At London 2012 Paralympics, Steven Hawking stated, “We are all different, there is no such thing as a standard or run-of-the-mill human being, but we all share the same human spirit”. What is important is that we all have the ability to create; to use this stage to show the world that regardless of difference, there is always something you can succeed at.

How is this relevant to Host City? I’m talking about the purple pound. This is the spend by disabled people and their families in the UK, which is a mind-blowing GBP 249 billion per year. To put this into perspective, the GDP of the entire New Zealand economy in 2017 was GBP 160 billion. The UK events sector is worth GBP 42.3 billion, so a failure to tap into this disability market is an opportunity missed.

Rick Hansen, a Canadian Paralympian said “my disability is that I cannot use my legs. My handicap is your negative perception of that disability, and thus of me”.

So, I’m here to change negative perceptions of me and my disability. My company helps your business tap into the purple pound by ensuring that you build environments in which people with different abilities can thrive, and by improving the appeal and accessibility of your products and services to customers with disabilities.

We advise how to make your events accessible; how to make your events appeal to the purple market; and finally, how to tap into the creativity of that group to help improve your events.

As a London 2012 Games Maker, I was part of the generation inspired. To paraphrase Stephen Hawking, I used my ability to create, to inspire difference. Let Enabling Abilities help inspire us purple people – and think how your business could expand if you tapped into this as yet untapped market.

This “lightning talk” was delivered at Host City 2018 in Glasgow in November 2018. Thomas Williams is speaking on the panel “Titanic Disasters and Herculean Feats” at Host City 2019 in Glasgow on 26-27 November

[SOURCE: IPC Academy / WoAS] The second and final day at the 2016 IPC Academy Inclusion Summit (15-16 September) is now underway in Rio de Janeiro with the event turning its attention away from understanding inclusion through policy setting and good leadership towards the theme of ‘Delivering Inclusion Operations, how inclusion has been applied’.

Addressing the Inclusion Summit audience, Shanthi Flynn, Chief HR Officer, Adecco Group (Partner of the Inclusion Summit) covered the issues of inclusion in the workplace, and how Paralympic athletes can achieve life-long success on and off the field of play. Flynn discussed the IPC Athlete Career Programme, which helps athletes through education, career coaching and job placement and boosts diversity in the workplace.

“There are more than one billion people with an impairment in the world - 15%-20% of the global population,” she says. “Unfortunately people with impairments face prejudice, discrimination and limited accessibility in the workplace.”

She considers that sport events, such as the Paralympic Games, have the power to drive societal change and believes inclusiveness is about respecting and valuing differences.

“It’s about changing perceptions and understanding that conscious and unconscious bias are barriers to being an effective workplace,” Flynn says.

“From there, it’s a short step to see that inclusiveness can help companies be more innovative, engaging and competitive. Watching Paralympians in action is truly inspiring. It is clear that they have key skills and attributes that employers seek and need: they are highly driven, focused on success and team players who overcome barriers every day. Why wouldn't you employ individuals with this profile?”

Over 200 people from a wide variety of Organising Committees and Candidate Cities of Olympics and Paralympics Games, International Federations, government bodies, suppliers to the major events and educational institutions have been listening to the insights of a wide variety of global speakers over the last two days including Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC); Andrew Parsons, Vice President of the IPC & President of the Brazil National Paralympic Committee; Carlos Nuzman, Chairman, Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games; Madame Zhang Haidi, Executive President, Beijing 2022 and President, NPC China; and Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, Disability Advisor of the World Bank.

A must-attend IPC Academy Campus Cocktail Function, hosted at British House and sponsored by the UK’s Department for International Trade, will bring proceedings to a close on 16 September and allow attendees to network with all participants of the Campus, which also includes an IPC Observers’ Programme and Games Experience Programme.

