How can we make our world more accessible and inclusive?

We asked members of Bupa’s Access and Inclusion Network for their thoughts on what that theme meant to them and to share some of their lived experiences.

Adam Woods is in our learning systems in the employee experience team and works on technical development and analytics related for a number of our internal learning platforms.

How does your lived experience with disability impact your working day – good or bad?

I’ve been a quadriplegic person since 2016, after a driver ran a red light and the accident caused a spinal cord injury – so I use a wheelchair to get around.

The impacts show up largely in practical things; most things take a whole lot longer now, so I have to budget more time to get ready for work. There are the usual concerns around physical barriers, how to break up the day to maintain health, and occasionally it means I’ll work very late after a break in the day – and that flexibility is incredibly valuable to me. It means I can still get the work done, while adapting to meet any unexpected challenges.

What impact do you think our Access and Inclusion network has now and has the potential to have?

Part of the value of the group is keeping the conversation going, and keeping it front of mind – while advocating for change. Importantly, I think as people with lived experience of disability, the group makes it easier to work to find solutions. Our combined and diverse experiences also allow us to share and celebrate the wins and push each other to succeed.

The past couple of years have changed lives in many ways, what impact do you think it’s had on people living with disabilities?

For people with disabilities, we may experience the same event as someone else in very different ways. Spinal injury (for example) means any respiratory health issues would now be far more severe, so the idea of COVID-19 was terrifying to me, though as an early 30s guy, friends weren’t generally facing the same potential threats to their own personal health.

Hopefully the past few years have taught people to try and take the perspective of others, and to look out for those around them. I also think people with disabilities need to show understanding by showing up, being honest and not biting back at people when inadvertently they’ve said something wrong or made a mistake.

Thinking about this year’s theme, what sort of solutions and innovation would you like to see explored?

My challenge is for leaders: have courage, and take action now, not tomorrow. We are a major employer and could be targeting all our roles directly towards people with disabilities, but failing that, there is no reason we should not be recruiting actively for people with a disability in our higher-volume job roles that we’re always recruiting for.

We need to be adaptable to an individual’s needs and we’ve shown over theplast few years that we absolutely can be adaptable.

Disability takes many forms, and people with disabilities could be in any role we have, from career-entry to senior executive and leadership. Not everyone has a profound intellectual disability, not everyone who is disabled uses a wheelchair, not everyone needs something about a role to change.

When the percentage of people with disability, looking for work but remain unemployed, has not changed in 30 years - we need to do better.

Nicholas Hoskins is our Access and Inclusion Network lead and has been part of the team for 3.5 years. As Capability Development Facilitator, he supports new starters in our health insurance customer service teams.

How does your lived experience with disability impact your working day – good or bad?

I would hesitate to say good or bad. To me, my vision is part of my life and part of who I am. I have learnt to appreciate who I am and the disability I have. I’ve learnt to find ways of working around most of the challenges I have and to look at problems differently. There have been many steps on this journey and so much I have learnt along the way.

What impact do you think our Access and Inclusion network has now and has the potential to have?

The success we have had is directly a result of the grass-roots effort of our members. Our network is comprised of those who have lived experience or those who are allies. Our members give their time selflessly to raise awareness of disability within Bupa and make our organisation a disability-confident business for its people and customers.

Like many businesses, we have many steps ahead of us on this journey.

The past couple of years have changed lives in many ways, what impact do you think it’s had on people living with disabilities?

It’s hard to provide an answer that respects the lived experience of all people with disability, as disability comes in many forms. One challenge has been the reduced access to health care, support services and increased isolation. Another challenge has been the impact of COVID-19 on people who are immuno-compromised, I know I’ve spoken to people in this situation who remain uncertain about their safety in public places where they may be exposed to the virus.

On the positive side, this virtual world has enabled people who have difficulty travelling to an office take on new work, as employers are more understanding of work from home arrangements.

For instance, I was able to choose where I live without needing to prioritise public transport because I work entirely from home. 

What do you think the hybrid and WFH shift has done for access and inclusion?

It enables more people to join the workforce without so many physical access barriers. It’s also enabled more disabilities to be “invisible”. For instance, a colleague may use a wheelchair and it would only be visible when you meet face-to-face.

Whether these disabilities becoming more invisible is a good or a bad thing can only be determined by those with lived experience. We need to listen to these people and learn together, as we all learn how to work virtually.

Thinking about this year’s theme, what sort of solutions and innovation would you like to see explored?

There have been some amazing advances in technology in recent years. A big one for me is the inclusion of accessibility features on modern smartphones as standard, rather than needing to install expensive and often clunky third-party software. It gives greater access and brings dignity to those who rely on it.

With more technology solutions, I think employers need to be ready to give meaningful work and career opportunities to people with disability. It would open up one of the most underestimated workforces available, especially when many companies are struggling to attract and retain the right talent. 

Nicole Coxford is a Delivery Systems Insights Lead working to improve the flow of value to our customers by finding efficiencies and where things are queuing.

How does your lived experience with disability impact your working day – good or bad?

The past couple of years have changed lives in many ways, what impact do you think it’s had on people living with disabilities?

Working remotely has certainly made it possible to juggle. I honestly don’t know what would have happened to our family if I was still commuting in and out of the city.  On the other hand, it isolated us making it harder for friends and family to be able to support us.

Thinking about this year’s theme, what sort of solutions and innovation would you like to see explored?

I would love to see more investment in proactive health management. I have a vision to create local not-for-profit wellbeing farms. My wellbeing farms would have public areas where people with all kinds of abilities and conditions can learn how to take care of their whole selves – mentally, spiritually (everyone needs a life purpose, this doesn’t mean it has to be religious), emotionally, socially, physically, financially – with a range of service providers and modalities to inspire living their best life.

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