According to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), around 16 million people in the UK live with some type of disability. This amounts to 24% of our nation’s population, meaning that people with diverse abilities form a larger group than any single ethnic, sexual, or religious minority in the country. Many disabled people work in the security industry. 

Disabled people face multiple forms of discrimination, from well-meaning comments and actions, to outright abuse, every day. Many of these negative experiences can be mitigated, however, through simple amendments to language and behaviour. 

In this guide, we will attempt to provide an overview of the industry’s attitudes, accessibility, and legal obligations to disabled security operatives. For disabled and non-disabled readers alike, we will discuss the challenges faced by Britain’s disabled security operatives, as well as the many benefits such operatives bring to the industry. We will highlight some of the ways in which ableist actions and words can cause harm to disabled customers, colleagues or employees, and we will suggest strategies for avoiding this. We will also lay out, in clear terms, the legal rights of all disabled employees in the UK. 

Disability is a multi-faceted and complex subject, one not easily summarised or categorised. It is, however, of vital importance that every non-disabled security operative learns as much as possible about disability and ableism, in order to behave with sensitivity and professionalism towards disabled colleagues, patrons, and members of the public. 

How is ‘Disability’ Defined?

The Equality Act (2010), defines a disabled person as any person living with a disability. A disability is legally defined as an impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person’s ability to carry out everyday activities. Disability may be mental as well as physical.

Disabilities may include (but are by no means limited to):

• Sensory impairments (such as those affecting eyesight or hearing). 
• Serious medical conditions (such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, or MS).
• Progressive conditions (such as ALS, dementia, or muscular dystrophy).
• Impairments with fluctuating or recurring effects (such as rheumatoid arthritis, depression, epilepsy, or chronic fatigue syndrome). 
• Organ-specific impairments (such as heart disease or certain respiratory conditions). 
• Impairments caused by damage to the body (such as amputations or injury). 
• Physical disability (such as requiring the use of a wheelchair, or walking stick). 
• Some mental health conditions (particularly if symptoms include anxiety, OCD, panic attacks, phobias, unshared perceptions, or a risk of self-harm). Also, mental health conditions such as PTSD, schizophrenia, or severe depression. 
• Learning disabilities. 
• Autism, and related conditions such as dyslexia or dyspraxia. 

Not every person living with one or more of the conditions listed above would be legally considered disabled. Likewise, it is possible for a person to be considered disabled with an entirely different set of impairments than those listed above. The preceding is simply a guideline intended to illustrate the way in which UK law defines a person as ‘disabled’.

The most important takeaways from this list should be that,

1. Not all disabilities are visible, or immediately evident from observation.
2. For the purposes of UK law (and, by extension, this feature), a ‘disabled’ person is defined as a person living with a condition that impairs their ability to carry out daily functions that would not significantly challenge a non-disabled person. 

Can Disabled People Work in the Security Industry?

Disabled people work in the UK security industry every day. 

The duties performed by a disabled security operative will, of course, depend on the nature of their disability. However, most disabilities are not an impediment to working in security. 

For example, a physically disabled person may not be well-suited to working as a door supervisor. However, they may be able to work as a CCTV operator. Security is a varied and diverse sector, and it seems likely that, in most cases, there would be an opportunity for a disabled person to find work in security. 

In some cases, reasonable adjustments will need to be made to better accommodate disabled security workers. This is a legal requirement shared by all UK-based employers. 

An example given by the UK government concerns a security operative referred to as ‘Tim’. 

Tim is epileptic, a fact that makes night work difficult for him (lack of a regular sleep pattern can increase the risk of seizures in epileptic people). Post-diagnosis, Tim spoke to his employer about the issues he was having, and his employer responded by switching him to day shifts instead. This arrangement benefitted both Tim and his employer considerably. 

Reasonable adjustments are discussed in greater detail below. 

What are the Benefits of Hiring Disabled Security Operatives?

Hiring disabled people can bring considerable benefits, particularly to the field of security. 

Hiring disabled security staff can help the team better understand and relate to disabled customers and patrons. Ableism (even well-intentioned) on the part of security staff may be accidental, but can still do long-term harm to a disabled person’s well-being and sense of self, as well as driving away a venue’s business. 

