In this episode, Dr Lauren Siegel and Dr Rami Shamseen are joined by Dr Laura William, an Associate Professor of Employment Relations and Equality. They discuss the employment challenges faced by disabled individuals, exploring why disabled people are more likely to be made redundant and how they struggle to re-enter the labor market. Dr William shares her personal and research experiences, highlighting the substantial employment gaps and legal barriers, including the 'medical model' of disability and the lack of legal representation in employment tribunals. The discussion also touches upon Dr William’s book, 'Claiming Disability Discrimination: Assessing Barriers to Justice,' and her groundbreaking database that maps out patterns in employment tribunal judgments. The episode concludes with insights into Dr William’s future research on intersectional discrimination.

00:51 Dr Laura William's Journey into Socio-Legal Studies

02:12 Evolution of Disability Law

02:56 Employment Gaps and Discrimination

04:14 Barriers to Justice for Disabled People

10:49 Challenges in Proving Disability

18:12 Mental vs. Physical Disabilities in Employment

20:44 Importance of Disclosing Disabilities

25:23 Creating a Disability Discrimination Database

26:14 Future Research Directions

Read Laura's new book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-74387-0