Kainos welcomes launch of Disability and Work Strategy

Belfast (Northern Ireland), 6 October 2025 – Kainos, one of Northern Ireland’s leading technology employers and the region’s first Disability Confident Leader, has welcomed the launch of the Department for Communities’ new Disability and Work Strategy.

The Strategy outlines plans to support an additional 50,000 disabled people and people with health conditions into meaningful employment over the next decade.

Kainos was proud to host Minister Gordon Lyons at its Belfast headquarters for the launch of the public consultation. The event brought together colleagues, community partners and disability advocates to reflect on the importance of building a more inclusive labour market in Northern Ireland.

Minister for Communities, Gordon Lyons, said:
“Northern Ireland’s performance on disability employment has not been good enough and we must do better. I am therefore bringing forward a new Disability and Work Strategy that will ensure more disabled people and people with health conditions have access to, and can sustain and thrive in, quality employment within an inclusive Northern Ireland labour market.”

Donna-Marie Gill, Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Kainos, said: 
“This Strategy represents an important milestone. As employers, we all have a role to play – and at Kainos, we’re determined to lead by example. Whether it’s through our Disability Confident Leader status, our inclusive design principles, or the partnerships we’ve built across the community, we’ve seen the difference collaboration makes. We look forward to working together to build a society where disabled people are fully included and supported to succeed.” 

Earlier this year, Kainos became the first and only organisation in Northern Ireland – and one of fewer than 3% across 19,000 UK participants – to achieve Disability Confident Leader status, the highest level of accreditation within the scheme.

This recognition underlines Kainos’ long-term commitment to inclusion: from designing accessible digital services, to empowering colleague-led networks and creating workplaces where everyone can thrive.

The Department for Communities will host a series of roadshows and information events throughout the 12-week public consultation period which runs until 5pm on 12 January 2026.