Having a colleague who experiences a similar disability will not only help operatives to avoid making such mistakes, it will also offer disabled patrons the extra assistance and empathy that they may need. This can only be good for business. 

Disabled people often have a different perspective to non-disabled people. A physically disabled person, for example, is more likely to notice and report building issues, such as problems with fire exits or accessibility, than a non-disabled person would be. This is something that could save lives in the long run. In fact, disabled people usually bring fresh perspectives and ideas to working environments in general. 

People with disabilities often have a lifetime’s experience of solving problems, and can bring this mental agility and strength to the workplace, often becoming the most valuable employees in the process. 

An American study, published in 2017, found that disabled employees have statistically higher rates of job retention than non-disabled employees. In an industry presently reeling from high staff turnover, in which seasoned, highly skilled operatives are leaving in droves to be replaced by un-motivated, inexperienced ‘jacket fillers’, job retention is a good thing. 

With regard to autism, and related issues, we’ve talked in detail elsewhere on this site about the positive contributions that neurodivergent people can – and do – make to the security industry, and even to national security. Although not every neurodivergent person would be considered disabled, the ability to spot patterns or behavioural cues that neurotypical operatives would likely miss can prevent difficult situations before they begin, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. 

A combination of original thinking skills, heightened levels of intuition, a keen eye for detail, and an ability to hyper-focus on specific details or information are all useful skills for security operatives to possess, which is just one reason why neurodivergent people often make excellent security operatives. 

In short, it pays for any company to employ disabled people. A 2013 study found that employees who felt included, and that their company valued diversity and inclusion were 80% more likely to speak highly of their working environment. In addition, multiple studies have found that hiring disabled people positively impacts a company’s bottom line. 

A company engaging with its disabled staff to meet their specific needs can be very good for company culture overall, as it helps management to consider the needs of every individual they employ, be they disabled or not. 

Finally, a disability-friendly team also sends the message that the company is socially responsible, committed to diversity, and willing to think ‘outside the box’. These are all desirable traits for any modern security firm. It’s good PR, and since a security operative very often has a dual function as a ‘brand ambassador’ (another idea we’ve discussed elsewhere), this can only be a good thing. 

Ultimately, if a disabled person can discharge their duties, and help to keep the public and property safe, there is functionally no reason to exclude them from the security industry. Hiring disabled security workers is good for business, good for branding, and good for everybody involved. 

What are Some of the Difficulties of Being a Disabled Security Operative?

Living with a disability is never easy. Like all people with diverse abilities, disabled security operatives sometimes face added difficulties while at work. 

A major problem, unfortunately, comes from verbally, emotionally, or physically abusive patrons, who may single the disabled operative out for extra abuse. If the operative is physically disabled, a violent or abusive patron may see them as an easy target. Every security operative has seen patrons behave this way towards themselves and/or their colleagues, and knows not to expect any extra-sensitivity from this kind of patron. 

Disabled operatives may also find that their non-disabled colleagues treat them differently at first (possibly mirroring some of the results from our ‘Women in Security’ study). So, well-intentioned ableism from colleagues, coupled with outright prejudice from patrons may prove very difficult for the disabled security operative to deal with. 

In legal terms, discrimination is said to have occurred if harassment or victimisation take place because of a ‘protected characteristic’ (such as a person’s age, sex, gender, orientation, race, religion etc). This includes disability. A disabled person has a legal right not to be persecuted for their disability. Such treatment would have to be conclusively linked to the person’s protected characteristic, however. 

Although this legal mandate likely won’t discourage drunk or unruly patrons from behaving in a bigoted way, it should hopefully protect employees from unfair treatment on the part of their colleagues and employers.

Management or colleagues behaving inappropriately towards disabled team members is, unfortunately, a common problem for disabled security operatives. 

Disabled people are under-represented in the British security industry, meaning that, in many companies, the disabled operative may be the first they’ve ever employed, and, as such, the operatives may have to become pioneers, and forge their own path.

Other issues faced may include venue accessibility, difficulties with regular or irregular shift patterns (such as working exclusive night or day shifts, or a mixture of both), ongoing medical issues related to the disability, and more besides. This, in addition to the problems currently facing all UK-based security operatives, can make entering the industry as a disabled person something of a daunting prospect. 

