94 Disability is part of being human, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16 per cent of the global population – currently lives with significant disability, including hearing or visual impairments, mobility issues, limb differences, neurodivergence, or chronic health conditions. However, only 27 per cent of people with disabilities are currently employed globally, according to the United Nation’s Disability and Development Report 2024. This can be attributed to multiple reasons: a lack in affordable and effective assistive technology, a shortage of support networks for people with disabilities or an absence of training for workplace inclusivity and accommodations. According to Jenny Lay-Flurrie, chief accessibility officer at Microsoft, these hurdles have existed for decades. “There are a multitude of factors that lower the ceiling of what is possible for people with disabilities,” she says. “This can prevent individuals from bringing their full, authentic selves to the workplace or pursuing their desired opportunities, whether that’s a new job or a promotion, because they’re worried about their capabilities or the support they may receive.” Lay-Flurrie, who is deaf and disabled herself, believes embracing accessibility and supporting disabled employees is a “no brainer”, and can only benefit an organisation. “When you do have a key foundation of inclusivity in place and can support disabled people across the spectrum, it changes everything,” she explains. “What we’ve found at Microsoft is that when we empower people with disabilities, it leads to innovation.” In 2015 Microsoft launched the Neurodiversity Program, which offers neurodivergent people the opportunity to apply for a career at Microsoft and showcase their skills in an environment that Microsoft’s Jenny Lay-Flurrie explains how organisations can use technologies such as AI, as well as insights from people with disabilities, to create more accessible and supportive workplaces for every individual BY AMBER HICKMAN FEATURE Creating a workplace more accessible
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=