Newsletter
The views expressed (in this report or other materials) are those of Business & Disability: a European Network and do not necessarily represent any official view of the European Commission.Editorial
The Newsletter is designed to provide you with information and resources on topics related to the inclusion of people with disabilities into our day-to-day economy. This Newsletter includes highlights from our work in 2004 and outlines our plans for 2005.
Business & Disability: a European Network is the first European network to promote the business opportunities for the inclusion of people with disabilities.
The founding members of Business & Disability: a European Network are: Adecco , Hewlett-Packard , IBM , Manpower , Microsoft and Schindler . These companies are proud to be working in partnership with
the European Disability Forum (EDF).
Business & Disability: a European Network brings together business and the EDF in a commitment to work at the forefront of industry engagement on issues related to physical Accessibility, e-Accessibility of products and services and Employment.
Business & Disability: a European Network works to raise awareness of the business case for disability, through the promotion of disability inclusion initiatives and through encouraging the exchange of ideas amongst business, political actors and people with disabilities.
In each Newsletter we will highlight one of the three key focus areas of Business & Disability: a European Network , namely Accessibility, e-Accessibility and Employment.
In this first issue, Accessibility of the built environment is in the spotlight with an interview exploring the engagement of Schindler within Business & Disability: a European Network .
If you would like to receive this Newsletter regularly please use the subscribe button. We also encourage you to provide us with your feedback, ideas and suggestions. If you would like to get involved with Business & Disability: a European Network please contact Ms Feriel Saouli (info@businessanddisability.org or Tel: +322 777 0517).
Why Business and Disability: a European Network?
The founding members tell us why Business and Disability: a European Network was founded:Adecco: wants to be the largest employer of people with disabilities in the European Union.
Hewlett-Packard: "Connecting People to the Power of Technology."
IBM: is an employer of choice for people of any race, age, gender, culture, religion nationality, physical ability and sexual orientation. Diversity and inclusion is all about understanding, respecting, valuing and accommodating differences so that we create a workplace where everyone has the opportunity to fully participate in creating business success. The most important asset of any company is its people. Businesses can only be as successful as the teams that drive them. At IBM we recognise people as central to business success. People with disabilities are just that - people who have training, education and experience to offer. By maximising the previously untapped potential that people with disabilities bring to the work place, we walk the talk of embracing people of all different abilities. With our focus on integrating skilled people with disabilities into our workforce, IBM continues its efforts to be a truly inclusive employer for all talent.
As business gain experience in employing PwD, as businesses become aware of the number of disabled people already successfully employed and as organisations see the financial and business benefits that flow from anticipating the needs of all their customers, so the awareness of disability as a business priority grows. Our involvement within Business & Disability: a European Network speeds up this process.
Manpower: believes that everyone has the right to employment. This is a fundamental belief that is deeply embedded in the way we work as a company. As a founding member of Business & Disability: a European Network , Manpower demonstrates its commitment to improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities across Europe , an essential element towards enabling people with disabilities become active members of an inclusive society.
Microsoft: “Realizing Potential through Accessible Technology."
Schindler: Our product is mobility, our commitment is accessibility for all, and our mission is to take care of customer oriented behaviour, promoting the "design for all" concept
For the European Disability Forum , Business & Disability: a European Network is an important legacy of the EYPD 2003 and the result of a fruitful alliance between European companies and the representative organisation of disabled people in the European Union. To find out more, please read on the article by Yannis Vardakastanis, President of the EDF.
Why Business?
President of the European Disability Forum
The European Year of People with Disabilities in 2003 was a year rich in alliances, fruitful cooperation and new challenges. Disability was at the top of the European Union's political agenda and became a national priority in many Member States. The challenge of promoting the rights of disabled people and preventing discrimination against a group that represents 50 million people in the enlarged Europe was undertaken by many stakeholders and key players in society, further than governments and public authorities. The media, the trade unions, the academic world, sports organizations, educational authorities and the business community, among many others, also decided to use the impulse given by the Year to take concrete action and bring real progress to the daily lives of disabled people.