However, as discussed in the section above, we are firmly of the opinion that there are many benefits of disabled people working in security, and we urge all disabled people who are interested in security work to not be discouraged, and to seek further information or opportunities. 

Legal Rights of Disabled Employees

Discrimination against disabled people is against the law, in or out of the workplace. 

The Equality Act (2010) protects disabled employees from discrimination, covering areas such as applications and interviews, aptitude tests, the extension of job offers,  wages, contract terms, promotion, transfer, and training opportunities, dismissal or redundancy, and disciplinary processes. 

As explained earlier, the law also states that any employer has an obligation to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to avoid putting disabled employees at a disadvantage. Reasonable adjustments are enacted at the expense of the employer. 

An adjustment is considered reasonable if it reduces or removes the disadvantage faced by a disabled employee, does not negatively affect the health and safety of other employees, and/or is practical and cost-effective to make. If the adjustment is too expensive, or is considered ‘unreasonable’, an employer does have the right to deny the request. 

A few examples of reasonable adjustments may include an office that has a ‘No Dogs’ policy allowing a support dog to be present for a disabled employee, changing the light above a person’s desk (if, for example, it is too bright), making a building more accessible, changing an employee’s shift patterns, enabling remote working, offering a phased return to work following an absence, allowing time off for medical appointments or treatment, finding new ways to train employees, offering extra or adapted equipment, providing specialist support, or offering an accessible parking space. 

If an adjustment request is unfairly denied, the employee may seek to take action under the terms of the Equality Act. Failure to make reasonable adjustments is a form of discrimination according to UK law. However, the success of this appeal would depend largely on whether or not the initial request could be considered ‘reasonable’. For example, an employee requesting that they only work when they feel like it, or that a small-time employer drastically remodel a rented building would not be considered reasonable in the eyes of an employer, or the law.

Finally, the government scheme ‘Access to Work’ may be able to help disabled people find work in various fields and industries, including security. In some cases, grants are awarded to those who may require extra financial support (i.e., to pay for training courses). 

Disabled Patrons

For security operatives, interacting with the public in a polite and respectful manner is a big part of the job. Not only can professional, yet friendly, interactions help reduce incidents of violence from occurring, it is also part of a front-line operative’s job to act in the capacity of a ‘brand ambassador’, and to be friendly and approachable at all appropriate times. 

For these reasons (in addition to basic decency) it is important to treat disabled people appropriately, (i.e., just like any other customer, albeit one that may have special needs and may request assistance). 

Treating people respectfully should be second-nature to any security operative. However, the following are things to consider when working with disabled customers or patrons. 

Firstly, remember that not all disabilities are visible. A person who is disabled may not refer to themselves as such, and may not display any visible signs of disability. 

As a society, we are gradually moving away from the idea that disability only includes people with physical impairments. Progress is coming, but it’s coming at a slower pace than many would like. Remember that anybody could be disabled, and be prepared to help everyone. 

On a related note, if a patron refers to themselves as disabled, take this at face value, and do not dismiss, challenge or attempt to disprove their claim. 

As a security operative, it is possible to assist disabled patrons in a number of ways, such as granting access to support dogs, being aware of emergency evacuation procedures (and how they may differ in the case of disabled patrons), and being patient with people who may be struggling (for example, a patron may take a while locating their ID, or may be visibly anxious before entering the premises). Ensure that public transport (such as a taxi) is readily available for those who need it (keep the number of a reliable taxi firm in your phone, for example). Above all, be vigilant, and ever-ready to provide help if it is needed. 

Do not offer unsolicited help to disabled patrons, however. While this ‘blanket ban’ need not extend to small social niceties that are offered to everyone (e.g., holding a door open for a disabled patron, if it has been held open for every other patron), it is important not to offer help if the patron does not first request it. Although well-meaning, this amounts to pandering, and could be considered discriminatory behaviour. Not only that, it excludes the patron, and may cause them to feel pitied, or even insulted. If the patron looks as if they are desperate for assistance, you should first verbally offer help before attempting to provide any. Be patient and understanding if the request is refused. 

As we’ve discussed many times on this site, empathy is a valuable asset in the security industry. It may help to consider, as much as possible, what things might be like for the disabled patron before taking any action at all. Ask yourself if you would like to be pitied or pandered to, and how that would make you feel if all you wanted to do was enjoy a night out with friends. 

