Webinars

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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

Cette conférence régionale réuni des représentants d’entreprises – y compris des multinationales et des petites et moyennes entreprises – opérant en Afrique, des organisations d’employeurs, des réseaux africains Entreprises et Handicap, des ONG locales et internationales et des organisations de personnes en situation de handicap et accueillie toute personne intéressée par la promotion de l’emploi des personnes en situation de handicap dans le secteur privé en Afrique. La conférence offerte un forum pour la présentation et la discussion de:

– bonnes pratiques d’entreprises

– Réseaux Nationaux Entreprises et Handicap

– favoriser l’employabilité des personnes handicapées

– partenariats

Neurodiversity refers to the idea that all humans have diverse cognitive profiles, neurological abilities and strengths and weaknesses, which should be recognized and respected. Neurominorities are on a spectrum of cognitive functioning, who think differently and perceive the world in different ways – often due to conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyspraxia, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Tourette’s syndrome and other neurological differences.

Businesses are increasingly recognizing that neurominorities can bring much needed talent and skills to workplaces if reasonable adjustments are made to enable their full professional potential.

The webinar presented latest practices by leading multinational enterprises IBM, Orange, EY and HSBC on becoming neuro-inclusive places to work. International Sign interpretation and live captioning were provided.

Companies increasingly recognise the benefits of accessibility, including physical and digital, as part of their efforts to create more inclusive workplaces in which all employees can thrive. Five multinational enterprise members of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network – Accenture, Atos, GSK, Repsol and Standard Chartered Bank – presented their latest key accessibility practices and policies. Speakers: Jarl Ross (Accenture), Beatriz González Mellídez (Atos), Andy Garrett (GSK), Javier García González (Repsol) and Bhumit Shah (Standard Chartered Bank).

This session presented the “Digital in Demand” initiative of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network (GBDN) and was chaired by Susan Scott-Parker, Strategic Advisor to the ILO GBDN. The initiative’s goal is to enable people with disabilities to access the digital skills which are “in demand” with employers.

Speakers: Jürgen Menze, ILO, Switzerland; Bernd Schramm, GIZ, Germany; Daniel Otumbai Omondi, Graduate at Bridge Academy, Kenya; Simon Brown, Sightsavers International, United Kingdom; Tabie Kioko, Safaricom, Kenya; Lesa Bradshaw, Bradshaw Leroux Consulting, South Africa.

This session was part of the Zero Project Conference 2022.

In this session, speakers shared innovative policies and practices that have contributed to accessible and inclusive employment environment. Moderator: Jürgen Menze, ILO, Switzerland. Speakers: Lars Lindberg, Nordic Welfare Center, Sweden; Mounter Wu, Flex Zhuhai, China; Marina Kalnitski, Inclusion Factory, China; Peter Njioka, Safaricom, Kenya; Frances West, Frances WestCo, United States. This session was part of the Zero Project Conference 2022

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-existing labour market barriers faced by people with disabilities in the Asia and Pacific region. At the same time, the pandemic has accelerated certain Future of Work mega trends, including the growth of the digital economy and the demand for digitally skilled workers.

The ILO Global Business Disability Network (GBDN) two-day conference focussed on its second day on Digital in Demand (DiD) initiatives, aimed at bringing enterprises and digital skills training providers closer together to enable the employment of persons with disabilities in the digital economy, including by tackling stereotypes based on disability and gender. Through group work sessions, practical recommendations to digital skills training providers, government or international donors, Organisations of Persons with Disabilities and disability NGOs on how to overcome barriers to digital skills acquisition by persons with disabilities were developed.

Interpretation into International Sign was provided.