Difability recognition

Six levels, lowest first. Membership is a free public commitment, not an assessment. The five levels above it are assessed against the Difability Standard.

Level 1 of 6

Difability Member

Membership, not an assessment

Free membership, not an assessment. It confirms that the organisation’s identity is verified, that the person acting for it is authorised to do so, and that it has accepted the Difability Commitment.

Who qualifies: Any organisation of any size, registered or not, whose identity we can check and whose person joining can show they may act for it.

Evidence, approval, what the organisation may say and renewal

Evidence required: No assessment. We check the organisation’s identity on its register, or from documents when it has none, and confirm that the person joining may act for it. The organisation then signs the Difability Commitment, names a responsible person and agrees to the member code.
Who reviews and approves it: A Difability Coordinator checks the organisation’s identity and confirms that the person joining may act for it.
What the organisation may say: [Your organisation] is a Difability Member: we have signed the Difability Commitment.
Annual confirmation and renewal: Membership is reconfirmed each year from the organisation’s account, from one month before it ends. A membership that ends can be reconfirmed later and keeps its member number.

Start with free membership

Award: Verified digital certificate
How long it lasts: 12 months from joining.

Assessed levels

Levels 2 to 6, lowest first. Each one is Difability recognition, given after an assessment against Difability Standard Version 1.0 and decided by an Approver who took no part in the assessment.

A Difability Recognised certificate marked as a demonstration record, not a genuine award. It names the organisation and what it is recognised for, with the record number, dates and a code to check it. — A demonstration certificate and badge for a fictional organisation, made by the Difability platform. A real certificate names the organisation and what it is recognised for, and anyone can check its number.

