Category Archives: Disability

Business, Disability, Disability at work, News

Wales based Delsion claims first ever Disability Owned Business Enterprise accreditation outside of USA

The highly sought-after Disability:IN approval holds potential for partnerships with globally recognised brands 

A Wales-based business has become the first ever business outside of the US to be accredited as a Disability Owned Business Enterprise (DOBE) by Disability:IN, the global organisation driving disability inclusion and equality in business.

Based in Swansea, Delsion is a multi-award-winning People and Development consultancy that works with businesses to maximise on opportunities to promote diversity, and support inclusion.

It is now also the first organisation outside of America to have gained accreditation as a  DOBE through Disability:IN’s third-party Supplier Diversity program, breaking new ground for the Welsh and UK business markets in the process.

As organisations seek to diversify their supply chains and the organisations that they work with, the DOBE accreditation opens up the way for Delsion to work with globally recognised brands.

Disability:IN compiles the prestigious Disability Equality Index, which recognises the accomplishments of nearly 400 international and large-scale businesses dedicated to supporting disability, including through their supply chain.

Corporate partners that participate in Disability:IN’s Supplier Diversity program include Marriott, Microsoft, Sodexo, Walmart and Wells Fargo, among others.

Delsion founder, Julian John, became disabled through brain damage, following a high-level career in Human Resources. His experiences have included having to learn to stand, walk and talk again, long-term unemployment and homelessness.

He set up Delsion to use his knowledge and experiences to support organisations and to focus on the abilities and advantages of having a diverse workforce, rather than the difficulties and barriers.

 

Julian said of the Disability:IN DOBE accreditation: “I’m really passionate about finding opportunities to support diverse entrepreneurship and enterprise wherever possible, and sought this accreditation to help demonstrate the best practice that is happening at a global level, as well as right here in the UK.

“This accreditation shows how Delsion is able to compete on the world stage through the work that we do to support organisations in becoming more inclusive and promoting diversity generally.”

“It’s also a great opportunity for UK businesses to increase diversity in their own supply chains as a result of Delsion’s breakthrough accreditation, and to learn from the knowledge and insight that will come with it into the British market as a result,” Julian added.

“Our approach to helping organisations become more diverse and inclusive comes from our extensive experience of people and culture change, and importantly from our lived experiences of disability and the very issues and barriers that Diversity & Inclusion activities are aimed at eliminating. Having such a recognised accreditation is a clear sign of how effective this approach is to others considering working with us,” Julian added.

 

Disability:IN has a network of more than 400 partners working together to expand opportunities for people with disabilities.

Delsion helps people and organisations reach their true potential through the provision of training models, people-oriented solutions and other development programs, created with a view to promoting maximum inclusion at all times.

Its accreditation by Disability:IN as a DOBE available to deliver these services to its corporate partners was subject to an extremely thorough audit process looking at every area of the business, and also involved external ratification of the business by a senior procurement director outside of Disability:IN.

 

Jill Houghton, President and CEO of Disability:IN, said: “We are proud to expand our DOBE program to the UK as we recognise the global economic impact that self-employment brings to people with disabilities. Delsion is a role model for disability-owned businesses and now has the third-party accreditation needed to bring its people training programs to UK corporations looking for diverse suppliers.”

 

For more information on Delsion visit www.delsion.co.uk.

For more information on the Disability Owned Business Enterprise program visit www.disabilityin.org

 

Disability, Disability at work, Diversity, News

Disabled People’s Employment Champion: the pandemic has helped make some Welsh workplaces more accessible

James Wilkinson has extensive experience in helping disabled people access employment and is focussed on demystifying misconceptions employers have of disabled workers.

Drawing on his own experiences, he has championed inclusivity and influenced change to HR policies. Now, working as a Disabled People’s Employment Champion for the Welsh Government, he is helping businesses across the country to reflect and review their policies relating to disabled staff.

“The pandemic forced business leaders to think differently about diversity and inclusion within their organisations.” says James.

“The Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated just how resilient and flexible businesses across the UK can be. We’ve gone through a genuinely era-defining, totally unexpected, structural shake up in terms of how our society operates on a professional basis. Traditional practices and rules around work have been turned on their head, with businesses having to adapt and transform their processes to survive and thrive in this new era.

