The first step
Sign up free online at Level 1 ‘Disability Confident Committed’ — it takes minutes with no audit: you agree to five commitments and pick one supporting activity. Membership lasts 3 years (June 2026). Any employer can join: there is no minimum headcount, and you do not need to already employ disabled people to sign up GOV.UK, how to sign up.
The five Level 1 commitments
To register as Committed you tick five commitments, in plain English GOV.UK, Level 1:
- recruit and keep disabled people inclusively;
- promote your vacancies as open to disabled applicants;
- offer an interview to disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the job;
- anticipate and provide reasonable adjustments — changes that remove a disadvantage at work;
- support any employee who acquires a disability or long-term condition to stay in work.
Two of these are worth reading closely. The interview pledge is an interview guarantee, not a job guarantee — you still appoint on merit. And the reasonable-adjustments commitment is not a new burden the scheme invents: it restates a duty you already owe every disabled employee and applicant under the Equality Act 2010 Equality Act 2010, s.20. You then pick at least one of nine activities — for example work experience, an apprenticeship, an internship, paid employment or job shadowing.
The three levels — and which involve a check
The thing the gov.uk pages bury is that Levels 1 and 2 are self-declared with no inspection. You cannot fail the entry step. Only Level 3 brings in a third party.
| Level | What it requires | Validation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Committed | Agree five commitments, pick one activity | Self-register |
| 2 — Employer | Self-assess against two themes: getting the right people, and keeping and developing them | Self-assessed |
| 3 — Leader | Independent sign-off of your Level 2 self-assessment, a leadership narrative, plus voluntary reporting on disability and wellbeing | Third-party validated |
Membership, then renewal
Your badge is valid for 3 years. To progress, you move up the levels in order:
- register at Level 1 Committed online;
- complete the Level 2 self-assessment when you are ready;
- seek independent validation to reach Level 3 Leader.
It stays free at every level and is voluntary. The Department for Work and Pensions sends a renewal reminder before your 3 years run out, so your status does not lapse without warning.
Where the law comes from
- GOV.UK: Disability Confident — how to sign up to the employer scheme (DWP)
- GOV.UK: Level 1 Disability Confident Committed — guidance (DWP)
- GOV.UK: Level 2 Disability Confident Employer — guidance (DWP)
- GOV.UK: Level 3 Disability Confident Leader — guidance (DWP)
- Equality Act 2010, section 20 (duty to make reasonable adjustments)
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.