Establishing a partnership with European companies was an interesting challenge for the European Disability Forum and probably, one of its biggest achievements during the European Year. The so-called “EYPD Corporate Partnership Programme" initially involved 11 international companies as well as a large not-for-profit company, who committed themselves to develop concrete action plans to benefit disabled people, covering different fields of work.
The basis set by this partnership programme has lead today to an interesting and unique initiative in Europe involving five major companies (some of them competitors) as well as the European Disability Forum, called: Business & Disability: a European Network.
The interest of such an initiative, lead by Adecco, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Manpower, Microsoft and Schindler with the support of the European Commission, is two-fold:
On the one hand, it shows that regardless of the sector in which they operate, these companies have an important and powerful message to deliver to society, which is that including disability in their company policies makes perfect business sense. Indeed, integrating people with disabilities within the workforce thanks, to adapted recruitment policies, not only increases the company's quality as an employer, but it also improves its image as a responsible corporate citizen. Moreover, targeting people with disabilities as potential customers by ensuring the accessibility of its products and services widens significantly the company's potential market to more than 10 percent of the population in Europe.
On the other hand, the establishment of a permanent network gathering companies and the representative organisations of people with disabilities represents a unique opportunity for reinforcing the dialogue between these two key actors in society which can learn how to work together, deliver common messages and achieve shared goals.
For the European Disability Forum contributing to this project is simply the best way to guarantee that people with disabilities benefit from the companies' change of attitude towards disability issues, while helping its corporate partners to find an added value, both in terms of the diversity of their workforce and the larger market that they are targeting. Based on the values and goals of the European Year of People with Disabilities, the establishment of Business & Disability: a European Network must be seen as the beginning of a process, taking place both at European and national level, that will bring significant change by removing the social and economic barriers currently preventing the full participation of people with disabilities in the society.
The project is ambitious, our expectations are high, and our commitment to the objectives of Business & Disability: a European Network will continue to be full".
Focus
Schindler working on
Accessibility as part of
Business & Disability:
a European Network
We are pleased to share with you in the first Business & Disability: a European Network newsletter, the views of to some of Schindler's top management who have been very active in this field, namely: Mr. Miguel A Rodriguez KL-EU, Jorge Liguerre Senior Vice President EI-Europe, Alfredo Morate and Philippe Casteleyn who have been particularly active in driving the “Design for All" philosophy forward. We thank Mr. Rodriguez for sharing Schindler's engagement with us.
Much as it is gratifying to be awarded the Ron Mace Award for leadership in the field of disability awareness what does Schindler believe the gains are for the company as a whole?
We are in fact very proud to be the only elevator company that has been recognised for its strong commitment and initiatives promoting the social integration of people with all kinds of disabilities. It certainly stimulates us to continue working in this direction.As one of the world's leading elevator & escalator companies, Schindler designs, manufactures, installs and maintains state of the art equipment to |suit a huge variety of buildings with the most diverse usages and performance needs. We focus on our core competences which are providing mobility in a built environment that is accessible for all. However, we realize the need to go further. 700 million people around the globe rely on our equipment, so we understand the importance of continuing to promote accessibility and barrier-free mobility in all facets of the built environment.
We cannot accept that, while most of us are able to, travel, trade and do business without any tangible boundaries, some people still have to face real physical barriers to their full social integration.
I understand your position. But what is Schindler concretely doing about this?
We do not only supply mobility solutions that conform to the "Design for All" criteria but we actively promote this philosophy which aims to improve the life of everyone through design :
One example is the pan-European architectural competition for students that Schindler initiated a in 2003. Central to the competition is the "Access for All" requirement - accessibility to buildings for everyone, irrespective of their physical capabilities. In its first edition, a total of 497 students from 17 European nations entered for the award to prove that outstanding architecture and intelligent elevator technology can overcome the remaining barriers. It is precisely in recognition of this initiative that Schindler was presented with the 2004 Ron Mace/Designing for the 21st Century Award.
