We’re pleased to announce that Cambridge Scholars Publishing is now a member of the UK government’s Disability Confident scheme. This initiative has been set-up to allow businesses and organisations to work together in the shared aim of increasing access and employment opportunities for those living with a disability by sharing their experiences and best practices.

As stated on the Gov.uk website: “The development and delivery of Disability Confident is guided by a group of business leaders who make sure the scheme is meeting the needs of businesses and disabled people in the UK. It’s made up of employers drawn from different industry sectors and includes disabled people in the group.”

The findings of a recent report by the UK Publishers Association workplace survey found that 8% of the publishing workforce have a disability. This is an improvement from just 2% in 2017, but we understand that there is still far more to be done, both within the publishing world and in wider society.

In joining the scheme, we have taken a significant step towards furthering our commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), which has been a key concern over the past year, and especially so since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has highlighted the additional challenges faced by the most vulnerable in our society, including those with disabilities.

CSP is presently engaged in a joint initiative with scholars from Northumbria University to conduct research into EDI. The research will identify and explore key EDI themes in working practices from the perspective of CSP authors, editors and contributors, with the results to be published in 2022.

Inclusivity has been at the centre of our publishing philosophy for many years as we provide a platform for as many diverse voices as possible to be heard, but this would ring hollow if we did not apply the same principles when it comes to the well-being of our staff. This is why we have also partnered with Health Assured’s Employee Assistance Programme to ensure that all of our staff have fast-tracked access to mental health services whenever they need it.

We are still at the start of this journey, but in becoming a Disability Confident member, we are ready and excited to learn from the wealth of experience available to us to see what the future may bring as we aim to become a leading figure within the publishing industry for issues related to all aspects of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.

Learn more about the research initiative with Northumbria University:
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/news/item/equality-diversity-and-inclusion-a-joint-initiative-with-northumbria-university 

Read our statement on Equality: 
https://www.cambridgescholars.com/pages/equality-statement1