Finally, treat ALL patrons equally. The most important part of the phrase ‘disabled people’ is ‘people’. We will discuss unintentional ableism below, but for now, it’s worth stating once again that, although they have specific needs and requirements, and may need assistance in certain areas, disabled people want to be treated like anybody else. 

All patrons should be treated respectfully and professionally, and this includes those with diverse abilities. 

Avoiding Ableism 

According to the disability charity Scope, 72% of disabled people have experienced negative attitudes or behaviour from non-disabled people in the last 5 years, while 87% stated that such behaviours have a negative effect on their daily lives. This means that, on average, 9/10 disabled people in the UK face discrimination, or the effects of discrimination, on a daily basis. 

As startling as these figures are, we must consider that ableism consists of so much more than bigotry towards disabled people. 

At its core, ableism – knowingly or otherwise – assumes the superiority of able-bodied and minded people over those who live with disabilities. This assumption could take the form of abuse, exclusion, negative attitudes, or failed attempts to be ‘funny’. 

However, ableism can also be exemplified by attitudes of sympathy or pity, well-intentioned acts of ‘kindness’, labeling disabled people as ‘inspirational’ for simply living their lives, and other forms of social oppression and exclusion aimed at disabled people. While none of these acts of oppression are inherently mean-spirited, they are nonetheless hurtful to disabled people, and contribute to a discourse of disabled people being somehow ‘inferior’ to the non-disabled in society. 

Ableism often takes the form of ignorance towards those with diverse abilities. Buildings being designed and built without access for disabled people, for example, is a form of systemic ableism, even if this was quite unintentional on the part of the architect. 

A security operative may be unknowingly practicing ableism by not considering the specific needs of certain patrons who may be disabled. Ignoring, disregarding, or failing to consider disabled people is ableism. 

Forms of ableism that can be encountered every day include patrons or colleagues asking rude, intrusive, or unsolicited questions about a person’s disability, ignoring or refusing to use a person’s preferred terms (such as ‘wheelchair user’, ‘neurodivergent’, ‘having a diverse ability’, ‘diversable’ or similar), continuing to use ableist language after being asked to stop, touching specialist equipment without permission, crude attempts at humour, and more.

Ableism assumes that disabled people lead miserable lives, are helpless, vulnerable, or otherwise incapable of living and enjoying their lives. These attitudes continue to marginalise, oppress, and segregate disabled people and, as a security operative, it is important to keep this in mind. 

Pity is neither helpful, nor productive. For that matter, patronising people is also hurtful and pointless. Disabled people don’t need sympathy, they need equity.

The world, in large part, has been built and shaped at the exclusion (as opposed to inclusion) of disabled people, despite them being by far the world’s largest minority.

When disabled people struggle to navigate a world that wasn’t designed for them, the ableist offers not change, not empathy, nor any real willingness to learn, but instead extends abuse, pity, or ignorance. 

Ableism must be treated seriously, as should any other form of bigotry. If the security industry won’t tolerate racism, transphobia, or homophobia on the doors, why should it allow ableism to proliferate? 

We say that it’s time to do better, and that starts, not with company-wide diktats or even extra training, but with non-disabled security operatives opening their minds and hearts to disabled colleagues and patrons, practicing empathy for others, and, most importantly, questioning and educating themselves. For those who work with the public, such actions can be as rewarding as they are essential. 

In Summary

Security work is a difficult job. It brings many risks with it, as we’ve discussed extensively throughout this site. However, it’s also a rewarding and vital vocation that keeps people and property safe from everything from vandalism to acts of terrorism, every day. 

If a disabled person chooses to work in this field, and is capable of discharging their duties as a security operative, then we should be thankful for their contributions, and they should be entitled to as much heartfelt respect and gratitude as any other security operative. 

Disabled people are under-represented in the security industry, and are under-utilised in many other professional settings. However, as listed above, the benefits of hiring disabled workers are many and numerous. We say that it’s about time that the security industry became more disability-friendly, both on the doors and outside them, as there is so much to be gained, and nothing at all to be lost by this effort. 

At WTD, we rightly and regularly use this site to praise the good work being done every day by our nation’s security operatives, and this is a list that includes those who are living with visible or invisible disabilities.