Desire to Work (1981)

A hopeful promotional film highlighting the gadgets and adaptions easily utilised to include disabled people in the workplace. Focusing on the environmental obstacles and their technological solutions, this film does little to confront negative attitudes. Though it does manage to highlight the benefits of including the under-represented demographic of disabled people in the workforce.

This film was made 14 years before the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, which made it illegal to discriminate against disabled people in connection with employment. This Act replaced the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 which required employers with 20 or more staff to ensure that 3% of employees were registered disabled.

Director: Ronald Spencer

Duration: 18 minutes

Suggested credit: Desire to Work (1981) © The British Film Institute

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