Accessible Employers ’s Post

As leaders, we have the power to shape our organizations' culture and foster an environment where everyone feels valued, respected, and empowered to thrive. This is especially crucial for individuals living with disabilities, who often face barriers to inclusion and participation.   Today, on International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I'm proud to share The Valuable 500's whitepaper on "Unlocking Disability-Inclusive Leaders," which we had the privilege of contributing to alongside other global leaders.   While disability-confident leadership is increasingly recognized as a critical business imperative, few organizations have mastered it at scale. At KPMG, we're committed to this vision, actively listening to our people, and using data and insights to guide our progress. We all have a responsibility to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential. This starts with strong leaders, demonstrating empathy, creating psychological safety and actively seeking to learn from those around them. https://lnkd.in/gadBjNfe   #IDPD2024 #DisabilityInclusion

#InclusiveLeadership has been a personal passion of mine for over 12 years, and I'm excited to share an upcoming opportunity to dive deeper into this topic. I'm grateful to know Andy Traub, a true global expert in #DiversityInclusion and inclusive leadership (and not from Blanchard, by the way!). Take an hour next week to join this important discussion and explore how inclusive leadership impacts lives in powerful, tangible ways.

Happy International Day of Disabled People! (Aka International Day of Persons with Disabilities) This year's IDPWD theme is about 'amplifying leadership'. A while ago, I wrote a blog for Diversity and Ability about how leadership comes in many forms- it's not just about managing a team. Although disabled people are far from a homogenous group, we often have a shared experience of needing to demonstrate leadership skills throughout our lives; pushing for healthcare, advocating for adjustments for ourselves and our peers, fighting for social change, navigating a world that wasn't built to include us. Today offers a chance to reflect on the leadership that disabled people bring to workplaces and communities every single day. What can you do to better recognise, support and enable our contributions? https://lnkd.in/enHwrNne #IDPWD #InternationalDayOfPersonsWithDisabilities #Disability #Inclusion #Leadership

Building a truly inclusive workplace means embracing diversity in all its forms. This article from the World Economic Forum explores actionable steps leaders can take to champion #disabilityinclusion in their organizations. Check it out and share your thoughts! https://lnkd.in/eqm4W8Nz #DiversityAndInclusion #Leadership #Accessibility

From Caroline Casey | Forbes: “There's a lesson here for all business leaders: when senior executives authentically commit to disability inclusion, it sets the tone for the entire organization. Truly inclusive leaders lead with empathy, challenge the status quo, and back up their words with tangible actions and accountability. By embracing the principles of inclusive leadership, companies can unlock the full potential of their diverse workforce and drive meaningful change in the lives of employees and customers alike.” #Accessibility #Inclusion #Leadership

How accessible is your organisation? Enhancing senior leadership accessibility is a strategic opportunity for any business. Rachel Middleton and Emilia Billett examine the role that accessibility can play on an organisation's ability to secure diverse talent by removing obstacles and encouraging inclusivity across the business. Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/e3KysVNe #Accessibility #Leadership #ExecutiveSearch

Sensible, pragmatic, compassionate, data driven.. all approaches to managing reasonable adjustments in a way that might work better, more effectively, more humanely… An excellent article from People Management magazine on how employers can do it better (without necessarily spending a ton more money).. #neurodivergence #leadership #buildingbetterworkpacesforall

Simple and straightforward takeaways in today's insightful #TTGFairerTravel. One stands out: Feedback is paramount if we want improvement and leadership. #accessibletravel #EDI #disabilityinclusion #inclusivetravel #accessibilityawareness

Empathy, Inclusion, Transparency I teach a session on 'managing change' for an inclusive leadership programme across a number of different levels, and starting off this new round with bands 3-4 the other day, we spent quite a lot of time taking an appreciative inquiry approach to access positive experiences of change, and delve into the enabling factors. The list that arose and the following discussion felt like something that ALL levels of leadership would do well to remember 😊 ... - Empathy – sensing into how others might feel, paying attention, noticing - Care – thinking about what to do about the situation - Having the conversation – bring in the people who can help to make changes, explore options with them, dialogue not just questionnaires - Transparency – everyone can access the same information to help them make decisions - User friendly, inclusive systems, build systems around people – examples from US retailer Walgreens https://lnkd.in/et7B9eZP - Fairness – how to ensure that different people aren’t disproportionately impacted by change, don’t build resistance within the system - Keep each other in the loop – details change regularly, be iterative in including and communicating - Be organised – energy follows attention, how are you giving energy and focus to what you want to change? What’s within your control/sphere of influence? - Clear benefit – make sure that there’s a clear value in making changes that people can understand - Lean into the challenges of change – it can be tempting to think that problems disappear at different levels of organisation, but it’s only through embodying the lessons at each stage that we can contribute effectively and impact the wider system. #compassionateleadership #care #empathy #inclusion

A huge thank you to Charmaine Brown and Sheila Otwe of United Way for inviting me to speak on a Disabilities Awareness Month panel with the wise and compassionate Dr. Gigi Rai and Dr. Jeff Menzise. Eric Weaver was a fabulous moderator and It’s an honor to work with an organization that intentionally carves out space for important conversations.  A few of my big takeaways from the panel discussion:   ·     Labels matter. Choosing more empowering words such as being “differently abled” or having “learning differences” can go a long way to opening up conversations about what helps people thrive at work. ·     Inclusive leadership looks like asking questions such as “how can I create a more enabling environment for everyone?” ·     We are better together. Dr Menzie’s humor created the spaciousness to explore heavy topics, Dr. Rai’s authentic story sharing created trust and connection, and it was elevating to collaborate with co-presenters who are not just experts in their fields, but good humans who make people’s lives better. #disabilitiesawareness #UnitedWay #DEI #Leadership