“Many of these adaptations have contributed towards the movement of workplaces becoming more inclusive and accommodating of employee needs. Diversity in the workplace is more of a focus for businesses, with the pandemic bringing about important lessons employers can learn to ensure their workplace is inclusive and they are attracting and retaining disabled workers.

“Prior to the pandemic, there was an apprehension among many senior leaders in businesses around flexible working practices. Seen as somewhat straying from traditional procedures, many companies were hesitant to fully adapt their general processes, however, the pandemic forced employers to take the leap and offer more flexible working arrangements.

“The general success of this new way of working has brought to the forefront just how outdated certain conventional practices are in today’s society, paving the way for further change with businesses increasingly seeing flexibility and diversity in the workplace as positive for their operations.

“Workplace adaptations have brought about positive change in terms of working to eliminate societal barriers to success for many disabled people.”

“The social model of disability, which recognises that people with impairments are disabled by barriers that commonly exist in society rather than the impairment itself, is a core principle behind this. Traditional working practices can be obstacles for many disabled people disabling their ability to work in certain roles. By the pandemic having forced businesses to adopt more inclusive ways of working, this has helped some disabled workers perform their job roles more easily.

“Working from home is one of the main adaptations that many disabled people were looking for before the pandemic. Commuting to the office can involve many logistical barriers due to issues with accessibility and transportation. Lack of accessible train stations, restricted bus services due to covid 19 restrictions, lack of accessible parking, unsuitable environment and general attitudes of the public can all add up to making commuting to work a logistical challenge.

Many employers have realised working from home can increase productivity, and not impact negatively on their business. I recently spoke with someone who, like myself, has a condition which affects his mobility. Prior to the pandemic, he was only able to work 20-25 hours a week due his condition, however, when his company shifted to working from home, he no longer had to commute to the office and as a result felt much more energized. He was then able to begin working full time as a direct result.

“My own physical impairment also affects how I get into the office every day, previously commuting from Cardiff to Bristol was exhausting. Working from home now means that my morning commute consists of a few metres to my desk. I personally have benefitted from not feeling as fatigued and enjoying extra time previously lost due to the commute.

“The pandemic has taught employers important lessons in opening up their workplaces to be more inclusive when they are attracting and retaining disabled workers.”

“My advice to employers looking to become more inclusive would be to embrace change, learn from your adaptability, and look beyond. Next time your employee suggests a different approach in order to expand your inclusivity offer, even if it is a structural change, take account for their thoughts, explore the idea and work with them.

“If working from home has taught us one thing, it’s that where possible, don’t focus on the location, instead focus on the job role. The pandemic has highlighted how, for many job roles, location is irrelevant. For roles that can operate on a flexi-working or work-from-home basis, it is now evident that businesses were putting too much onus on location and therefore missing out on an abundance of untapped talent.

“Wales is a rural, low population density country, meaning that for some disabled workers, if you aren’t based in or around Cardiff, many jobs are not accessible. Previously, the majority of businesses would prioritise recruitment where someone is based geographically as opposed to whether or not they were the best person for the job.

“Though, the recent shift in working style has deconstructed these barriers. There is an important lesson to be learned around opening up recruitment services and thus widening the pool of talent available for businesses to choose from.

“Covid-19 has also encouraged employers to establish a better culture of trust and empowerment. Over the last 19-months, we’ve seen businesses listen more to their staff and adapt job roles to fit around the employee, as opposed to the traditional approach of moulding the employee to fit a role.

“For those in or returning to office, many businesses are taking a phased approach, or are allowing their workforce to continue to operate from a working from home basis. As a physically disabled employee, to be given this choice is a major benefit as it reduces unnecessary stress and anxiety, allowing me to continue operating at a comfortable, productive level, but most importantly, it makes me feel heard.

“Home working is not suitable for all disabled people and its vital employers have open and honest conversations with staff to understand how their job can best fit within their lives, negotiating the best route for both the individual and the business. That way staff are given the option, and therefore made to feel valued and trusted to make that choice.

