What is bias?

Bias is the inclination, tendency or prejudice for or against a person or group, often in a way that can be considered unfair or unreasonable.

Everyone carries bias, influenced by our upbringing, beliefs, culture, environment, social connections and the society we live in. Our bias impacts how we perceive information and the decisions we make daily.

While it is often easy to recognise our strong and overt biases, it is the subtle, unconscious biases that can provide the biggest barrier to making fair and equitable decisions.

Unconscious bias has particular significance when it leads to the systematic negative treatment of people based on factors like disability, gender, race, ethnicity or social orientation.

People with disability face barriers and assumptions when seeking employment or within workplaces, therefore it’s vital to be aware of and assess our bias and judgements at each decision point and interaction.