Someone tells you they're disabled. What now?
For line managers, HR and anyone who works with the public.
This is for you if
Someone on your team mentions a diagnosis in passing, then changes the subject
A customer asks you to do something differently and it isn't in the process
Someone asks for a later start, a different chair or to skip the team social, and you're not sure how much to ask
Two people need the same thing, the lift, the quiet room or the one accessible desk, and you have to decide
A colleague seems to be struggling and you don't know whether it's your place to say anything
Can I ask what's wrong? Do I have to say yes? What if I say the wrong thing?
Most people want to get disability right and freeze because they're worried about getting it wrong. Doing nothing feels safer. It usually isn't.
This hour is about what to actually do.
What you can and can't ask
What to offer before someone has to ask you for it
What to do when two people's needs clash and you have to decide on the spot
How to make a call you can explain afterwards
It's built around a real case. One wheelchair space, a pram already in it, and a driver who wasn't sure what he was allowed to do. It reached the Supreme Court. The same moment happens every day in offices, shops, surgeries and on the phone.
Who it's for. Line managers and team leaders, HR and people teams, receptionists and customer-facing staff, and anyone running a service disabled people use. No prior knowledge needed and no law required.
Bring a situation you're stuck on. Send it when you register if you'd rather not say it out loud, and I'll cover it without naming you.
45 minutes, then 15 for questions. Google Meet, live captions on. Everyone who registers gets the recording, slides and transcript, whether or not you make it.
Free, and there's no pitch at the end.
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. I use the case as a way in, not as a legal seminar.