SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE SERIES
Disability inclusion and accessibility:
Tuesday 4th July 2023
This webinar is specifically designed to empower DEI professionals and HR directors like you, who play a vital role in shaping the policies, practices, and culture of your organization. By attending this event, you will gain practical tools and learn from industry experts to effectively champion disability inclusion and accessibility within your workplace. Here’s what we will cover:
– Building Inclusive Policies: Discover best practices for developing inclusive policies that support employees with disabilities throughout their employment lifecycle, from recruitment to retention and advancement.
– Accessibility in Physical Spaces: Learn how to assess and improve physical accessibility in your workplace, ensuring equal access and accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
– Assistive Technologies and Digital Accessibility: Explore the latest advancements in assistive technologies and learn how to create digitally accessible platforms, websites, and applications.
– Fostering an Inclusive Culture: Discover strategies to foster a culture of inclusivity, empathy, and respect for people with disabilities, promoting collaboration and engagement among all employees.
– Case Studies and Success Stories: Gain inspiration from organizations that have successfully transformed their disability inclusion and accessibility practices, and learn from their experiences.
Agenda
12:05pm EDT / 5:05pm BST
Panel Discussion: Fostering and Supporting Neurodiverse Individuals at Work
In this panel, join us as we focus on the importance of fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace culture that values neurodiversity and provides accommodations and support for neurodiverse individuals to thrive in their careers.
– Identifying the benefits of neurodiversity in the workplace such as enhanced creativity and problem-solving skills
– Overcoming common challenges faced by neurodiverse individuals at work such as sensory overload and discomfort, communication barriers and social interaction difficulties, difficulty with time management and organization and challenges with task completion and following through
– Identifying strategies for accommodating and supporting neurodiverse employees
– Building awareness and understanding of neurodiversity among all employees
– Encouraging open communication and feedback
Panellists:
Andrew Eddy, Co-Founder, Untapped
Paul Fox, Vice President, Customer Acquisition (Workplace), Texthelp
Meike Bliebenicht, Neurodiversity Programme Lead, BP
Our Speakers
Paul Fox, Vice President, Customer Acquisition (Workplace), Texthelp
Paul is Key Account Director and UK & Ireland Acquisitions Manager for Texthelp. Working across a number of key sectors including Government, Public Sector, Health, Third sector, Housing and Private Sector SME’s, Paul and his team provide assistive software solutions that help support those organisations in their diversity, inclusion and accessibility journey.
Prior to joining Texthelp in 2017, Paul spent 20 years with a leading Irish bank where he held positions including Area Manager and Head of Direct Sales & Service and more recently has also worked with the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Having spent a number of years as Volunteer Director and Chair of Stepping Stones NI and with close personal experience of learning disability, Paul has developed a keen interest in accessibility, diversity and inclusion and is passionate about promoting workplace equality and creating opportunity for all.
Outside of work, Paul is a dedicated husband, devoted father of three, musician and most recently qualified pilot!
Visit Paul’s LinkedIn profile
What you will gain:
Flexible access to content
Our online conference portal offers a personalised content experience. You can join in with the sessions at work and on the go, live and on demand, and join in the conversation in-session with fellow attendees.
An opportunity to make new contacts
After the learning, join us to meet speakers and fellow attendees and make new contacts at our exclusive after-show digital meetup.
Tuesday 5th June 2023 | Agenda
11:00am EDT / 4:00pm BST
Key advice on how to achieve wellness and wellbeing in the workplace
– Reviewing the wellbeing strategies which are working at Mazars – tips for other practitioners
– Highlighting strategies to address anxiety and depression and other mental health issues
– Protecting physical wellbeing in an age of flexible yet static desk-working
– Tackling wellbeing issues connecting with the cost of living crisis
– Measuring levels of content and taking a proactive approach to wellbeing issues
Sonal Dhulashia, Head of Inclusion, Diversity & Wellbeing, Mazars
in conversation with Georgina Wilczek, Chair, Diversity Network
11:25am EDT / 4:25pm BST
Panel Discussion: Improving employee wellness and wellbeing, belonging and inclusion
– How can organisations ensure that wellbeing is a priority?
– How is the recession affecting budgets for wellbeing initiatives? What low-cost initiatives still might help?
– Best practices for including mental health first aid training in your organisation
– Identifying particiular wellbeing challenges of our age, such as hybrid and remote working
– Identifying the economic value of investing in workplace wellbeing
Moderated by
Georgina Wilczek, Chair, Diversity Network
Panellists:
Mark Jones, EMEA Wellbeing Manager, Randstad
Caroline Creven Fourrier, VP Global Head of Wellbeing, Novartis
Louise Aston, Wellbeing Campaign Director, Business in the Community (BITC)
Access BITC’s latest report
Our speakers
Sonal Dhulashia, Head of Inclusion, Diversity & Wellbeing, Mazars
Sonal is an MCIPD qualified inclusion, diversity and wellbeing specialist who brings experience working both strategically and operationally to create inclusive workplaces. Ability to utilise commercial HR experience from a variety of sectors including retail, legal and professional services to drive workplace cultural change.