“Overall, the pandemic has shaken the working world. With our professional landscape having stayed relevantly still for decades, Covid-19 has proved to be the necessary push for businesses to enter the modern-day era in regards to adapting working practices to become more inclusive and diverse. Reasonable adaptations, such as working from home, have now become mainstream and have benefited the working life of many disabled people.”

For more information on how your business can attract, recruit, and retain disabled employees, including those with mental health and/ or other hidden conditions, contact the Disabled People’s Employment Champions by emailing DPEC@gov.wales or visit Skills Gateway for Business.                    

 

Disability, News

Handicare Awarded Major Council Housing Adaptations Contracts

Leading UK stairlifts provider Handicare has successfully retained contracts with two local authorities to supply, install, service, repair, and remove stairlifts and patient handling equipment.

The authorities, Glasgow City Council in Scotland and Gateshead Council in the North of England, serve over 100,000 elderly residents, many of whom will rely on mobility aids to remain in their homes into later life. The Glasgow contract, awarded in June 2021, is agreed until at least June 2024, while the Gateshead contract will run until 2023 with the opportunity to renew for a further two years.

Both contracts, previously held by Handicare, have been retained following a competitive tender process. Despite the challenges the Covid-19 pandemic has posed, Handicare has continued to deliver on its promises to provide a quality service for the stairlift users who rely on them.

Handicare’s VP Commercial Clare Brophy commented: “The pandemic has been disruptive for all of us, but Handicare has worked tirelessly to achieve a fully covid-secure service throughout. We have remained open by providing full PPE for our engineers and surveyors, as well as ensuring that frontline staff received vaccines at the earliest opportunity. In every instance, the costs of these measures have been absorbed by Handicare, freeing up local authorities to focus resources on supporting their communities through the crisis.”

Clare went on to congratulate the Local Authority team on their success: “This is a fantastic achievement by the whole team. Their hard work and dedication to servicing local authority contracts has really helped to build relationships and strengthen our reputation. We look forward to making everyday life easier for even more stairlift users through this local authority provision.”

Handicare is a division of global accessibility leader Savaria, providing accessibility solutions to make everyday life easier for customers around the world. In the UK, Handicare supplies technical aids for elderly and disabled patients, enabling them to stay in their homes and enjoy their independence for longer.

Disability, Disability at work, HR News, News, News from Wales

Terry Mills: Building for Success in Supporting Disabled People in the Workplace

Terry Mills, Disabled People’s Employment Champion for the Welsh Government, talks about the importance of supporting disabled people in the workplace – and shares his tips to help employers get it right.

“Throughout my career I have worked closely with disabled people and those over 50 so I understand both professionally and personally how common it is for people to develop impairments later in their career. At the age of 45, I developed severe arthritis and sleep apnoea, which has meant I have experienced first-hand the transition to becoming a disabled employee in the workplace.

“Factors such as age mean that most disabled people acquire their disability when their careers are already established. Only 17% of disabled people are born disabled, while the other 83% acquire their impairments while they are in work[1]. It is predicted that by 2022, one third of people of working age in Wales will be over the age of 50[2], so ensuring that the workplace is inclusive for both older and disabled workers will be increasingly important for employees, employers and the economy.

For HR professionals, an ageing workforce means that dealing with the transition from a non-disabled to a disabled employee is becoming an inevitability rather than a hypothetical situation. So how can this transition be managed effectively?

“I’ve witnessed first-hand many examples of communication breakdowns between HR professionals and employees who acquire impairments whilst working for their organisation. Often, disabled workers are reluctant to share details of their new-found impairment because there are real fears that it might impact their future at the company.

“In my experience, employers often discover an employee has developed an impairment during a disciplinary process because, without adequate support being in place, it has affected their work performance. Therefore, it’s vital for businesses to ensure their HR department is an open and transparent space, regularly keeping all employees updated on the latest policies and support that’s available to them. Even if it’s not relevant to staff in the immediate term, knowing that a support network provided by HR is there can make employees more likely to come forward if they do require adjustments later in their career.

