Notes from the Disability Inclusive Pathways Conference

Andy Garret - Don’t build your adjustments programme about the 0.2%

• Listen to your employees
• Have some pre-approved software
• Remove the need to qualify -> Open to everyone -> Remove the barriers to productivity
  • “Are you disabled enough”?

Nerida Weller - Learning directly from disabled Colleagues

• Lowering expectations reduces dignity
• 1 in 3 households is affected by disability
• Work as a team

Senior Leaders panel - Organisational realities and what senior leaders need from us

• Supported by leadership more than driven by leadership

Ginny Baddeley and Tabitha Murray - The next-gen of disability employment tools and supports

• ARM-up model
  • Riff on “give you a leg up”
  • Accessible Recruitment Model
• Explanation of Standard Recruitment Model
  • Details, e.g. parking
• Accessible Recruitment Menu
  • Accommodations, existing and identified
• Accessible Recipe Book
• Hiring Team Disability Confidence

Brooke Trenwith - The Invisible Burden - Unpacking Multi-dimensional stressors

• Cumulative load + Inability to obtain relief → expectations outweigh abilities → Burnout
• Shanker Stresses: Prosocial, Biological, Emotional, Social, Cognitive
  • Cognitive is most common in workplace

Rubeena Singh - Putting the I into ESG

• Elevate from Compliance/Checklist to Strategic Advantage
  • People want Accountability, truth(ful)
• The tension between disclosure and trust

Clare Bretherton and Phil Turner - Understanding the full power of Universal Design

• In the survey, “disabled” (functional) was:
  • long-term → ≥ 6 months
  • difficulty with → “lot of difficulty” or “can’t do”
  • at least one basic function → e.g. seeing; socialising
• LGBTQIA+, Maori & Pacifica, women - higher rates of disability
• Flexibility was most desired, requested

Customer Services Panel - Welcoming disabled customers

• Work with, Co-Design
• “Should we?” Policy says no, but …
• Just Start

Stewart Hay - AI and accessibility

• The Good → as an enabler of inclusion
• The Ugly → bias, errors, gaming, hallucination
• The Bad → ethical, privacy, societal, opacity, risks
• Responsible use: Inclusive, Transparent, Audited, Augment humans, not replace

Environments panel

• From the start
• Don’t start alone
• When we leave out accessibility, it becomes discriminatory design
• Minimum Requirements change slowly, are outdated → aren’t fit for purpose anymore
• Allow things to adapt

Lightning talks

• The Ripple Effect of disclosing disability