Bua was founded to increase disabled and neurodiverse employment and inclusion. It is a lived experience-first organisation, meaning everyone that works with Bua has lived experience of disability, including long-term health conditions, and/or neurodiversity.
52% of disabled people in Britain are in paid work (versus 76% of the general population).
51% of disabled people in the EU are in paid work (versus 75% of the general population).
That figure drops to 18% of disabled people in employment in the US (versus 62% of the general population).
Globally, 80-90% of disabled people in developing countries are likely to be unemployed.
In the UK, disabled people accounted for 60% of Covid-related deaths. During the pandemic, disabled people were more likely to have mental health issues. On top of that, it costs on average ~£7,000 more (~$9,500 USD) per year for disabled people.
Why does this pool of talent remain largely unemployed?
Currently employment programmes exist for disabled and neurodiverse people that support:
- Hourly-paid work in industries such as retail, logistics and manufacturing.
- Salaried work in industries such as technology, coding and data.
Why are disabled and neurodiverse people continually ignored as talent in industries that provide career progression, a salaried pay-check and the chance to be creative?
As Jane Hatton, founder of Evenbreak, describes: “Disabled candidates are premium candidates. Disabled people bring with them the same diversity of skills and talent and qualities and knowledge as everybody else. But also, because of the social model of disability, we’ve spent years (or for many, a lifetime) of finding ways around those disabling barriers. So we’ve had to develop resilience, persistence, determination, creative thinking, problem solving skills. And all of those are really good qualities that employers want.”
Simple changes can be made to accommodate and include everyone in employment. Get in touch to make a change in your organisation. Email us now.
What’s in a name?
Bua is an Irish Gaelic word, the same as founder Caitriona’s name. Bua means:
- Victory, win
- Ability, strength, asset
- Acronym: Building Unique Alternatives
The Team
Caitriona Snell founded Bua in 2021 after finishing Year Here. Cat’s background is in marketing, managing international projects for a global team, as well as lived experience with neurodiversity and creative projects. Bua was started to celebrate the variety of talents neurodiverse and disabled people have, into an under-represented industry.