Another example is Business & Disability: a European Network (www.businessanddisability.org). It was launched by a group of industry leading corporate partners, together with EDF, the European Disability Forum, who share a determination to work together at European and national level for the furtherance of the aims of the Madrid Declaration. Business & Disability: a European Network encourages the exchange of ideas amongst business, policy makers and people with disabilities and aims at promoting the rights of people with disabilities. It will raise awareness of the business case for disability and contribute to the integration of people with disabilities into business with a special focus on Accessibility, e-Accessibility and Employment.
Yet the most visible example is the many new installations and existing elevator and escalator installations that already help to improve accessible mobility in the built environment for everybody.
I understand Schindler's natural focus on accessibility. Yet how is Schindler positioned regarding the other two aspects – employment and e-Accessibility?
We do employ people with disabilities in our organization and we are quite satisfied with their performance. Now we clearly expect to learn and benefit from the ongoing exchange with our fellow corporate partners in Business & Disability: a European Network for possible additional initiatives.
Is Schindler, as an employer appointing and promoting employees with disabilities? In what positions and how many?
Schindler develops, manufactures, installs and maintains elevator and escalator equipment and it also provides a wide scope of related life-cycle services. Consequently, we offer a broad variety of attractive positions around the world. They require high levels of competence, skills and know-how. Besides this, no consideration is given to our employees' origin, nationality, race, religion, gender, age or degree of physical or mental disability. We look for enthusiastic, committed and highly motivated professionals. Nothing more and nothing less.
With the imminent rush to provide and install disability equipment is the company going to take care that the equipment does not destroy the quality of the architectural space? This to my mind will need tremendous care and sensitive workmanship.
We wish there were to be such an imminent rush. It would mean that we had been able to raise awareness and show that solutions are available and benefit everybody. But you are absolutely right in asking about the quality aspect, as this is one of our obsessions.
A significant amount of our equipment is functionally tailored and aesthetically designed to suit individual requirements. Our experts in the field enjoy teaming up with our customers and their architects, designers and builders to achieve the best possible solution from all points of view.
The Schindler Architectural Award is just another example of how we work to combine accessibility with architectural quality and aesthetics. One very important conclusion of the Schindler Award was that the requirement of "Accessibility for All" is not an obstacle to good design. On the contrary: it results in better, more innovative and more functional architecture which benefits everyone.
If this initiative is going to become universal then all businesses should be a part of it, so should the trade associations be more constructively and actively involved? Indeed should signing up to the initiative be a compulsory requirement before a company can be a member of that trade association?
The awareness that we need to overcome accessibility barriers is rising and yet we still have a long way to go as a society before we acknowledge everybody's right to mobility in the built environment. Thus, regulation can contribute and the support from trade associations will certainly help. Above all, we believe in the motivating power of a profitable business case. There are more than 30 million people with some kind of disability in Europe alone today, who need and deserve solutions – if we all regarded them as potential customers, users and employees we would soon make significant improvements. Providing suitable solutions in terms of accessibility and mobility in the built environment is nothing less than a true business opportunity – for builders, owners, tenants and, as a consequence, also for us.
How will Schindler management judge or quantify the success of the initiative?
This is a long-term engagement that forms part of our corporate social responsibility and our long-term business strategy as a leading elevator and escalator company. Helping disabled people to improve their mobility will in the long run not only be beneficial for them. We see it as a true win-win situation.
Can Schindler point to or highlight a change of attitude or working practice within the group as a result of the initiative?
You are touching on a crucial point. The commitment to promoting the social integration of people with any kind of disabilities through supplying state of the art solutions that improve the accessibility to the built environment for all, starts at the top management and goes through the whole organisation. To make sure that everybody in our company is up to speed, we ran a significant in-house communication campaign during the 2003 European Year of People with Disabilities and we will continue this effort.
And above all, we develop and manufacture all our products under the design or all perspective and we supply a wide range of solutions to improve the accessibility of existing elevators.
What is next?
We are already working on the next edition of the Schindler Award for Architecture "Access for All" and, being part of Business & Disability: a European Network , we are preparing a series of key events and road shows in European countries to continue promoting the integration of people with disabilities from the business point of view. We have already accomplished a lot but there is still a lot to be done.