About IPC Academy Campus and the Inclusion Summit

Standing alongside but distinct from the IPC Academy Observers’ Programme, the Inclusion Summit provides the ultimate forum to bring together business leaders, governments and the Paralympic Movement. Together they are discussing inclusion and accessibility, their impact on society, and how the Paralympic Games have developed into the world’s number one sporting event for driving social inclusion.

Delivered by the IPC Academy - the educational division created in 2009 as a partnership between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) – the 2016 IPC Academy Campus (4-17 September) is a unique event-based learning initiative that gives stakeholders of major sports events the chance to learn from their peers during the Paralympic Games. The IPC Academy Campus features an Observers’ Programme, Games Experience Programme (GEP), Inclusion Summit and a Closing IPC Academy Cocktail Function, hosted at British House.   

Its Event Partners include the Adecco Group and the UK’s Department for International Trade. Its Media Partners are Sportcal (Intelligence Partner), Major Events International (Digest Partner), Around the Rings (Online Partner), Host City (Magazine Partner) and AXS Chat (Social Media Partner).

For further information about the the IPC Academy Campus, please visit www.ipcacademycampus.com or contact Claire Bennett, Project Coordinator, World Academy of Sport cbennett@worldacademysport.com.

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Academy Campus will take place in Rio de Janeiro from 6-17 September 2016. The Social Media Partner of the Inclusion Summit at the IPC Academy Campus is AXSChat, an open online community of individuals dedicated to creating an inclusive world. Here, IPC Academy Campus speaks to AXSChat’s Co-Founder Neil Milliken, about how the community has leveraged social media to grow awareness of inclusivity issues.

Why did you launch AXSChat?
“We believe that accessibility is for everyone. Social media has a great power to connect people and we hope to accomplish and encourage in-depth discussions and spread knowledge about the work people are doing to enable greater access and inclusion through whatever means. We believe that AXSChat is a great example of how social media and communication tools allow people to come together and break down silos. We host weekly video interviews and twitter chats with people who are contributing to making the world a more inclusive place through technology or innovating to enable wider participation in society for people with disabilities.

“We created AXSChat because we wanted to broaden the conversation about ways society can benefit from accessibility and inclusion of persons with impairments. In the beginning, myself and my fellow AXSChat co-founder Antonio Santos reached out to Debra Ruh to propose a partnership to create a weekly chat to help engage all stakeholders in conversations with a goal being to help break down barriers. People often consider accessibility to be a narrow technical issue and we know that it is much wider. Our goal was also to give persons with impairments a bigger voice on social media.
“Each of the founders has personal stories that connect us to the community of persons with impairments, either physical or learning. Debra has a daughter with Down’s syndrome, parents that acquired physical impairments and two nephews with autism. I am dyslexic and have parents with acquired physical impairments. Meanwhile, Antonio has a wife with fibromyalgia. 

“Consequently, we are personally connected with the community of persons with impairments and dedicated to raising the profile of talented individuals to ensure that their voices are heard all over the world. 

“We pride ourselves on the fact that the inclusivity topics that we cover on AXSChat are very diverse, ranging from talks about innovation, employment, ICT accessibility, built barriers, digital divide, different types of impairments, accommodations and adaptions, laws, litigation, trends, media, marketing, politics and empowerment of all persons with impairments.”

Why did AXSChat want to become the Social Media Partner of the IPC Academy Campus?
“We know that the Paralympics puts a global focus on the capabilities of persons with physical impairments in a way that no other event can. We believe that participating in the IPC Academy Campus will help kick-start more great conversations that lead to collaborations and partnerships that result in a more inclusive world.”

What will AXSChat be doing during the Inclusion Summit at the Campus to encourage debate?
“We will be tweeting the proceedings and asking topic-related questions of the speakers which we will then share with a global audience using the #inclusionsummit hashtag.”

How important is the subject of inclusivity to the sports industry and indeed other sectors?
“Inclusivity has always been important, but awareness of its importance is growing. The London 2012 Paralympic Games were a watershed moment in terms of improving and increasing public perception and I hope that the Rio 2016 Games will build on that legacy.”
 
