Nikki Paul’s Post

I am deeply moved after watching this video. It delivers such a powerful and necessary message. It reminds us that we all bear responsibility when we fail to build truly inclusive systems—systems that, knowingly or unknowingly, leave gaps and impact countless lives. We speak of inclusion, yet these gaps persist, and we must acknowledge that there's much more to be done. Building a world that truly works for everyone requires us to take intentional action, rethink our approach, and commit to creating spaces where every individual can thrive. The work ahead is vital, and the need for real inclusion is urgent. #InclusionMatters #DiversityAndInclusion #Equity #InclusiveLeadership #BreakTheBias #BuildABetterFuture

In the ever-evolving world of fintech, #ProjectNemo stands as a beacon of inclusivity, championed by disability inclusion advocate Joanne Dewar, myself, and our dedicated team. Our mission is clear: to bridge the gap between fintech and disability inclusion, empowering leaders and stakeholders to create truly accessible environments for all. As we embark on this transformative journey, we are reminded of the words of Helen Keller: "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Indeed, it is the collective effort of our team, sponsors, and supporters that propels us forward. From the initial spark of conversation to the grand unveiling at the IFGS launch, every step has been a testament to our shared commitment to change. With over one in five individuals in the UK living with disabilities, the need for inclusivity in fintech has never been more pressing. Through #ProjectNemo, we provide a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and action. Together, we are rewriting the narrative, turning challenges into opportunities, and barriers into bridges. As we look ahead, we extend our deepest gratitude to all who have joined us on this journey. Your support fuels our passion and drives our determination to make a difference. Join us today as we pave the way for a more inclusive future—one where everyone, regardless of ability, can thrive. Together, let's build a world where inclusion isn't just a goal, but a reality we all share. #DisabilityInclusion #FintechInnovation #InclusiveLeadership #Empowerment #DiversityandInclusion #Accessibility #ChangeMakers Learn more about us at our website https://projectnemo.co.uk/ Follow us on LinkedIn Project Nemo

Where do I even start? As much as I'd like to lean in, it seems too hard / complicated / expensive / time consuming The Project Nemo festival of inclusion event series kicks off by seeking to answer this exact conundrum. This first session is particularly relevant if you are someone in an organisation with no accessibility / disability inclusion activity and you'd like help in building confidence to get the conversation started. Supported by disability community champions Mike Adams founder of Purple Tuesday and Celia Chartres-Aris (née Hensman). Registration is via this link: https://lnkd.in/e3UCvDgN We are not expecting any prior knowledge or experience, we know everyone needs to start somewhere, so we are creating a safe learning environment discussing in small groups what we think we need to get started. Help us help the #Fintech industry by learning what you believe the barriers to progress may be so that we can help overcome them. ID: An image of open hands in a protective stance holding silhouttes of a 9 people which look like paper cut outs, all varying sizes, includig one with a walking stick and one in a wheelchair. There is text superimposed with details of the event being advertised: - Doing disability inclusion right- Wednesday 29th May- 3pm to 5:30pm-Level 39, London- Part of Project Nemo's Fintech Festival of Inclusion seriesThe Project Nemo logo is in the top right of the image. 

Financial Services are for everyone. Except they can’t be, when a large section of society is excluded due to inaccessible products and services. Our new film series ‘Disability Inclusion Stories’ aims to help the fintech industry understand and unpack the issue of accessibility. To truly see it. To feel it. Each film tells the unique stories of lived experience, bringing to life day to day challenges in using products and services that were not designed with disability needs in mind. This series trailer was shown on Wednesday at the The Payments Association Pay360 awards, ahead of the event’s inaugural Disability Inclusion Award. As an industry we need to come together to address this pressing issue and take action to deliver inclusion for all. Our first film, ‘Facing Recognition: Amit’s story’ launched 2 weeks ago and ‘Seema’s story’, will be released later this month. You can follow the series here on Linkedin and on our Project Nemo website and YouTube channel. We all need to do our part to build a more equitable industry that truly is for everyone. Please help us to spread these stories and our message across the industry. Follow Project Nemo, share, like and engage with our content and bring it back to your business to spark conversation, and drive action. The inclusive companies today are the market leaders of tomorrow. How can you start making a difference today? Thanks to Changemaker Studios for production of this film and all of those sharing their stories: Amit Ghose, Seema Mistry, Isaac Harvey MBE, Kaye Moors, Diane Lightfoot, Phyllida Swift, Natasha Robinson #FinancialInclusion #DisabilityInclusion #FinTech

