The PDA Ability Network concerns itself with issues of special relevance to UK pharmacists with disabilities, long-term health conditions or who are neurodivergent. All members of the network are qualified pharmacists or are working towards this as a pharmacy student or trainee, and are proud of the work they do to support patients. Those who have joined the network have done so because they have found themselves facing long-term illness, living with a disability, being diagnosed as neurodivergent, or because they consider themselves allies to others in the network.
Members of the network are increasingly concerned about the rhetoric coming from some politicians and decision makers, which portrays disabled people as ‘benefit scroungers’ or ‘a weakness in society’. The network supports the Together Alliance, with which the PDA is affiliated. The Alliance promotes unity and community, hope over hate and rejects narratives of division.
In order to normalise conversations about disability, it is important to remember that 1 in 4 of the UK population is disabled, and that 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime. It is also important to note that whilst some people are born disabled, many also become disabled over time. PDA Ability Network members have spoken about their experiences of sudden hearing loss, finding out that they are dyslexic in later life, or finding themselves disabled after contracting Covid-19. This demonstrates that the reality is that the human body and mind is not invincible.
Pharmacists with disabilities or long-term health conditions are talented, skilled individuals who want to do their job well. Being health care professionals, the same level of care provided to patients should also be afforded to pharmacy staff. Disabled pharmacists make a significant contribution to the economy and wider society, both through caring for patients, but also by being working members of the population. Evidence from a PDA member survey carried out in 2025 shows that sometimes this group is excluded or underemployed in the workforce, not by their own actions, but by the actions of managers or employers who are unwilling to accommodate their needs, whether via reasonable adjustments, flexible working or more. Of those who responded, 40% said they felt that they had been excluded from the workforce or underemployed due to their disability.
The PDA Ability Network supports the social model of disability that states that what makes someone disabled is not their medical condition but the attitudes and structures of society. In the workplace, it’s the employers’ response which makes them disabled. By having the right policies put into practice, training, knowledge of reasonable adjustments and implementation of appropriate adjustments, all pharmacists should be enabled to do their job in an inclusive workplace without disadvantage, fear of discrimination or barriers preventing them. By having a zero tolerance to discrimination and promoting the social model of disability, this will create the inclusive culture required.
Some members see their disability as their ‘superpower’ as it provides unique insight into how they perceive matters. This does not negate the fact that having a disability can pose enormous challenges at work and in their personal lives.
The PDA Ability Network is asking for politicians and decision makers to recognise that:
- With 1 in 4 of the general population having a disability or long-term condition, there is a need to acknowledge that anyone can become disabled and that there is a need to value the work and skills that this group has rather than them being demonised.
- Many disabled people including pharmacists want to work and can work if appropriate reasonable adjustments are made by employers.
- That the focus should be on employers and how they can work to include and support disabled workers in the workplace.
Jyoti Buxani, President of the PDA Ability Network said, “Disabled pharmacists and those with long‑term conditions or who are neurodivergent are vital to our profession and to patient care. Political narratives that portray disabled people, as a burden are both harmful and untrue. Exclusion from the workforce often stems from a lack of understanding and employers failing to provide reasonable adjustments, not from a lack of ability. We call on all political parties to recognise the value of disabled pharmacists and to champion inclusive workplaces where every professional can contribute fully. If we want an inclusive pharmacy workforce, the focus must shift from questioning disabled pharmacists’ capability to questioning employers’ willingness to support them.”
Get involved
- Follow the PDA Ability Network on social media using the hashtag #PDAability
- For more information about the PDA Ability Network, click here.
- If you would like to get involved with the network and its activities, please email: [email protected]
- Join the PDA Ability Network here.
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