Client Case Studies - Consultancy.

Public Sector Equality Advice.
Supporting one of the Regional Development Agencies over 12 months on their Equality Advisory Panel was an opportunity to focus on how equality and diversity can directly impact on the organisation's priority of high economic growth. A key piece of research produced by the Panel identified international examples of countries and areas that have gained reputations for inclusivity that has helped growth, investment and in-flow of top talent. With the RDA re-structuring, it was the opportunity to completely review the Disability Equality Scheme (http://www.seeda.co.uk/_documentbank/SEEDA_Disability_Equality_Scheme_4_March_2010.pdf) so that it focused on actions and outcomes, providing the framework for the subsequent Single Equality Scheme.

Assessing Equality Impact.
In depth research was the key to identifying the issues that a new service delivery contract might create. We considered prospective customers across all diversity strands plus different work situations and attitudes. Throughout, our concern was to maximise the performance of the new contract by increasing its inclusivity, and to ensure legal compliance. The outcome was a range of straightforward and high-level recommendations for internal and national changes that are already being taken forward.

Equality Scheme.
We worked with a large national public body to create its Disability Equality Scheme under the DDA 2005. This meant reviewing existing policies, creating an action plan, undertaking impact assessments and, importantly, involving disabled people throughout. Staff needed help to make this new way of working effective .We developed an Involvement Framework which provided a simple step-by-step process that covered everything from data collection, how to interact with disabled people plus feedback mechanisms. This very practical resource gave members of staff confidence to undertake a number of innovative approaches including" speed dating". Disabled people attending such events felt their views were heard and recognised that they had a real opportunity to make a difference.

Improving Disability Recruitment.
We certainly faced a challenge when asked by a group of NHS employers to improve their ability to recruit and retain people with disabilities. Understanding their recruitment practices and the working environment were achieved through an audit of policy and procedures and, more importantly, by talking to members of staff.

It was essential that people recognised the need for change and owned the changes to be implemented. We worked with the Human Resources team and, in particular, those responsible for recruitment to raise disability awareness. Then, through a series of action meetings, helped them identify barriers to effective recruitment - they took away a number of simple practical steps for action.

We brought together all the learning and actions into a single report and plan providing a blueprint for the future.

Involving Disabled People Effectively.
We worked with a large national public body to create its Disability Equality Scheme under the DDA 2005. This meant reviewing existing policies, creating an action plan, undertaking impact assessments and, importantly, involving disabled people throughout. Staff needed help to make this new way of working effective .We developed an Involvement Framework which provided a simple step-by-step process that covered everything from data collection, how to interact with disabled people plus feedback mechanisms. This very practical resource gave members of staff confidence to undertake a number of innovative approaches including" speed dating". Disabled people attending such events felt their views were heard and recognised that they had a real opportunity to make a difference.

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Client Case Studies - Large projects.

New Entrepreneurs. Supporting disabled people to move from depending on benefits to self-fulfilment as entrepreneurs gives great professional satisfaction. We have honed our ability to attract an untapped market and help them through every stage of business launch - and more. Using CRM technology, we can track each individual's progress so we can offer more assistance as it is needed. Clients have enjoyed our "Dragon's Den" style exercise in the enterprise workshops - and proved to be canny Dragons themselves.

Comments Included: "The programme got me on my feet and gave me the kick start I needed. My confidence is growing." "My Business Adviser does what it says on the tin. She's kept me informed, introduced me to people, I can't give her enough praise really. Out of all the people I've spoken to about this, she' s the only one who's been able to help. I would like to say thank you to her." For more about our business support activities, visit www.businessability.co.uk

Diversity Training for Businesses. We were one of the lead partners in a three year project delivering diversity awareness training to businesses across South East England. Disability Dynamics researched equality legislation, designed and delivered the diversity training plus the material within the supporting handbooks and website. The project was hugely successful: achieving some 50% over target, within budget and on time. Requests for further diversity training and the equal opportunities improvements made by companies are testament to the value and benefit they gained. For example, people from the Senior Partner to administrative staff attended sessions delivered to one large firm of solicitors. And within 24 hours they had made simple changes to their website to welcome more diverse customers.

Networked Radio Series. We created a series of radio programmes featuring disabled people talking about their search for jobs. The programmes were broadcast on numerous local radio stations throughout South East England. Contact us for a free CD of the programmes.

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Client Case Studies - Training.

Business Benefits from Equality and Diversity. We have recently run a series of training sessions for over 100 employees of one business support organisation - from Chief Executive to receptionist with special focus on those providing front line services and marketing. The response from trainees was hugely positive - they welcomed the practical and relevant approach and recognised how the learning contributes to overall operational improvement initiatives.

Comments Included: "The session was outstanding and will help me carry out my job with much more understanding." "Excellent session. Liked the business case approach." "A fantastic course and very useful. Made me think about things in a new way."

 

Teaming up with Disabled People. This was "eye-opening" training according to one attendee. After an overview of different aspects of disability, including etiquette and insight in to various impairments, we introduced the business attendees to a diverse group of disabled people. Together they undertook interview exercises - each taking turns in different roles. Mixed teams then worked together, accommodating each others' needs and skills in creating fabulous flower arrangements (the men) and hammering together stud walls (the women). With everyone working outside their usual "comfort zone", the teams were supporting each other on a more level playing field. The business attendees had gained a real understanding of the latent potential of disabled people, the barriers they encounter in life and trying to find work plus, their determination and motivation to succeed.

Comments Included: "Having a facilitator with a visual impairment was instantly a barrier breaker and my confidence gained from the beginning of the course." "Meeting so many different people with different disabilities ws invaluable, Barriers disappeared very quickly because we made the time to get to know each other. It becam about real people and not labels or steroetypes."

 

Promotion that opens up New Markets. The business case for new approaches to inclusive marketing is central to this training session. We cover everything from using the right language and outlets to corporate messages and images. Within a few weeks, this team was revising their literature, adopting new writing styles and offering alternative formats. Comments Included: "Very informative training with ideas that I can implement straight away." "A useful and iformative day. Plenty of ideas to go away and develop."

 

Confident Call Centre Staff. We have delivered training sessions to several organisations who offer customer contact through call centres. But their teams were unsure how to gather key monitoring data. Not only did this mean that there was little evidence to demonstrate performance but it also raised risks around legal compliance. Within just a few hours of training, exercises and role play, the call centre staff felt much better equipped to manage calls from all sorts of customers. They were able to identify changes needed to their systems and scripts - leaving with new confidence and enthusiasm.

Comments Included: "I found this workshop fantastic. It was very informative and will help me moving forward in my everyday role. It has helped me gain confidence." "Informative and creative. Made me feel more confident about contact with disabled clients." For more information about our business support activities, visit www.businessability.co.uk

Feeling Confident about Reasonable Adjustments.
Working with ACAS we were able to add our unique style of training to a series of workshops aimed at raising disability awareness amongst small to medium sized businesses across the South East region. They explored the benefits their businesses could achieve by employing disabled people. Practical exercises using their own job specifications produced new and personal insights and confidence. They gained better understanding of the many simple ways to identify and implement effective reasonable adjustments - and just what "reasonable" means.

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