Do you think people are getting better at embracing inclusivity generally? Is the sports industry better at being inclusive than other industry sectors in your opinion?
“I think that sport is doing better than the mass media in some respects, there is a significant amount of sporting activity that is designed to be inclusive from grassroots to elite events. There is still work to be done in terms of access to stadia and understanding the widest variety of needs, but the situation is improving.”

What would be your advice to organisations in any industry looking to improve their inclusivity policies and procedures?
“Dialogue is important. Talk to customers with impairments and consult widely. Don’t think that accessibility and inclusion is a one-time deal, it’s a journey that we are all travelling on and one where even the most inclusive of us still have much to learn.”

Neil Milliken is Co-Founder of AXSChat and also Head of Accessibility & Digital Inclusion at Atos

About IPC Academy Campus
The IPC Academy Campus will take place in Rio de Janeiro from 6-17 September 2016, giving stakeholders of major sports events the chance to learn from their peers during the Paralympic Games. Delivered by the IPC Academy - the educational division created in 2009 as a partnership between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) – the 2016 IPC Academy Campus is a unique event-based learning initiative that will include an Observers’ Programme, Games Experience Programme, Inclusion Summit and Closing Cocktail Reception. 
The IPC Academy Campus’ Event Partners include the Adecco Group and the UK’s Department for International Trade. Its Media Partners are Sportcal (Intelligence Partner), Major Events International (Digest Partner), Around the Rings (Online Partner), Host City (Magazine Partner) and AXS Chat (Social Media Partner).

For further information about the the IPC Academy Campus, please visit www.ipcacademycampus.com or contact Claire Bennett, Project Coordinator, World Academy of Sport cbennett@worldacademysport.com 
Tweets can be shared using: #CampusRio2016  and/or #inclusionsummit

How long has the Adecco Group been involved with the IPC/the Paralympics and in what capacity?
“The Adecco Group has been working with the IPC since 2007 through our co-operation on the IPC Athlete Career Programme (IPC ACP) which helps Paralympic athletes achieve life-long success both on and off the field of play. The main goals of the Programme are to support para-athletes during and post their sport careers with careers advice and training, as well as job placement support. In addition, the Programme aims to make the labour market and companies more inclusive for para-athletes and all people with different abilities. The focus on everyone’s abilities will allow companies to access the best employees. The IPC ACP prepares and exposes talented individuals to the world of work, making them thrive on another field of play.”

Why did the Adecco Group want to become a Partner of the IPC Academy Campus’ Inclusion Summit?
“The Adecco Group chose to be a partner to support the success of the IPC Inclusion Summit and increase awareness on the benefits of an inclusive workforce as an extension of our contribution to the IPC ACP. The event will provide a unique platform for the Adecco Group, business leaders, governments, sports and other organisations including members of the Paralympic Movement to discuss inclusion and accessibility during the Paralympic Games – the world’s largest and most inspiring sporting event. The Paralympic Games have great power to drive societal change as we saw with the London Paralympic Games. The special time and setting of the Summit - allowing main stakeholders to meet in Rio - will provide a learning and sharing experience like no other, looking at government policies, workplace standards, social awareness, inclusive best practices and testimonials from Paralympic athletes about their challenges and ability to contribute to an inclusive society.”

Who is speaking on Adecco Group’s behalf during the Inclusion Summit at the Campus and what will they be speaking about?
“Shanthi Flynn, the Adecco Group’s Chief HR Officer, will attend and speak at the IPC Academy Campus’ Inclusion Summit on the topic ‘Testimony of Change’.  She will talk about the importance of workplace inclusion for everyone and how a programme such as the IPC ACP can drive and promote needed societal and mind-set change. She will also touch upon the long-standing experience the Adecco Group has in markets such as France, Italy, Spain, Belgium and the US  –  when it comes to providing everyone who has the will and passion to work with an opportunity to contribute. Inclusiveness is not about charity but about supporting companies be more innovative, creative, productive and attractive for employees. It is about changing perceptions, understanding unconscious bias and stereotypes that are the main barriers currently with regards to labour market inclusion.”

