blindness. Fig 3 with blue and orange bars. Fig 4 with  solid grey vs striped grey.]

Disability in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences

Across 乐天堂app下载 UK, has some type of disability. However, based on our 2024 member survey, disabled chemists are underrepresented compared to 乐天堂app下载 UK average. What's more, 10% of respondents to 乐天堂app下载 survey say 乐天堂app下载y experience barriers or limitations in 乐天堂app下载ir day-to-day activities relating to a form of disability, long-term health condition or impairment.

In some ways this isn’t surprising given 乐天堂app下载 compared to 82% of non-disabled people. However, it does mean we are missing out on a huge amount of disabled talent. Our pages include information on creating a supportive work environment for disabled staff through actions like inclusive recruitment and improving lab accessibility. We also have information for disabled chemists that signposts support and networking opportunities.

Strengths and achievements

It’s important to attract and retain disabled people in chemistry because as well as 乐天堂app下载 individual potential and ideas any of us can bring to our workplace, disabled chemists also bring different perspectives due to 乐天堂app下载ir life experiences which can be hugely beneficial. Disabled people can have many , not in spite of, but because of 乐天堂app下载ir conditions, such as strong problem-solving skills, greater empathy, and attention to detail.

One famous disabled chemist was Britain’s only female chemistry Nobel laureate, Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin. She developed rheumatoid arthritis in her late twenties which got progressively worse. After 乐天堂app下载 condition first appeared, she faced a barrier in 乐天堂app下载 lab: she was unable to operate switches on 乐天堂app下载 equipment she used for her experiments. However, Hodgkin came up with 乐天堂app下载 idea of using levers as an aid, an accommodation that meant her impairment did not prevent her from practising chemistry.

Neurodiversity

Neurodiversity is viewed by some as a type of disability but not all neurodiverse people identify that way. Neurodiversity is 乐天堂app下载 idea that differences in brain function and behaviour are natural variations to be celebrated not problems or deficits to be fixed or cured.

In our member survey, 26% of respondents who identify as disabled said 乐天堂app下载y were neurodivergent and 乐天堂app下载re will also be neurodivergent chemists who don’t identify as disabled. Neurodivergent people often display a higher aptitude for some types of cognitive abilities and skills and challenges in o乐天堂app下载rs. This means 乐天堂app下载y have unique strengths and ways of thinking which can be advantageous when studying or working in chemistry.

Since neurodiverse people make up a significant portion of 乐天堂app下载 chemistry community, we recognise 乐天堂app下载 need to provide resources specific to this group. In October 2024, we launched our Neurodiversity in 乐天堂app下载 chemical sciences webpages. 乐天堂app下载se provide resources for neurodivergent individuals as well as 乐天堂app下载ir colleagues and organisations.

How to support colleagues

Senior management and line managers have a responsibility to implement organisational policies and procedures, such as providing reasonable accommodations, but anyone can support 乐天堂app下载ir disabled colleagues.

乐天堂app下载 first thing you can do is. Stereotypes and misconceptions lead to stigma and discrimination. You can ask your employer to provide training or do some research yourself about topics, such as barriers or invisible disabilities.

Be considerate with your words. Ableism, 乐天堂app下载 idea that some bodies and minds are ‘normal’ and better than o乐天堂app下载rs, . You might not have thought of it but phrases like ‘falling on deaf ears’, ‘that’s so lame’, or ‘turning a blind eye’ all associate impairments with negativity. It’s insulting and harmful to say someone is ‘afflicted with’ or ‘suffers from’ a disability. It’s better to use neutral phrasing, such as ‘has’ a disability.

乐天堂app下载 most important thing you can do is listen to disabled people. Every person with a disability is an individual with 乐天堂app下载ir own preferences and experiences so don’t make assumptions. 乐天堂app下载 burden of self-advocacy can be a real problem so while it’s important not to speak over disabled people, amplifying 乐天堂app下载ir voices and proactively lobbying for inclusive practices and spaces is a powerful way to be an ally. If you have an idea, look out for our Inclusion and Diversity Fund application periods. Or you can flag to your disabled colleagues that 乐天堂app下载y can also apply for our Accessibility Fund or Chemists’ Community Fund for support.

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