Sinead Burke, CEO of Tilting the Lens, discussed why disabled people continue to face barriers at work, and what employers are getting wrong.

Burke described on The Anton Savage Show, her company’s mission as “trying to work with companies, governments, small businesses, the disabled people themselves, really to create the conditions for disabled people to be successful.”

Yet she noted that, particularly at the start of 2025, there was uncertainty about “what does inclusion look like in workplaces.”

While legislation such as the European Accessibility Act has created action, Burke stressed that compliance alone is not enough.

“Yes, let’s reach compliance. But actually, what does that mean to go beyond it to ensure that they are centred on the process and included too.”

Ireland, she pointed out, continues to struggle with disabled employment rates.

"If we look at Ireland, we have very low rates of disabled people in employment. We tie with Greece in the European Union as regards to that.”

Recruitment processes are a major barrier. Burke warned that AI-driven hiring systems are reinforcing bias rather than removing it.

“Whatever progress we kind of thought we were making [is] being pushed back in some way.”

She explained that CV-screening technology often favours “a certain type of tone of voice or a certain type of language,” leaving many disabled candidates filtered out before interview.

Even when candidates are hired, workplaces frequently fail to act.

Burke highlighted “this significant gap between a person starting in their role and the accommodation being put in place.”

Sinead Burke

She gave examples:

“A sign language interpreter is not in place for the first two weeks of their employment,” or assistive technology is delayed because “nobody has done the advanced thinking.”

The result, she said, is predictable.

“It’s not that they’re not performing. They’re just not set up for success.”

Burke criticised how accommodations are framed as burdens rather than basics.

“This is not about giving disabled people something extra to be able to do their job.”

Instead, she argued, “the workplace has been really inaccessible and unfair for forever.”

Too often, disabled employees are treated as problems rather than assets.

“They’re spoken about as if they’re a problem to solve rather than this amazing talent who’s going to support and kind of enhance the organization.”

She also cautioned against creating “hierarchies of access” in the workplace, where some disabilities receive attention while others are overlooked.

“Nobody gets left behind because I think what we’re all trying to advocate for is just a better workplace for everybody.”

Burke called for a fundamental mindset shift.

“Unless we’re building it from the very outset, what that means is it creates the best possible outcome that people can engage with,” she said.