Making commercial archaeology more inclusive
Channel: Recording Archaeology
Date: 2017-06-06

The discussion about allowing employees with disabilities in the workplace can sometimes be daunting, making many involved unnecessarily uncomfortable or even non-committal for fear of saying the wrong thing in our politically correct society. Within commercial archaeology, disabilities are frequently kept from employers out of concerns relating to getting or keeping employment. This has led to a perception of commercial archaeology as a relatively dis/ability-free zone when discussing the fitness of enabled archaeologists to work alongside their peers in their chosen profession.
This article will explore the realities of working in a commercial context through the aperture of my own personal experience as an enabled archaeologist in three distinct environments. By comparing urban, foreshore, and rural commercial sites, and the respective impacts these sites can have on enabled archaeologists, it is my intention to illustrate a reasoned approach to ensuring the inclusion of this diverse workforce within the discipline.

Erik deScathebury is a registered disabled commercial archaeologist who studied at the University of York 2009–2012, but ill health meant he was unable to complete his degree. Attempting to start again, he attended the University College London in 2014/15, but funding became an issue, and he had to suspend the course. He is currently completing a BSc from the Open University with a view to return to the University College London to study for an MSc. From May 2015, he entered the profession of commercial archaeology, working in London. He now works largely in rural-based commercial sites in the south-east of England. In October 2016, he was granted Practitioner level within the Chartered Institute of Archaeologists (CIfA). He is closely associated with the Enabled Archaeology Foundation, and provides assistance to its director and members. Since July 2016, he has also become a member of Breaking Ground Heritage, supporting veterans through Operation Nightingale to learn archaeology as a new career discipline as well as therapy for coping with disability and conditions such as PTSD.