On December 3, the world celebrated the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Within Accenture, we are dedicating the whole month to this topic under the theme #FocusOnEnablement. In Belgium, Accenture is also actively working on providing a workplace that is physically, technologically and attitudinally accessible for all.
The Accenture vision on inclusion and diversity includes focusing on each individual’s talents rather than their limitations. The goal of #FocusOnEnablement month is to raise awareness among our employees of the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace, to explore ways we can build on our existing Mentoring Programs, Persons with Disabilities Champion Program (with more than 4,000 champions around the globe) and innovative technologies to work even more effectively with persons with disabilities, plus increase our support to colleagues across the world with disabled family members.
Members of the Accenture Leadership, including Nellie Borrero, Managing Director Global Inclusion & Diversity, kicked off the month with a global webcast that includes news from Accenture’s Accessibility Center of Excellence on how innovation and technology are impacting employability and the inspiring personal story of Boniface Prabhu, India’s top quadriplegic tennis athlete.
15% of the working age population in Belgium has a disability*
Compared to other European countries, Belgium has a low rate of employment for persons with disabilities. Accenture is actively participating in several local initiatives to address this, while also hoping to recruit from this untapped talent pool.
For example, since 2015 Accenture in Belgium is partnering with DiversiCom, a social enterprise that matches employers with disabled jobseekers. Winner of the Ashoka Impact 2016 award, and already coached by Accenture through this program, DiversiCom has successfully matched more than 100 candidates in 2015/16. Accenture is now starting a pro bono consulting mission to help DiversiCom enhance its organizational efficiency and increase its impact.
In April 2016, we also participated in DuoDay, a Belgian governmental initiative supporting the integration of people with disabilities in the workplace by offering them short internships. During one week, one of our Brussels-based teams welcomed the visually impaired Business Studies graduate Pierre Marnix and gave him a first taste of the professional environment, an experience that was valued by all those involved. For Pierre: “This program is really useful for job seekers with disabilities because they often encounter more difficulties in finding work. This way they can already better understand and anticipate the barriers they may face.” For the Accenture team, it was a revelation to discover the challenges people with disabilities face in the daily work environment they take for granted: “It was particularly inspiring to see how open the team was to including Pierre. This proves that Accenture really does give everyone the chance to be part of our great global business culture.”
The enabling power of digital
Technology is at the heart of how Accenture serves its clients and operates its business. In addition to Accenture’s Accessibility Center of Excellence, we use Assistive Technology internally to promote greater independence for persons with disabilities by enhancing or changing they way they interact with the technology needed to accomplish tasks. JAWS – a screen reading software developed for computer users whose vision loss prevents them from seeing screen content – is just one example. Others include accessibility features in Microsoft Office that address hearing impairments.
And did you know that in 2015 alone, an estimated 25 million fitness trackers were sold globally? But there is not one of these fitness trackers that works for wheelchair users. So, Fjord (part of Accenture Interactive) and Chaotic R&D have joined forces to build one. Watch this video to discover more!
Read more about Inclusion & Diversity at Accenture
* Source: http://www.diversicom.be/parlons-en/handicap-emploi/
