Webinars

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Digital accessibility, not as a compliance measure, but as a "human-first" based digital inclusion transformation initiative, is at the beginning of its journey. If companies can establish digital accessibility as a foundational pillar to their overall digital transformation strategy and engage employees with disabilities at the product and service and workplace design phase, then we can begin to move digital impact measurement of digital accessibility away from compliance and over to innovation and business differentiation.

Frances West, Founder of FrancesWestCo and main author of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network's publication "Leave no one offline: A primer on engaging your company on digital accessibility" presented the key insights and recommendations covered by this publication.

Steve Framil, Founder & Associate Director Enterprise Digital Governance at Merck/MSD, presented the company’s journey on digital accessibility so far, success stories, current plans and the challenges that remain.

Yves Veulliet, Global Diverse Abilities Inclusion Leader at IBM, moderated the session.

Live captioning and International Sign interpretation were provided.

As part of the Academy on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work – organised by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Training Centre of the ILO (ITCILO) – the session "Disability in the 2020s: A digital decade for an inclusive World of Work" on 13 October featured a discussion with

• Neil Milliken - Global Head of Accessibility, Atos
• Karine Sonigo - Skills Digitalisation Specialist, ILO
• Jim Nemeño - Operations Manager, Philippine Business and Disability Network
• moderated by Jürgen Menze - Disability Inclusion Officer, ILO

to address questions like how to ensure that people with disabilities can benefit from the ever-growing digital economy, what the role of companies and training providers can be, how latest digital technology can be used for good as well as which challenges and opportunities of telework by workers with disabilities exist.

Interpretation into International Sign was provided.

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) provide more than two thirds of jobs worldwide and account for the majority of new employment. There are an estimated 1.3 billion people with disabilities in the world, with most of them being in working age. However, persons with disabilities are unemployed at much higher rates than persons without disabilities. SMEs have the potential to offer employment to persons with disabilities.

The ILO Global Business and Disability Network's webinar "The power of small: disability employment in SMEs" discussed the barriers SMEs may face when it comes to employing persons with disabilities, and how they can be supported to be more disability-inclusive.

Further, the insights from the August 2023 ILO GBDN report “Disability inclusion in small and medium-sized enterprises: Analysis of a survey among National Business and Disability Networks” https://www.businessanddisability.org/publications/ , which also provides recommendations on how to enable SMEs worldwide to become more inclusive of persons with disabilities, was presented.

How can companies support employees with disabilities grow professionally and progress their careers?

The ILO Global Business and Disability Network's webinar on developing talent with disabilities discussed various ways companies can help persons with disabilities develop the necessary skills and knowledge to climb the career ladder and progress in the workplace. Speakers shared different programmes and initiatives that aim to develop the careers of persons with disabilities.

Inclusive company culture is critical to ensuring that women with disabilities feel welcome and valued in the workplace. Employees with disabilities and managers of Inditex and MAPFRE (both companies are members of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network) shared their experiences and strategies in the webinar "Promoting the inclusion of women with disabilities in companies in Latin America and the Caribbean" on July 19 at 9am (Peru time), jointly organized by the ILO's Global Business and Disability Network and the Women & Business Network.

How can companies promote and improve the employment of persons with disabilities in the Arab region? The ILO Global Business and Disability Network’s regional conference for the Arab States brought together speakers from multinational and national enterprises operating in the region as well as from organisations supporting the inclusion of persons with disabilities in private sector employment. Representatives shared latest good corporate practices and lessons learned on the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the Arab States, including on issues like inclusive recruitment, business partnerships, skills training and business tools on disability.

Young people and people with disabilities are among the most disadvantaged groups when it comes to getting a decent job and progressing in their careers. Unfortunately, when young age and disability are combined, the labour market situation is even more dire. The COVID-19 pandemic has further aggravated the challenges of the estimated 180 to 220 million young persons with disabilities around the world. This webinar aimed to spotlight good corporate practices and experiences from around the world that support young persons with disabilities in entering and staying in decent work, including through disability mainstreaming in vocational skills initiatives.

Moderated by Bowen Tang, President of the International Federation of Hard of Hearing Young People, the webinar included as speakers Jürgen Menze, Disability Inclusion Officer at the ILO, Haibin Zhou, Founder and CEO of Easy Inclusion, Patricia Matlou, Inclusion and Diversity Associate Manager at Accenture in South Africa, Leku Sylvie Nakou, Member of the Global Network for Young Persons with Disabilities as well as Dorodi Sharma, Senior Technical Manager at the International Disability Alliance.

For the ninth time, the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) held its global annual conference – this time in a virtual format. The programme included the welcoming of ILO GBDN members that joined in 2022, the presentation and discussion of corporate practices by Multinational Enterprises on topics like digital skilling and employment, disability-inclusive procurement as well as the inclusion of neurodivergent talent. Further, new guidance on disability Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) in global companies and the updated ILO GBDN Self-Assessment Tool for companies were launched at the conference. International Sign interpretation and live captioning were provided.

This ILO Global Business and Disability Network webinar explored the unacknowledged risks to the world’s more than 1.3 billion persons with disabilities triggered by the fast-growing use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered technology in the world of work.

Why do most leaders of the global ethical AI debate disregard the potential harm to more than 1.3 billion people with disabilities and to the hundreds of millions who will acquire a disability in time?

Will the HR cost savings generated by AI technology outweigh the potential damage to the life chances of so many?

How will surveillance technology take into account the employer’s need - and often legal obligation - to provide reasonable accommodations for employees who, because of a disability, perform their work and interact with technology in "non-standard" ways?

Is it true that it is the employer – not the developer - who is liable should a person with a disability be treated unfairly because the employer relied on AI technology?

Where is the evidence that a specific AI tool will not discriminate against candidates or colleagues with disabilities?

This webinar was moderated by Susan Scott-Parker, Founder "Disability Ethical? AI". Speakers were Gerard Quinn, UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; Phyllida Swift, CEO, Face Equality International; Elias Apreko, Chair, Ghana Stammering Association; Neil Milliken, Global Head of Accessibility, Atos.

International Sign interpretation and live captioning were provided.

This regional conference brought together representatives from companies – including multinational and small and medium-sized enterprises – with operations in Africa, employers organisations, African Business and Disability Networks, local and international NGOs and organisations of persons with disabilities and welcomed anyone interested in the promotion of private sector employment of persons with disabilities in Africa. The conference provided a forum for the presentation and discussion of:

- good corporate practices

- National Business and Disability Networks

- promoting the employability of persons with disabilities

- partnerships