Why good disability policies fail
For anyone who writes, owns or has to follow a policy.
This is for you if
Your policy says one thing and the complaints say another
The person who wrote the policy has left and nobody is sure who owns it now
Frontline staff can't tell you what the policy says or where to find it
The same complaint keeps coming back after it was marked as resolved
You're about to sign off a policy and nobody has tried using it
Your policy reads well. So why does the same thing keep going wrong?
A policy can be well written and still not help the person who has to use it, whether that's a manager with a request on their desk or a member of staff with a customer in front of them.
What we'll cover
Why a policy that reads well can still lead to a bad experience
Who owns it once the person who wrote it has moved on
How to test a policy with the people who use it before you sign it off
How to write a policy people can follow when they're busy and under pressure
Who it's for. Anyone who writes, owns, approves or has to apply a policy. HR, inclusion leads, operations, senior leaders, trustees and boards. No prior knowledge needed and no law required.
Bring a policy you're not sure about. Send the problem when you register if you'd rather not raise it live, and I'll cover it without naming you or your organisation.
45 minutes, then 15 for questions. Google Meet, live captions on. Everyone who registers gets the recording with captions and the slides, whether or not you make it.
The hour is free.
I'm Hugh O'Keeffe, a disability, access and inclusion consultant. I help employers and the organisations that serve the public, and I sit on the Civil Aviation Authority's Consumer Panel. I've supported over 400 UK employers, and I chaired the national conference Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace in 2025. I'm disabled myself.
I'm not a lawyer and this isn't legal advice.
Want this session run privately for your team? See how I work with organisations.