“There’s also a perceived barrier by some employers regarding the costs involved in making adaptations to the workplace which, in turn, can make disabled employees feel uncomfortable about admitting the support they need. While employers have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to enable the worker to continue in employment these adjustments are usually quite simple with an average cost of just £30. If more costly adaptions to the working environment are required, there is advice and support available to businesses.

“Luckily, in Wales, there’s so much support available to businesses to help make them as inclusive as possible. I am one of a network of Disabled People’s Employment Champions who will be working closely with businesses to raise awareness of the benefits of a diverse workforce and provide practical support to help them attract, recruit and retain disabled employees.

“Employment rates are significantly lower for disabled people than non-disabled people. Retaining employees who become disabled is therefore vitally important if Wales is to become a fair work nation and champion of diversity and inclusivity. Supporting experienced and knowledgeable staff who develop impairments to remain in the workplace is astute and good business practice, saving money on recruitment and, training.

“Put simply, it makes business sense to support staff who become disabled during their working life. Otherwise, businesses risk losing experienced talent from their workforce. Having a diverse workforce can also bring so many other business benefits including attracting the widest pool of talent, as well as increased productivity, creativity and profitability. So if you want to talk about how your business can become more inclusive, I’d urge you to speak to a Disabled People’s Employment Champion today.”

 

Three top tips:

  1) Tackle communication barriers:

Communication is key. It’s important to have an open dialogue with staff to ensure that they feel comfortable approaching HR with any issues, including becoming disabled.

2) Understand reasonable adjustments:

When supporting a member of staff who has become disabled, don’t over complicate the situation. Sit down with them and discuss what adjustments they need to continue working productively; this could be as simple as a change in work hours or some remote working.

3) Awareness of support and funding available:

Businesses could be eligible for funding of up to £60,700 through the Access to Work scheme, which helps cover the cost of any adaptations or additional support needed to enable a disabled employee to start or stay in work. Support is also available from the Disabled People’s Employment Champions.

For more information on how your business can attract, recruit, and retain disabled employees, contact the Disabled People Employment Champions by emailing DPEC@gov.wales or visit Skills Gateway for Business. We’re in your corner. 

About the author

Terry Mills was appointed as a Disabled People’s Employment Champion for the Welsh Government.

He joins a network of Champions who are experts in their field and will provide support to employers to help improve workplace diversity in Wales.

Terry’s career spans over 40 years and has included running his own business and becoming Chief Executive of entrepreneurial charity Prime Cymru. He has also worked as an advisor and board member of Disability Wales. He has gained extensive experience as a trade union representative and has worked with companies to provide reasonable adjustments for disabled employees.

 

References

[1] House of Commons – Disability employment gap – Work and Pensions Committee (parliament.uk)

[2] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/816458/future-of-an-ageing-population.pdf

Disability, Disability at work, News

Celebrate Global Accessibility Awareness Day With LastPass

Every user deserves an accessible web experience. Today marks Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day to raise awareness of digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people worldwide living with disabilities.

Securing your digital life requires digital accessibility, and LastPass strives to be everyone’s go-to password manager. However, we recognise this cannot happen until we have adapted the way in which our product works or is presented to end-users with disabilities. On this 10th Global Accessibility Awareness Day, LastPass is excited to share the initial steps we’ve taken to ensure our password manager can be used by everyone.

Building a foundation for inclusivity and accessibility

As of today, LastPass has enabled keyboard navigation, updated proper colour contrast and readability, and has added regions and language tags to allow users to navigate with screen readers and keyboards more easily within the vault navigation across three main browsers.

Let’s take a closer look at the vault navigation accessibility updates:

  • Keyboard Operation: Keyboard navigation has been enabled. While this benefits all users who prefer to navigate the web with their keyboard, it also removes access barriers for those who are unable to use a mouse and/or utilise screen readers.
  • Screen Reader Navigation: Users can more easily and quickly navigate to different sections of the application when using screen readers and keyboards.
  • Colour: Proper contrast in colours has been applied according to accessibility standards. In this way, those with visual impairments will be able to more easily differentiate text and interactive elements. It will also mitigate screen fatigue for those working in bright lighting conditions.
  • Font: Updated font and spacing has been implemented to ensure readability for users with visual impairments.
  • Language: Language tags have been updated to ensure that screen readers can operate within the selected language for users with visual impairments.

