Roundtable Discussion: Travel with confidence through your DE&I journey

In this one hour session, hear from Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) experts. Listen as they tour DE&I through the lens of hidden disabilities and neurodiverse talent. Sit back and relax as our panelists chat about what DE&I actually means for your business and your people. Take note as they share practical tips to help you improve how you recruit and support a diverse workforce. Hear first hand from our neurodiverse panelists about supports that help them to achieve a sense of belonging at work. 

Simply fill in your details and you’ll receive the recording.

Travel with confidence through your DE&I journey.

What's the tour all about?

On this virtual tour explore what DE&I really means. And discover DE&I initiatives that will help you to better recruit and support neurodivergent employees and those with hidden disabilities. During the tour you'll:

  • Take a deep dive into murky waters at DE&I Beach. But don’t be afraid, it’s through these waters that you’ll learn what DE&I actually means. And you’ll come up with a clearer view of what each part of this acronym really means for your business and your people
  • Visit Action Island and go on a practical exploration. Here the waters are crystal clear and with expert guidance you’ll see how you could put your learnings into practice. Gain advice to help you improve how you recruit and support a diverse workforce
  • Stroll through the National Park of Happy Employees. Here you’ll see the beauty and possibilities that await. Hear from employees that are living freely as themselves. And discover what’s helped to them to achieve a sense of belonging at work

Sign up to get best practice advice from businesses such as Business Disability Forum, EvenBreak, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, and NELFT (North East London NHS Foundation Trust).

Accessibility: this webinar includes live captions and by signing up you will receive the recording and the slides to view in your own time. If you have any additional accessibility requirements please contact d.thomson@texthelp.com.

Your expert guides will be:

Diane Lightfoot, CEO, Business Disability Forum

“I’m passionate about creating a disability-smart world. And to ‘get it right’ organisations must work together as a whole. On this tour I share how you can get every department involved. And leave you with top tips to help you create a better working environment for all.”

Diane is CEO of Business Disability Forum. She is a renowned diversity champion, sitting on boards such as the government disability expert advisory panel, the CSJ-hosted Disability Commission and the Institute of Coding diversity and inclusion board. She is also co-Chair of the Disability Charities Consortium and Chair of the Disabled Student’s Stakeholder Group.

Jane Hatton, CEO & Founder, Evenbreak

"Everyday I dedicate my time to make sure that disabled people are given the opportunity to share their talents. On this tour I'll share what you can do to make sure you’re set up to reach that talent. And highlight how you can better support disabled employees in their working day."

Jane is a disabled social entrepreneur, TEDx Speaker and author. She founded the award-winning social enterprise Evenbreak in 2011. 

Widely published in inclusive recruitment, including “A Dozen Brilliant Reasons to Employ Disabled People” (2017) and “A Dozen Great Ways to Recruit Disabled People” (2020), she is on the executive board of the Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative, a Patron of Arkbound Foundation and a Trustee of Action on Disability and Development International. Winning a number of inclusion awards, she was 7th on the Shaw Trust Power 100 ‘Britain’s Most Influential Disabled People’ list in 2019.

Byron Batten, Head of Inclusion-Improvement, Communications & Engagement, University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

"Equality, equity and diversity  for our people is at the heart of everything we do. On this tour I’ll be sharing how you can keep DEI at the top of your agenda. And fill you in on some of the ways we make sure our people feel happy and like they belong."

Byron became Head of Inclusion at the Trust in 2019 after a career to date covering jobs in communications, human resources, social care and health.

In his current role, Byron’s aspirations include; communications, connecting people. He wants to make sure all staff and patients know and feel what is being done to shift the culture of equality and inclusion for Trust. This includes making sure people are educated about what it means to be inclusive. And challenging  recruitment, selection and promotion at a system level. To develop equitable talent management and career pathway opportunities.

Dr Shamsun Islam, Clinical Psychologist, NELFT

“We all have our own challenges at work. For me, that’s repetitive strain injury. It affects almost 200,000 people every year. On this tour I share how my employer was able to be reactive to my needs. And fill you in on a key support that could help so many.”

Dr Shamsun Islam is a Clinical Psychologist working within the Redbridge Learning Disabilities Team, NELFT. She provides therapeutic interventions to adults with intellectual disabilities, their families and staff supporting them at home and community. Alongside her professional experiences, she’ll be sharing supports that help her to manage Repetitive Strain Injury at work. And tools that support her to overcome challenges associated with dyslexia.

Nikki Goode, Customer Relationship Champion, Texthelp

"I acquired a Brain Injury at age 38. And today I'm thankful to work for a company that supports and embraces who I am. On this tour I'll share how they help me to do the daily tasks I once took for granted."

Nikki joined Texthelp in 2020 with a passion to make communication and information inclusive and accessible to everyone. Having acquired a Brain Injury 7 years prior, Nikki’s dedication is inspired through her own personal journey. She shares her story to raise awareness of the tools and initiatives that helped her to return to her career. And continue to support her success.

Who's this tour for?

This tour is for anyone with an interest in improving Disability Inclusion at work. And for those who want to promote staff well being, confidence and independence. But it'll be particularly enjoyed by Senior level HR and DE&I professionals with responsibilities for recruiting, supporting and/or retaining talent.

This includes Talent Managers, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Managers, Training and Development Managers, and Employee Engagement Managers.

Go on our guided tour, it's free!