SCIL Holds: Barriers to Business Conference - Barriers to People
are Barriers to Business
Southampton Centre for Independent Living (SCIL) held a major conference
for business leaders in the South on 24 October 2002 at the Friends
Provident St. Mary's Stadium Southampton Football Club.
Most businesses still largely under-utilise and fail to recognise the
enormous potential of disabled people. This results in a lost opportunity
to capitalise on the potential of this untapped resource.
Many businesses in the South are experiencing major skills shortages.
This is compounded by relatively full employment and an aging workforce.
Businesses that embrace the opportunities to be gained from a better
understanding of disabled people will be best placed to realise the
rewards of this huge untapped resource both as employees and customers.
The Disability Discrimination Act requires that businesses do not discriminate
against disabled people in
respect to the goods and services they supply and in respect to their
employment practices. From October 2004 businesses will be obliged to
consider making changes to the physical features of premises so that
they are accessible to disabled people.
The Conference aimed to create an opportunity alongside employers and
other key partners, to explore and develop the vast potential for companies
that create a welcoming, inclusive and empowering environment for disabled
people, both as employees and paying customers. The day was a great
triumph to the hard work and determination that all SCIL staff showed.
Planning started around a year ago, and this factor certainly showed
throughout the day. The event was viewed as good fun, informative and
also barrier breaking!!! Speakers at the Conference included Maria Eagle
MP, Alan Whitehead MP and Andrew Bruce to name a few. The day’s Celebrity
Compere was Peter White who did a marvellous job. The Conference was
delivered to around 120 delegates from both businesses and local authorities.
SCIL aimed to make the Conference as fun as possible. Themes included
actors within the delegates causing controversy with their continued
outbursts, and also a climatic ending where delegates were encouraged
to throw balls at SCIL’s “Barriers Wall” resulting in the wall crashing
down. It really goes to show how teamwork can be so successful, and
also that no barrier is impossible to break down!!!
Key Conference Speakers:
The Rt Hon Maria Eagle MP: Minister for Disabled People
Dr Alan Whitehead MP: MP for Southampton Test
Kay Allen: Commissioner of the Disability Rights Commission
Peter White:BBC Disability Affairs Specialist and Presenter
Wendy Harpe: Senior Diversity Manager, BBC
Mary Siddall: Senior Partner, Paris Smith and Randall
Sue O'Neil: Social Responsibility Manager, Diversity B&Q
Hilary Wiseman: Diversity Manager, HSBC
Andrew Bruce: Human Resources Manager and Disability Equality Consultant
Conference Organisers and Partners
Southampton Centre for Independent Living in association with Southampton
Football Club, Paris Smith and Randall, Southampton and Fareham Chamber
of Commerce, B&Q, HSBC, National Lottery Awards for All, Southampton
City Council, Portsmouth City Council, Hampshire County Council
