From awareness to allyship: Reflections for International Day of Persons with Disabilities

For many of us, childhood is pivotal in the formation of our world view. We learn who we are, what we can be and how to relate to others and the world around us through interactions with our family, friends and community. It is in those environments where we learn a sense of right and wrong, justice and injustice, and how to be good neighbors to all people. As we recognize the disability community at Microsoft throughout December along with International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec. 3, I want to reflect on my personal journey of moving from awareness to allyship for people with disabilities.

My journey started when I was a child growing up in London. My next-door neighbor was deaf. Although I did not have a full understanding of what it meant to be deaf, I knew he was teased and excluded by the other children in the neighborhood simply because of his deafness. While I did not know as a child how to react to what I saw as a grave injustice, the experience introduced in me an awareness of the various challenges presented by a society that does not always consider the needs of those with deafness and disabilities.

Over the years, personal and professional experiences and relationships have helped me both deepen that awareness of the lived experiences of people with disabilities and understand how to take action. At Microsoft, I have the opportunity to serve as the executive co-sponsor of the global Disability at Microsoft employee resource group (ERG), and the work we do together as a community is critical to the inclusion of all employees. One of the key learnings for me has been how the conversation around disability must continue to evolve with speed so that we are all aware of the many dimensions of both visible and invisible disabilities.

Listen, learn and advocate

Full article here https://blogs.microsoft.com/bl...

Derry artist hopes colourful creations will help inspire others to follow their dreams

Young Derry artist Tori McNeill is hoping to inspire people with a disability to find what makes them happy and follow their dreams.

Tori has unveiled her colourful creations in the Void Gallery as part of Disability Awareness Week, taking place from Friday, November 26, until Friday, December 3.

The 22 year-old from Knightbridge is the Disability Champion for the sixth annual Disability Awareness Week.

Tori is one of the founding members of the North West Spectrum Group, which was set up after an Autism Conference held in the Gasyard Centre in January 2020 where feedback was used from those with lived experience to shape and develop their future plans.

Full article here https://www.belfastlive.co.uk/...

New government ‘passport’ to help disabled graduates get in to employment

Hundreds of disabled university students are set to benefit from a new ‘passport’ scheme that will support them as they move into work.

The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Access to Work Adjustment Passport will ease the transition from university into employment by reducing the need for repeated health assessments when starting a new job.

The pilot scheme, announced as part of the National Disability Strategy, is now getting underway at University of Wolverhampton and Manchester Metropolitan University.

Through Access to Work, disabled people can benefit from grants worth up to £62,900 to cover the cost of specialist equipment needed to support them to do their job.

A passport will be offered to students who already receive extra support while studying at university, capturing information about their condition and the adjustments they already benefit from, avoiding repetitive disclosures when it comes to applying for the grant once they start work.

Up to 100 students at each university will be supported through the trial, and thousands more could benefit if the scheme is rolled out across the country.

On International Day of People with Disabilities, Minister for Disabled People Chloe Smith has praised the scheme, which she believes will empower disabled students and those with long term health conditions, as they transition into the workplace.

Full article here https://www.gov.uk/government/...

Purple Light Up 2021

We're turning purple to celebrate International Day of Disabled Persons.

We're joining #PurpleLightUp on 3 December – an international campaign creating purple spaces in a range of creative ways to celebrate the economic and leadership contribution of disabled employees.

There are a billion disabled people globally, according to Purple Space, a networking and professional development hub for disabled employees. That's one in seven of us.

We Are Purple estimates the annual spending power of disabled people and their households to be worth £249bn a year to UK business.

Full article here https://www.networkrail.co.uk/...