The Disability Confident scheme provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people and people with health conditions in the workplace. It is a voluntary scheme, developed in partnership with disabled people, employers, and disabled people’s representatives.

The government announced reforms in January 2026 to strengthen the scheme and support continuous improvement for employers. Proposals include speeding up progression between levels, encouraging more small and medium‑sized businesses to participate, better enabling employers to learn from one another, and making sure disabled people’s lived experience shapes how the scheme works.

There are a range of factors which can influence employment outcomes for disabled people, including for those who are blind or partially sighted.

Previous research on the Disability Confident scheme focused on employer experiences. More research is planned to evaluate the effectiveness of the reforms and this will include research with disabled employees.