Financial Services Should Be Accessible for Everyone! Imagine waking up in the morning, ready to start your day, only to be locked out of your banking app because facial recognition fails. It’s not just frustrating—it’s isolating. Every time I’m asked to enter specific letters from my password, I have to mentally spell it out and carefully count each letter. Some days, the process becomes so overwhelming that I just give up and avoid logging in for hours. This is a reality for many of us with facial disfigurements. Working on this with Project Nemo has been a true privilege. Sharing my experiences and shedding light on these daily challenges has been deeply meaningful to me. I'm incredibly grateful to Joanne Dewar and Kris Foster for inviting me to be a part of this project. I truly hope these videos spark real change in the financial industry. We need to build systems that work for everyone, because financial services should be Inclusive. Let’s make this happen! #AccessibilityMatters #InclusiveBanking #FinancialEquality #ProjectNemo #ChangeForGood #DisabilityInclusion #FacialRecognitionChallenges #FinancialServicesForAll

Financial services are for everyone. Are they, really? Not when the products and services are inaccessible. Huge chunk of society is excluded. People with disabilities. Isaac, president of Wheels and Wheelchairs, got an MBE from King Charles, even strutted his stuff at London Fashion Week. But can't even access his own finances. "Systems that weren't designed for someone like me." Some fintechs are better than others. But it should be the same across the board. Project Nemo. Kris and Joanne. The power duo. Making a difference. True changemakers. Changemaker Studios. Capturing unique stories of lived experience. Ours is one of them. Amar and Jasmine crafting impact, documenting the reality. Jon. Feet! (What does that have to do with anything? It got a little weird. But he eventually got there. Isaac not Jon... maybe both?) But we do know things are going to change. Amit Ghose, Seema Mistry, Isaac Harvey MBE, Kaye Moors, Diane Lightfoot, Natasha Robinson, Phyllida Swift… Listen to our stories. #Financial #Accessibility #DisabilityInclusion #ProjectNemo #Changemakers #LivedExperience

“We have found innovators and makers who have an ability to find product market fit with consumers in a way that does not see revenue as a trade-off with impact.” "There are so many stories in last generation of VC that connote that these are two separate missions or that impact must run contrary to market rate principles" "Why was charitable capital historically the principal form of capitalization when so many people with disabilities have a unique fit with entrepreneurship?" This is just a small taste of a fascinating conversation with my good friend, Regina "Gina" Kline, managing partner at Enable Ventures. In our conversation we cover Gina's journey from US Department of Justice Prosecutor to impact venture capitalist. The immense opportunities she is seeing from the ADA generation - entrepreneurs with disabilities who grew up post ADA and are building inclusive tech from the ground up, not just fixing existing discriminatory products. Her advice for entrepreneurs with disabilities who need help validating ideas and bringing them to market, and her optimistic view of impact capitalism to make major impacts in shaping our society. If you are an entrepreneur, a capital allocator, and believe in a path that aligns impact with value creation – or interesting in exciting stories from entrepreneurs who have built companies inspired by their lives experience with disability. This is the conversation for you.  I hope you'll leave as inspired as I was. Like this post, so you’ll be notified when I share the full interview. Coming really soon. This is now conversation #7 in our series for National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and we have a few more that we’re editing and will share soon. My mission with these conversations is to help build awareness of the importance and business opportunity for building accessible, and give advocates the tactics and strategies they need to make forward progress in their organizations. Stay tuned for more and in the meantime let me know what more you’d like to hear from our guests.  Upcoming conversations include conversations with startup founders, senior product accessibility leaders, civil rights lawyers, and more. #NDEAM #GoodJobsForAll #inclusionworks #DisabilityRights #InclusiveWorkplace #InclusionMatters