How important is the subject of inclusivity to the Adecco Group from your internal perspective (i.e. within the context of how you recruit and engage with your own employees?)
“Being an inclusive workplace for all has been an important topic for the Adecco Group for many years. Not only has legislation driven progress in many countries, it often can be a critical parameter for change. Personal experience on what it means to have people from all different backgrounds and abilities has been a very enriching experience for us. Moreover, knowing that 1 billion or 15% of the world’s population have some kind of a physical impairment means that someone in your family, a friend, or a friend of a friend could be looking for a career and would want an equal chance to contribute and to get a job. For companies considering all possible candidates, without prejudice but a focus on skills and abilities is the way to go in finding the best candidate for a position. So for every organisation, it is important to be involved and contribute to an inclusive environment.”

What trends are you seeing globally from a HR perspective regarding inclusivity in the workplace? Do you think employers are getting better at embracing inclusivity generally? Is the sports industry better at being inclusive than other industry sectors in your opinion?
“With generations Y and Z entering the workforce, we know that their experiences have made them more socially tolerant, environmentally aware with a focus on businesses’ commitment to sustainability - core criteria in deciding what to buy, who to buy from and of course whom to work for. Therefore, these generations will definitely help to build a more inclusive labour market for everyone. I don’t think we can say that any sector is doing better in terms of inclusiveness. It rather boils down to companies’ leadership, their focus on reputation and their vision about a long-term versus a short-term business strategy, which adds value to society. It is about the creation of shared value for employees, clients, shareholders and any other stakeholders.”

What would be your advice to organisations in any industry looking to improve their inclusivity policies and procedures?
“First and foremost, workplace inclusion has to be endorsed by senior leadership. They must be role models for the company with regular communication to all employees on the importance of an inclusive workforce. In addition, educational measures on the value of an inclusive workforce are key to drive cultural change. Finally, change does not happen overnight, it takes time and needs a plan with a strategic objective and contributions by all.  To achieve this objective, measurements and reward systems should be implemented and tracked in the same way as other corporate metrics are.”

This interview was conducted by the World Academy of Sport (WAoS). 

About IPC Academy Campus
The IPC Academy Campus will take place in Rio de Janeiro between 6-17 September 2016, giving stakeholders of major sports events the chance to learn from their peers during the Paralympic Games. Delivered by the IPC Academy - the educational division created in 2009 as a partnership between the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the World Academy of Sport (WAoS) – the 2016 IPC Academy Campus is a unique event-based learning initiative that will include an Observers’ Programme, Games Experience Programme, Inclusion Summit and Closing Cocktail Reception. 
The IPC Academy Campus will take place in Rio de Janeiro between 6-17 September 2016. 
Its Event Partners include the Adecco Group and the UK’s Department for International Trade. Its Media Partners are Sportcal (Intelligence Partner), Major Events International (Digest Partner), Around the Rings (Online Partner), Host City (Magazine Partner) and AXS Chat (Social Media Partner).
Adecco Group is the world's leading workforce solution provider. With more than 32,000 employees and around 5,100 branches, in over 60 countries and territories around the world, the organisation offers a wide variety of HR services, connecting around 700,000 associates with its clients every day. The services the Adecco Group offers fall into the broad categories of temporary staffing, permanent placement, career transition and talent development, as well as outsourcing and consulting. The Adecco Group is based in Zurich-Glattbrugg, Switzerland and is a Fortune Global 500 company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.
For further information about the the IPC Academy Campus, please visit www.ipcacademycampus.com or contact Claire Bennett, Project Coordinator, World Academy of Sport cbennett@worldacademysport.com