It is always very interesting to hear and see what is happening inside our industry's major companies. This worthy initiative certainly deserves to succeed and we look forward to the developments and further initiatives.
Priorities for 2005
Business & Disability: a European Network has been selected in the framework of the European Commission Directorate General for Employment and Social Affairs' Open Call for Proposals for transnational projects VP/2004/008, featuring pilot projects on actions to mainstream disability policies (budget line 04 04 10).
Implementing the project “Promoting the economic case for the integration of people with disabilities into business and society throughout Europe " is one of our main focus areas for 2005 and 2006.
We aim to provide a basis for reflection on the business opportunities for the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society.
We are also seeking to collect and publish Best Practice examples which demonstrate that the societal and individual burden of disability can be reduced through the enhanced access of people with disabilities to the built environment, to information and communication technology, and to employment through improved communication between all stakeholders.
To do this Business & Disability: a European Network has adopted a two-year work programme that foresees activities in 12 Member States: Belgium , the Czech Republic , Finland , France , Germany , Hungary , Italy , the Netherlands , Poland , Spain , Sweden and the UK . For more information and detailed agendas, please log on to www.businessanddisability.org.
The founding members have committed to this agenda and therefore stand firm behind their past and future contributions to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities.
Keynote event
Business & Disability: a European Network has the pleasure to inform you about our upcoming event “The business case for an Inclusive Workplace" to be held at the European Parliament, room A3E2, in Brussels on 16 June from 14.00 to 18.00. This event is organised under the sponsorship of the European Commission.
This event, which will l aunch our project on “Promoting the economic case for the integration of people with disabilities into business and society throughout Europe", will convene with an opening speech from Richard Howitt, Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Parliament's Disability Intergroup, to mark Europe 's commitment to an inclusive society.
This event will be attended by key stakeholders involved in the area of employment and social affairs, accessibility, e- accessibility as well as European Union policy makers, corporations and the media.
The overall objectives of the launch are to provide a basis for reflection on the business opportunities for the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society. Best Practice examples will be presented to show that the societal and individual burden of disability can be reduced through the enhanced access of people with disabilities to the built environment, to information and communication technology and to employment through improved communication between all stakeholders.
In building up towards the event we would be delighted and grateful if you were to share with us your company's Best Practice in this area through our website: http://www.businessanddisability.org/eur_projects.
Calendar
Upcoming events:- Madrid Roadshow on September 22
- Paris Roadshow on October 6
- Warsaw Roadshow on October 20
- Berlin Roadshow on November 8
- Stockholm Roadshow on November 22
please log on to http://www.businessanddisability.org/news/events.php
Attended events:
• The European Day of People with Disabilities 2004
The European Day of People with Disabilities was held at the Charlemagne Conference Centre in Brussels , Belgium on 2 and 3 December 2004. The conference highlighted the issue of the employment of people with disabilities as the focus was on “Creating the conditions to promote the Employment of people with disabilities".
Helen Kerrison, Director Corporate Responsibility for Manpower Inc and member of Business & Disability: a European Network participated in the panel discussion on life long learning in support of employability and adaptability.
Mrs Kerrison started her presentation by indicating that lifelong learning is about employability and adaptability and stressed in particular the “learning" that is required by employers and employees who do not have disabilities. She said that there is not one right way to go about doing this. For example, she cited three different approaches used by different wings of Manpower: specific targeted programmes; adapting mainstream training approaches; and, e-learning.
Mrs Kerrison also indicated that lifelong learning is for everyone, including individuals with or without a disability seeking new jobs or progressing within employment as well as the business itself as an organisation. She emphasised that “lifelong learning is what a company needs to go through to understand the needs of its diverse employees." In her view, the business mindset needs to shift from “why ever would we employ a person with a disability" to “why ever wouldn't we employ a people with a disability?"