I’m thrilled to be working with Project Nemo, an incredible organization dedicated to accelerating disability inclusion, within the financial services industry. Awareness and education is key to making change. Project Nemo recently launched an impactful mini film series, ‘Disability Inclusion Stories,’ aimed at helping the fintech sector understand and address the challenges of accessibility. Each film highlights the lived experiences of individuals with disabilities, shedding light on the everyday struggles they face when using products and services that were not designed with their needs in mind. My ask is that you take less than two minutes to watch this short series trailer and get a glimpse of the powerful stories. You can also catch the full stories as they are released on the Project Nemo website www.projectnemo.co.uk - and I’ll be sharing more here as well. Please help raise awareness by following Project Nemo, liking our posts and sharing these important stories. Awareness and understanding are key to building a more inclusive society—one that benefits everyone. A special thanks to Changemaker Studios for their incredible work in producing this film! #DisabilityInclusion #Fintech #Accessibility #InclusiveDesign #Changemakers #Awareness #FinancialServices #ProjectNemo #InclusionMatters #FinancialInclusion

Finding my "why" in life led me to finding my voice. I have struggled to fit in, always yearning to feel part of society and be included. I remember asking my parents, "What's wrong with me? Why was I born broken?" Today, I understand that my differences are significant. Looking into a crowd, I see a beautiful tapestry of diverse people in one room—communities under one roof, sharing their stories without egos. My mind flashes back to moments of not feeling accepted at school. Now, here I am, speaking with some of the largest corporate organizations, and seeing my community doing the same—learning from each other as equals. This is also one of Project Nemo's key aims: to shine a spotlight on diversity and inclusion within the Fintech industry. Our recent Partner launch event, hosted by Rise, created by Barclays , did just that. See the video of the event below. Our next event, on May 29 at Level39 is the first of our "Festival of Inclusion" educational series, focused on "Doing Disability Right." This event is aimed at fintechs wanting to get started on, or accelerate, their disability inclusion journey. We will look at common barriers hindering progress and explore best practices, from language sensitivity to combatting tokenism and ableism. We'll also discuss what our fintech community wants to see from Project Nemo, gathering input to help shape our future events and output. Sign up to the event here https://lnkd.in/eJ2zRyA4 Please follow Project Nemo to stay updated on our initiatives and events. #DisabilityInclusion #DiversityMatters #Inclusion #Fintech #Equity #Community #Accessibility #Innovation #BestPractices #CorporateResponsibility #InclusiveWorkplace

A shoutout to Kris Foster for your relentless efforts in changing the narrative around disabilities in the workplace! Through your remarkable passion and dedication, Kris has demonstrated that success is not defined by one's background or disability but by the innovative ideas and creativity they bring to the table. As someone with dyslexia, I used to be uncomfortable exposing this aspect of myself. However, I realised that my dyslexia never hindered my ability to exceed targets, excel in problem-solving, or positively impact the lives of others. We should all be able to bring our best selves to work without fear of judgment or embarrassment. During my degree, an academic made me aware that Albert Einstein also had dyslexia, and it was in that moment I recognised the potential within myself. This realisation inspired me to stop viewing my uniqueness as a weakness and embrace it as a strength. Unfortunately, there are countless individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities who are eager to contribute their talents to the workforce but are not given the opportunities, roles, or promotions they deserve. Let us challenge the status quo and create work environments that value and celebrate the talents of every individual, no matter their background or disability. It's time for organisations to take urgent action and recognise that embracing diversity and inclusivity wholeheartedly can drive innovation, growth, and success. Individuals with disabilities contribute unique perspectives and problem-solving skills that can help organisations reach new heights. By taking action, we can make a difference in the lives of countless individuals and shape a more inclusive future for all. I salute you Kris Foster 🙌🏾 A voice for the unheard! #DiversityAndInclusion #DisabilityInclusion #Empowerment #OrganizationalSuccess #DyslexiaAwareness #UniqueStrengths #TalentWithoutBoundaries #FinTech