The IP Ability committee has compiled a collection of useful links and resources to help IP professionals and employers become more disability-confident. You can access the latest version here (last updated August 2025). The collection includes general resources for employers, employees and aspiring IP professionals. It also highlights some tools and resources relating to specific aspects of disability, neurodiversity, health and caring.
We would love to hear from you with your suggestions, both about resources you already know of and those you’d like to find here. Please also check out IP Inclusive’s main Resources page for other materials relevant to diversity and inclusion. You may also find our Mental Health Hub useful.
Articles, Guidance and Events
IP Ability is keen to spread the word about its work and about the importance of inclusivity for disabled people and carers in the IP professions, to help get conversations going and remove some of the stigma around disability. That helps employers, colleagues and allies become more confident about the way they support disabled colleagues and employees, and carers, and makes it easier for disabled people and carers to speak up about the support and adjustments they need in order to make the contributions they know they are capable of.
Check out our IP Ability articles, guidance, blogs, events and interviews below (last updated June 2026). For easier scanning, we have divided them into the following broad topic headings: Neurodivergence; Health conditions; Carers; Disability awareness, confidence and pride; Inclusivity, accessibility and adjustments.
We are grateful to all of the third party publications listed below for helping us to promote the great work that IP Ability are doing. We hope it empowers more people to get involved in the campaign for change. If you can help us with future articles, blogs or other publicity, please contact IPAbility [email protected]
You can catch up on all recorded IP Ability events via their YouTube playlist:
Neurodivergence
Pace yourself…! – blog post on conference burnout (May 2026)
Allies & Intersectionality – interview series by IP Inclusive: in Episode 3 Jonathan Andrews shared his experiences of being on the autism spectrum (July 2020)
Sense check – cover story for CITMA Review, about supporting colleagues on the autism spectrum (February 2020)
All you need to know about the Carer’s Leave Act – recording and slides from this webinar which discussed the legal provisions in the new act, how these intersect with other rights, and gave an employer’s view on best practice and a personal perspective (May 2024)
Allies & Intersectionality – interview series by IP Inclusive: in Episode 4 Chris Clarke spoke about being a carer (September 2020)
Spotlight on carers – an interview piece with three IP professionals about their personal experiences as carers (June 2020)
Reading the room – blog and recording of this webinar which focused on the societal stigma associated with the terms ‘disabled’ and ‘disability’, with two speakers from the Law Society Disabled Solicitors Network committee, to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities (11th December 2023)
Real lives: A Disability Pride Month Webinar – recording of this online panel discussion with solicitor Mark Blois and patent attorney Gemma Christie as they shared their experiences as disabled professionals in the legal industry (July 2022)
What does disability look like? – a blog giving outcomes of a joint IP Ability and Women in IP coffee date discussion (May 2021)
Influential Women in IP 2020 – article in World IP Review which included contributions from IP Ability committee co-leads Marianne Privett and Francesca Rivers (June 2020)
Two IPs in a Pod podcast – Interview with IP Ability guests Marianne Privett, Chris Clarke and George Lucas, who bring both a personal and professional perspective on disability inclusion and emphasize the crucial need for a more open and accessible environment within the IP profession (August 2024)
Online, but not forgotten – a blog and recording of this joint CIPA and IP Ability webinar, with guest speaker Chris Naylor from Bnode, exploring the challenges that disabled (including neurodivergent) people can face when interacting with online content (9 March 2023)
Leaving no one behind – a blog and recording of an Inclusivity Unlocked! panel discussion on post-Covid inclusivity for under-represented groups, with input from IP Ability, IP Futures and Women in IP (September 2022)
COVID-19 and disability – an article exploring the additional challenges the virus and disease have brought for disabled people (November 2020)
“Ask Me Anything” recordings – series by the IP Inclusive North of England network answering questions from diversity allies, several of which relate to supporting disabled people (October 2020)
Working remotely: making it work – an article with some hints and tips from an IP Ability committee member for whom working remotely is no new thing (April 2020)