The voluntary and charity sector has been named the UK's leading sector for disability inclusion, with almost 3,000 organisations signed up to the government's Disability Confident scheme.

New analysis by neuroinclusion specialists Everway found that 2,944 organisations in the voluntary, charity and social enterprise (VCSE) sector are registered as Disability Confident employers – more than any other industry.

The sector ranks ahead of education (2,027 employers), care and social care (1,672), health (1,392) and the public sector (951). By contrast, the armed forces sector has just nine employers signed up to the scheme.

The Disability Confident programme supports employers to improve recruitment, retention and career development opportunities for disabled people. Almost 19,000 employers across the UK had joined the scheme by April 2026.

The research comes as the UK continues to face a significant disability employment gap, with employment rates for disabled people trailing those of non-disabled people by 30.3 percentage points for men and 23.1 percentage points for women.

Everway's analysis also found that human health and social work is the largest employer of disabled people, accounting for 16.5% of all disabled people in work.

The company's chief people officer, Cathy Donnelly said employers still have an important role to play in improving workplace accessibility but argued that inclusion begins much earlier.

"Creating truly inclusive workplaces starts long before someone enters the workforce," she said.

"The support, understanding and opportunities that disabled and neurodivergent people receive throughout their education can help shape their confidence, skills and career aspirations.

"Some organisations still rely on rigid systems, text-heavy processes and tools that assume everyone communicates, organises and processes information in the same way.

"By investing in inclusive support and technology, we can help create opportunities, recognise a wider range of strengths, and support everyone throughout their education and careers."

The study also revealed significant regional differences in participation in the Disability Confident scheme. London has the highest number of registered employers, with 3,278 organisations signed up, while Northern Ireland has the fewest, with 72.

Meanwhile, Epsom and Ewell recorded one of the strongest employment outcomes for disabled people, with 92.8% of disabled residents in work compared with 89.1% of non-disabled residents.

At the other end of the scale, Harlow recorded the widest disability employment gap, with 34.8% of disabled people employed compared with 86.8% of non-disabled people.

Everway said the findings demonstrate that while many employers are making progress on disability inclusion, there remains considerable scope to expand participation in inclusive employment initiatives and improve employment outcomes for disabled and neurodivergent people.

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