Wellmind Health’s new digital mental health program for disability employment support.
Workplace & Education Lead, Sarah Todd, of Wellmind Workplace shares insights into the development of an innovative new digital mental health program tailored for disability employment support.
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Individuals with disabilities face significant obstacles to employment and are disproportionately underrepresented in the workforce, with 54.2% of disabled individuals employed in 2024 (ONS Labour Force Survey, Oct-Dec 2024) compared to 82% of non-disabled individuals. They can often also experience significant mental health challenges, exacerbated by social isolation, reduced confidence and heightened anxiety.
To address this need, Wellmind Workplace is developing an innovative digital mental health program to help disabled individuals gain employment, in partnership with Evenbreak (the leading disability job board for disabled people) and Health Innovation Yorkshire and & Humber (HIYH). Be Mindful Workplace will help break down the unique barriers people with disabilities face in finding jobs.
Our Be Mindful program has already helped over 14,000 individuals to significantly improve their mental health and supported individuals to enter or remain in work. The digital Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) program is a proven approach to reduce anxiety, depression, and stress, which make job-seeking even more challenging. Co-creating Be Mindful Workplace with people with lived experience of disability, clinicians, and employers will ensure the solution is genuinely inclusive, enabling us to better meet disabled users’ needs.
It is vital to cater to the unique mental health difficulties faced by disabled job seekers. This program is designed to empower them to pursue and sustain meaningful employment and aligns with the government’s focus on supporting disabled individuals back into employment. The project has also been awarded SBRI Healthcare Competition funding for work-related digital innovations for individuals with poor mental health.
To find out more about our programs for better mental health and pain management, visit the Wellmind Workplace website or talk to a member of our team here.
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Would you like to get involved in our conversations? Contact BATA’s Communications Co-ordinator Jade Hegarty by emailing jade.hegarty@bataonline.org.