Level 2 of 6, above Member
Difability Recognised
Assessed recognition for one clearly defined part of the organisation: a practice, service, product, website, location, recruitment process, customer journey, procurement pathway or opportunity programme. It is not a smaller version of organisation-wide certification.
Who qualifies: Any Difability Member, of any size, that can show real action within the scope it names. A two-person business can qualify.
Evidence, approval, what the organisation may say and renewal
Evidence required
Answers to the Standard’s questions for the organisation’s size, with evidence of what happens within the named scope. A trained assessor scores each answer from 0 to 4. The Standard’s gates must be met: real opportunity, every pillar at the level’s minimum, and no evidence of discriminatory practice.
Who reviews and approves it
A trained assessor scores the evidence. A Coordinator checks that the case is complete, and an Approver who took no part in the assessment decides.
What the organisation may say
[Your organisation] is Difability Recognised for [exact recognised scope].
Annual confirmation and renewal
The organisation confirms its record each year from its account: that the practice continues, and whether anything material has changed. A confirmation opens 30 days before it is due; a record whose confirmation is more than 30 days late is suspended until a Coordinator accepts it. Renewal is a new assessment, which can start 90 days before the record ends.
Award
Verified digital certificate
Badge pack
How long it lasts
3 years from the date the award is made.
Level 3 of 6, above Recognised
Difability Certified
The first organisation-wide assessed status. It confirms that the organisation meets the Difability Standard across all six pillars, with any covered entities and limitations stated.
Who qualifies: Difability Members that can show practice sustained for at least 12 months across all six pillars of the Difability Standard, across the whole organisation.
Evidence, approval, what the organisation may say and renewal
Evidence required
Everything Recognised asks, across the whole organisation, plus one question per pillar on practice sustained for at least 12 months and higher minimum scores. The organisation also gives one concrete example of what disabled people told it, what it changed and the result.
Who reviews and approves it
A trained assessor scores the evidence and interviews the organisation. A second reviewer checks the assessment, a Coordinator checks that the case is complete, and an Approver who took no part decides.
What the organisation may say
[Your organisation] is Difability Certified: it meets Difability Standard Version 1.0 across all six pillars. The certification covers [covered entities].
Annual confirmation and renewal
The organisation confirms its record each year from its account: that the practice continues, and whether anything material has changed. A confirmation opens 30 days before it is due; a record whose confirmation is more than 30 days late is suspended until a Coordinator accepts it. Renewal is a new assessment, which can start 90 days before the record ends.
Award
Verified digital certificate
Badge pack
Watermarked parchment certificate
How long it lasts
3 years from the date the award is made.
Level 4 of 6, above Certified
Difability Accredited
Sustained compliance with the Difability Standard across the defined assessment period, with mature governance and continuing measurable outcomes.
Who qualifies: Organisations that hold active Difability Certified status and can show sustained compliance across the defined assessment period.
Evidence, approval, what the organisation may say and renewal
Evidence required
Evidence of sustained compliance with the Standard across the defined assessment period, mature governance, and measurable outcomes that are continuing.
Who reviews and approves it
An independent reassessment, followed by approval from a Difability panel.
What the organisation may say
[Your organisation] is Difability Accredited under Difability Standard Version 1.0, valid from [issue date] to [expiry date]. The accreditation covers [covered entities].
Annual confirmation and renewal
The organisation confirms its record each year from its account: that the practice continues, and whether anything material has changed. A confirmation opens 30 days before it is due; a record whose confirmation is more than 30 days late is suspended until a Coordinator accepts it. Renewal is a new assessment, which can start 90 days before the record ends.
Award
Verified digital certificate
Badge pack
Premium watermarked parchment certificate, with an embossed Difability seal, a red official stamp or foil seal and the Difability ribbon
How long it lasts
3 years from the date the award is made.
Level 5 of 6, above Accredited
Difability Leader
Leadership in a sector: innovation and substantial opportunity creation, with outcomes supported by independent evidence.
Who qualifies: Organisations that hold active Difability Accredited status and have no unresolved high-risk findings.
Evidence, approval, what the organisation may say and renewal
Evidence required
Evidence of sector leadership, innovation and substantial opportunity creation, with outcomes supported by independent evidence.
Who reviews and approves it
An assessor reviews the evidence and interviews the organisation, a second reviewer checks the assessment, and a Difability panel approves the award.
What the organisation may say
[Your organisation] is a Difability Leader in [field of leadership], for the award period [issue date] to [expiry date].
Annual confirmation and renewal
The organisation confirms its record each year from its account: that the practice continues, and whether anything material has changed. A confirmation opens 30 days before it is due; a record whose confirmation is more than 30 days late is suspended until a Coordinator accepts it. Renewal is a new assessment, which can start 90 days before the record ends.
Award
Verified digital certificate
Badge pack
Leadership Trophy
Premium certificate
How long it lasts
3 years from the date the award is made.
Level 6 of 6, above Leader
Difability Global Champion
Verified international or cross-sector impact, led locally by people with lived experience in the countries or communities concerned.
Who qualifies: Organisations that hold an active upper-level status (Difability Accredited or Leader), with suitable safeguarding in place.
Evidence, approval, what the organisation may say and renewal
Evidence required
Verified international or cross-sector impact, with evidence of local lived-experience leadership in each country or community concerned, and of suitable safeguarding.
Who reviews and approves it
An assessor reviews the evidence, including safeguarding, and an independent Difability panel approves the award.
What the organisation may say
[Your organisation] is a Difability Global Champion for [countries and sectors], based on evidence from [evidence period].
Annual confirmation and renewal
The organisation confirms its record each year from its account: that the practice continues, and whether anything material has changed. A confirmation opens 30 days before it is due; a record whose confirmation is more than 30 days late is suspended until a Coordinator accepts it. Renewal is a new assessment, which can start 90 days before the record ends.
Award
Verified digital certificate
Badge pack
Bespoke Global Champion Trophy
Ceremonial certificate
How long it lasts
3 years from the date the award is made.

Check an organisation’s level

Every level has a record number. Anyone can check it to see the organisation’s level and whether it is current.

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Anyone can nominate an organisation to Difability, without an account. A nomination is a recommendation only and does not give a level.

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Difability Member

Assessed levels

Difability Recognised

Difability Certified

Difability Accredited

Difability Leader

Difability Global Champion

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