EMPLOYERS and government bodies have been urged to start an “honest conversation” about inclusivity – which could help Islanders with disabilities, ADHD and more.
Skills Jersey’s head of skills Stuart Penn – who was born with one fully-formed limb and has worked as a military training consultant and motivational training facilitator – spoke at an event marking National Inclusion Week and organised by Maison des Landes yesterday.
Organisations, he said, should follow the UK’s framework of national inclusion which “reflect on remaining workplace barriers, build trust through honest dialogue, take practical action to create measurable progress, and embed inclusion into everyday workplace culture”.
Asked what Jersey should do better, he added: “It’s those honest conversations, actually feeling you can talk about it.”
He recalled introducing solutions “that make it as easy as possible for the British military and the American military to embed” amputees – for example by using skateboards with gloves to avoid taking expensive prosthetics into the field, or providing plastic chairs to help with showering.
In offices, this translates to measures such as having accessible materials and agendas distributed before meetings, hybrid and remote work as standard, and accessibility “built into every workstation”.
“Everyone benefits from it. Inclusion is about everyone,” he continued.
His comments echoed those of ADHD Jersey founder Rachel Boss, who urged employers to think about the way they hire, support staff and give feedback to those leaving.
“Please don’t wait until somebody is struggling before they have that conversation, because by the time we meet many people at ADHD Jersey, they are burnt out,” she said.
Support organisations, like ADHD Jersey, need more collaboration and support, she added.
At the same event, para-athlete Grace Greeenwood called for opportunities such as accessible sport to be better advertised, suggesting “a specific para-sport hub” showcasing all the sports available in the Island.
She discovered Cerebral Palsy Football and para-karate while at university, and is now aiming to join the CP Football National Development Squad.
She said that advertising these opportunities “is just an easier way to find the sport that we can do and do and have fun”.