Our work has only just begun

This is a significant step in ensuring LastPass is inclusive and can be used by all. While we are eager to bring these updates to our LastPass community, we know this is just the first step in our journey to remove usage barriers.

“I see the commitment that LastPass is taking due to the fact that their Customer Success team worked with us, and now, they have an accessibility patch coming out,” says Lucy Greco, Web Accessibility Evangelist at UC Berkeley. “This shows that a significant amount of resources were used. To me, even if an organisation hasn’t achieved everything on their to-do list, putting the commitment in is the important part. We’ll eventually get there. It’s a journey of small steps, not large.”

“The majority of data breaches can be traced back to simple slip-ups in password security. Hackers don’t discriminate when it comes to compromising personal or professional accounts to gain access to precious data, and neither should the tools that are responsible for keeping users safe.” Says Dan DeMichele, VP of Product, LastPass by LogMeIn. “With more than one billion people worldwide living with disabilities, it is our responsibility as a technology provider to create web and mobile experiences that are inclusive and available to all. LastPass strives to be everyone’s go-to password manager, but we recognise this cannot happen until we have adapted the way in which our product works or is presented to end-users with disabilities.”

“While we are excited to bring updates that make LastPass accessible for everyone in our community, we know this is just the first step in our journey to removing usage barriers. Achieving full accessibility is a long and constant road and moving forward, we will be striving to design product updates with accessibility in mind. In our digital lives, whether it be work or play, having the assurance that your digital life is secure is something everyone deserves.”

Construction, Disability, News

Improving fire safety for the vulnerable

The British Standards Institution has withdrawn its guidance on fire risk assessments following the threat of legal action from a bereaved Grenfell family. The assessments stated it was “not normally practicable” to identify people with disabilities or for landlords to make provision for their evacuation in a fire.

For the estimated 43% of social housing residents who live with a long-term disability, the use of cutting-edge technology that remotely monitors the home environment 24/7 – and generates live data that illustrates the real-time risk level unique to each property – has the potential to prevent life-threatening events.

FireAngel’s Co-founder and Chief Product Officer, Nick Rutter, comments: “With a growing trend towards an ageing population, many of whom are living with underlying health conditions and/or disabilities, there is increasing pressure on social housing landlords to safeguard vulnerable residents.

“Cognitive and/or physical impairments that may arise in ageing populations can influence the probability of a fire, the residents’ ability to detect a fire in its early stages and promptly evacuate the property when required. Taking this into account, the remote monitoring of individual residents’ home environment offers a real opportunity to mitigate risk and fire prevention.

“The government’s charter for social housing residents: social housing white paper, published in November last year has also put an onus on social housing landlords to further enhance safety in the sector. Brought about by the tragic events of the Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017, the white paper provides an opportunity to raise standards in a sector that covers four million households.

“Installing connected fire safety technologies also underpins the principles of the Building Safety Bill, which aims to provide transparent accountability for safety throughout a building’s lifecycle, including provision of fire safety and related equipment such as smoke alarms, heat alarms and carbon monoxide alarms,” adds Nick Rutter.

“Cutting-edge connected safety offers a quick and easy to install safeguard, which can be achieved by interlinking alarms with wireless technology, so that if one alarm is triggered, the remaining alarms and ancillary devices are immediately activated, alerting a person with impaired hearing to the unfolding fire.

“Using remote alarm monitoring, Internet of Things (IoT) and predictive data analysis, connected safety technology also has the potential to identify a fire risk before it escalates to a 999 call. Not only can the data monitored in real-time alert social landlords to the status of alarms in the property when they are triggered but also when they need to be replaced. Prevention is always the priority.

“Connection to the IoT enables landlords to monitor important features such as the building’s age and condition as well as the wear and tear of electrical appliances. Being able to combine this information with data on individuals’ physical or mental status is also important. If a person has dementia, is partially-sighted or uses a wheelchair, they will be slow to respond in the event of a fire.

