Supporting the International Day of People with Disabilities

By Dave Gilbert

​Archaeology is thought by many to be a profession that requires people to be physically fit and mobile as the conditions on excavations can be taxing and the work can take place across the entire spectrum of environments and terrains. This overlooks the fact that fieldwork is only a small part of an archaeological investigation, with people conducting desk-based research, processing and analysis of artefacts discovered and producing the reports of the work undertaken.

​December 3 is the International Day of People with Disabilities and the 2021 theme is ‘Fighting for rights in the post-COVID era.” If anything, the pandemic has highlighted alternative ways of conducting business and operations, taken just a little further these have the potential to reduce the barriers faced by people with disabilities.

​As a Disability Confident organisation Red River Archaeology is committed to play a role in changing attitudes for the better and committed to equality in the workplace. We have implemented changes to the traditional practices in the workplace and our offices are adapted for easy access with disabled facilities and friendly workspaces.

We encourage other businesses to sign up to the Disability Confident scheme, they might be surprised by the contributions that can be made by people that might otherwise have been overlooked.

​#disabilityconfident #archaeology #peoplewithdisabilities