Follow Sonal on LinkedIn
Improving the diversity of supply chain partners | Agenda
11am EDT / 4pm BST
Case Study: Disability inclusion and accessibility in the Middle East
– Empowering disabled colleagues across Siemens Energy: Why building a disability inclusive company is a top priority
– Enabling people feel confident to talk openly about their disabilities and request the adjustments they need to perform their duties
– Creating an environment where colleagues with a disability can thrive, where accessibility is a natural part of how we work
– Giving disabled colleagues prompt access to the support and adjustments they need to realise their full potential
Dr Florian Koemm, Vice President and General Counsel, Siemens Energy Middle East
11:25am EDT / 4:25pm BST
Panel discussion: Driving Change: Strategies for Transforming Disability Inclusion and Accessibility
– Fostering a culture that values and prioritizes disability inclusion, promoting awareness, empathy, and collaboration
– Implementing inclusive policies to support employees with disabilities at all stages of their employment journey
– Empowering employees about disability inclusion, breaking down stereotypes, and promoting understanding and allyship
– Digital accessibility and innovative technologies and practices that promote digital inclusion for people with disabilities
– Addressing common challenges and roadblocks in disability inclusion efforts
Moderator: Elisabeth Galvin, Content Editor, Diversity Network
Panellists:
Ashlesha Yadav, Education Mentor, UX Design Institute and Design Lead, Inspera
Roger Broadbent, Director, Dyslexia Institute UK and Empowerment Passport
Fara Muneer, Head of Business Development, Centre for Accessible Environments
Speakers
Dr Florian Koemm, Vice President and General Counsel, Siemens Energy Middle East
Florian manages the corporate and operational legal support of Siemens Energy in the Middle East, supporting and leading a team of thirteen legal professionals.
Florian is the General Counsel for Siemens Energy in the Middle East, based out of Dubai. After graduating in Law from the Universities of Passau and Bonn (Germany) and post-graduate studies, Florian started his career advising Siemens’ Financial Services business in Munich in 2009. He then moved on following different opportunities with the Mobility business in Erlangen and New York. Since 2017, Florian is based out of Dubai and supporting Siemens Energy’s business in all legal matters across the Middle East.
Click here to connect with Florian on LinkedIn
Ashlesha Yadav, Education Mentor, UX Design Institute and Design Lead, Inspera
Ashlesha is passionate about helping upcoming designers grow in their careers by providing mentorship and feedback on their work. As a mentor, she offers guidance, constructive feedback, and resources to help designers improve their skills and achieve their goals. She believes in the power of mentorship to accelerate growth and build connections within the design community.
Her recent interest in Accessibility makes designs to make it a part of the design process for our teams so that products can be used by a wide range of people, including individuals who have visual, motor, auditory, speech, or cognitive disabilities.
Click here to connect with Ashlesha on LinkedIn
Fara Muneer, Head of Business Development, Centre for Accessible Environments
Fara is Head of the Centre for Accessible Environments a leading consultancy in inclusion and equality and accessible design. CAE is part of Habinteg , with a shared mission of driving greater accessibility and inclusivity of buildings and environments to enable disabled people to live as independently as possible and be part of a fully inclusive society.
She is also a Design Council Expert, IChair of London Regional Stakeholder Network for the Disability Unit, Cabinet Office and Disability Expert for HMCTS, Ministry of Justice.
Click here to connect with Fara on LinkedIn
Roger Broadbent, Director, Dyslexia Institute UK and Empowerment Passport
Roger Broadbent is the Director of both the Dyslexia Institute UK and also the Empowerment Passport Ltd.
Click here to connect with Roger on LinkedIn
Elisabeth Galvin, Content Editor, Diversity Network
Elisabeth is content editor at Diversity Network, an organisation committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and creating a better workplace for all. As a journalist and author, she has also worked in the US, London, Australia and Hong Kong for a range of magazines and newspapers. She is now based in Australia writing her third biography for the publisher Pen & Sword.
Click here to connect with Elisabeth on LinkedIn
Why attend?
Why Attend?
Become a trailblazer in disability inclusion: Become part of the movement to create a more inclusive and accessible world for all individuals, regardless of their abilities. Gain valuable insights and practical strategies from experts who know how to successfully implement disability inclusion and accessibility initiatives and apply their knowledge to create an environment where every employee feels welcomed, valued, and supported.
Stay updated on best practices: Discover the latest best practices in disability inclusion and accessibility. Stay informed about current trends, policies, and technologies that can help you create a more inclusive and accessible workplace and gain practical solutions and approaches to overcome challenges and roadblocks commonly encountered when implementing disability inclusion initiatives.
Lead the way in digital accessibility: Explore the significance of digital accessibility and learn about innovative technologies and practices that promote inclusivity in digital platforms. Understand the importance of ensuring your organization’s digital presence is accessible to all. Learn how to engage leadership and secure buy-in for disability inclusion initiatives. Understand the role of leadership in driving change and fostering a culture of inclusion within the organization.
Register here
Please complete the form below and we will send you the access link to the recording via email shortly.
Thank you very much for an excellent and thought provoking conference. Many thanks to the team for organising such a great event.
L&D MANAGER, PAY UK