“Using connected technology, a person-centred approach can be applied to fire safety procedures and systems. Adopting this approach means safeguards can be implemented, managed and maintained according to a vulnerable resident’s individual needs, helping to support many of the requirements set out in the charter for social housing residents,” Nick Rutter concluded.

Disability, Disability at work, Diversity

Top business leaders pen open letter to Boris Johnson to tackle growing disability employment gap

Business leaders have today called on the Prime Minister to deliver on his promise of a truly transformative National Strategy for Disabled People.

In an open letter, over a dozen senior business leaders have urged Boris Johnson to keep his promise to make it the most ambitious disability plan in a generation and to consider the CSJ Disability Commission’s ground-breaking new report.

Agreeing with the PM that there should be no barriers to anyone realising their full potential, they have explicitly linked the success of the Strategy to his flagship levelling-up agenda, which promises to increase opportunity across the UK.

In the letter, the signatories say, “disabled people have waited long enough and now is the time for action”. They urge the PM to show in his strategy that he has given careful consideration to the Commission’s recommendations and say, in return, “we stand ready to play our part”.’

Disabled people have been hit particularly hard by Coronavirus according to the ONS and concerted action by Government and business is crucial to reducing the disability employment gap, which has widened as a result of the pandemic. Currently, just 52 per cent of disabled people are in employment compared with 81 per cent of non-disabled people.

The CSJ Disability Commission makes five key recommendations to reduce the gap:

  • Increasing supported routes into employment

  • Introducing mandatory employment and pay gap reporting

  • Leveraging Government procurement

  • Reforming the Government’s Disability Confident scheme

  • Reforming the Government’s Access to Work scheme

The Commission’s report argues a central feature of the Government’s National Strategy for Disabled People must be the inclusion of robust measures focused on improving disabled people’s employment prospects. It argues that until employment disadvantage is addressed, disabled people will continue to face social exclusion, financial hardship, and reduced well-being.

The CSJ Disability Commission is chaired by disabled Conservative member of the House of Lords, Kevin Shinkwin and comprised of both disabled and non-disabled members from the business, disability and parliamentary world.

Lord Shinkwin says, “The Prime Minister’s strategy represents a once in a generation chance to chart a new way forward where disabled people’s potential to contribute, compete and, in some cases, excel and reach the top of their professions, on merit, can at last be realised. We have one shot at this – that’s why it’s so important his strategy gets it right. What makes this even more exciting is that big business is ready to get behind him”

The Commission was set up with the backing of the DFN Foundation to feed into the Prime Minister’s National Strategy for Disabled People. The DFN Foundation, founded by David Forbes-Nixon, is committed to developing a new enabling vision that will seize the disability employment agenda and drive tangible and sustainable change.

David Forbes-Nixon, Commission Deputy Chair, says, “Having a disabled son has opened up my eyes to the inequalities in education, employment and life chances for disabled people in the UK. I hope the Commission’s recommendations, particularly in employment, will be embraced by the Prime Minister in his National Strategy for Disabled People so we can draw on this extraordinary and untapped talent pool.”

The Commission’s report is especially relevant now as data reveals that disabled people have suffered disproportionately during the pandemic – in physical health, mental health, and economically – compared to non-disabled people.

Importantly, the report extends beyond employment to cover four other areas of life for disabled people: transport, education, housing, and access to goods & services. It makes extensive policy recommendations which, if enacted, would substantially increase the ability of disabled people to participate more fully in society and realise their potential.

Tanni, Baroness Grey-Thompson DBE, gold medal-winning former Paralympian and a Commissioner, says, “Despite the very welcome improvements in legislation since the Disability Discrimination Act, the experience of the last 25 years shows that laws on their own aren’t enough. The political will to enforce them is crucial. Right now, disabled people feel that we’re going backwards. That’s why we really need the PM to keep his promise of a transformative strategy and drive change from the front.”

Research and analysis for the Report has been led by the influential think tank, the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ).

Andy Cook, Chief Executive of the CSJ, says, “If we are to truly level-up, we need to be much bolder in our approach towards disabled people. Disabled people face too many unnecessary barriers in society. There is an opportunity now to empower disabled people into full and active participation within all aspects of society. I encourage the government to look closely at this report’s findings.”