Mrs Kerrison mentioned Business & Disability: a European Network that has grown out of the European Year of People with Disabilities. It consists of six founding member companies, along with EDF. It is committed to encouraging more businesses across Europe to hire people with disabilities, focusing on three main areas: accessibility, e-Accessibility, and employment, through partnerships, sharing of good practices, and concrete actions now under way in twelve Member States. In the future, they hope to be able to reach out to a greater number of businesses across Europe ".
Also representatives of Adecco, HP, IBM and Schindler participated in the event.
• The European Conference Board Council on Work-Life & Diversity
The European Conference Board Council on Work-Life & Diversity was held at the Esade Business School in Madrid , Spain on 27 and 28 January 2005. During this two-day conference, a number of topics linked to work-life and diversity, were discussed, including:
- Education in and for diversity management;
- Recruiting for diversity;
- Integrating diversity into business
- Employability and employment of the disabled in the corporate world: a social, legal and business issue.
Helen Kerrison, Director Corporate Responsibility for Manpower Inc and member of Business & Disability: a European Network presented on the employability and employment of people with disabilities in the corporate world, focussing on practical actions and how to meet the requirements of this particular group of people.
Helen introduced Business & Disability: a European Network during her presentation.
Edith Jonkers, IBM EMEA Manager of Workforce Diversity , is a council member and assures that the council will increase it focus on the inclusion of people with disabilities and continuous to stay informed on the activities of Business & Disability: a European Network .
The CSR Europe MarketPlace event was held at the Albert Hall in Brussels , Belgium on 3 and 4 March 2005. This event was the opportunity for many companies to share and explore CSR solutions to business challenges. The first day was a “market" where invites could come and share their CSR business solutions. The second day was a conference day called “The European Roadmap for Business towards a sustainable and competitive Enterprise ".
Helen Kerrison, Director Corporate Responsibility for Manpower Inc and member of Business & Disability: a European Network alongside representatives from Manpower operations in Spain and the UK presented best practice examples of programmes that address the issues of employment and employability of disadvantaged groups, in particular people with disabilities.
Edith Jonkers, IBM EMEA Manager of Workforce Diversity and member of Business & Disability: a European Network , represented IBM's solution for managing diversity in a very large and complex organisation through its creation of Diversity & Inclusion Councils and Taskforces. These councils are made up of employee representatives across business units and organised into Taskforces that are co-led by a business unit level executive and a country General Manager. The taskforces take the responsibility of analysing issues, proposing ideas and action plans and initiating / following up progress on the actions.
Taskforces are created for each identified focus area of diversity. In EMEA, these include:
- women
- people with disabilities,
- GLBT - Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and transgender – and
- Cultural Diversity
Business & Disability: a European Network was introduced during the course of the presentations.
Best Practices
Business & Disability: a European Network is collecting best practices on the inclusion of people with disabilities within companies on the three main topics of Accessibility, e-Accessibility and Employment. We strongly believe that the business case can lead through example and give ideas to those that are searching for a better inclusion of people with disabilities into the corporate world, including both private and public sectors, in today's European Union of 25 member states.
If you have a story to tell, a remarkable example or even a simple fact that has improved the acceptation of a person with disability into a company, if your company has an acknowledged partnership with institutions relevant to this field, or is involved in corporate social responsibility issues regarding people with disabilities, please fill in our online form by 30 September 2005 at the latest at http://www.businessanddisability.org/eur_projects.
The collected best practices will appear on an online database, per country and per topic of interest, on the Business & Disability: a European Network website. Some will even be selected for a publication that will be issued for the European Day of People with Disabilities on 3 December 2005, with an extended version to be published the following year.
Your experiences, shared with those of the Business & Disability: a European Network , will provide the inspiration to enable businesses to work towards becoming inclusive of people with disabilities. We need your feedback to share with others. Please give freely!
With the support from the European Community
Unit "Integration of People with Disabilities"
Feriel Saouli
Business and Disability
A European Network
402 Avenue de Tervuren
B-1150 Brussels
Tel: +32-2-777.05.17
Fax: + 32-2-777.05.30
info@businessanddisability.org
www.businessanddisability.org