Disability: the hidden stigma

03-06-2020

Sarah Morgan

Disability: the hidden stigma

Sajee Rod / Shutterstock.com

Diversity initiatives are gaining traction across the legal profession, but one characteristic has been left behind: disability. Disabilities of all kinds are rarely talked about in legal circles, and much less seen. Sarah Morgan investigates what can be done.

Would your clients feel awkward if you turned up for a meeting in a wheelchair? That’s the question Husnara Begum was asked when applying for a training contract at a UK law firm. 

For Begum, owner of Husnara Begum Consulting and a former lawyer, it was an opportunity to turn the question on its head, and ask the recruiters if they felt awkward with her being in one (the answer was no). 

But it’s certainly not the only time someone with a disability—either visible or invisible—has had to deal with uncomfortable questions.


disability, disability diversity, law, Husnara Begum Consulting, Cardiff University, IP Ability, Cancer Research Technology, AA Thornton, Daniel & Sophina

WIPR