Last week Leeds Millions Missing organiser and ME & ME founder, Charlie Wainwright, hosted a ‘Hidden Disabilities in the work place’ presentation for local business Northern Monk.
As part of their monthly Diversity and Inclusion they invite individuals to speak with their team and educate them on ways to create a more inclusive working enviroment.
Charlie Wainwright, who hosted the event, said:
“It was a pleasure to be invited by Northern Monk to talk about hidden disablities in the workplace and my experience of working with ME/CFS.
Globally 1 in 7 people live with a disability. And of those, 80% are invisible.
In the UK, of all employees with a disability, 62% have an invisible disability.
That is why it’s so important to recieve support and understanding from your workplace.”
– Charlie Wainwright.
Charlie shared her experiences of living and working with ME and dyslexia. The talk also shared ways in which employers can better support staff and how to create a supportive and accessible enviroment for all.
Since the pandemic begin 77% of people living with a disability feel that their workplace has done a better job of supporting them and their needs.
There has been a rise in Mental Health First Aid training in the work place and the dramatic increase of employees working from home has created a more accessible working enviroment for many.
Sophie, Head of People at Northern Monk, said:
“Charlie joined our monthly Diversity and Inclusion at Northern Monk to talk about invisible and chronic illness and disability. I can’t speak highly enough of Charlie’s presentation, she talked us through her personal experience and gave a great insight into the life of someone with a invisible illness and disability. It was really valuable to hear about how these conditions affect all aspects of life.
Charlie brought practical solutions to how an employer and a team can support people with chronic and invisible illness, was open to questions and provided additional resources for the team. If you’d like to learn more about invisible and chronic illness and how to support those with them, I’d really recommend Charlie!”
– Sophie, Head of People at Northern Monk.
Since the talk other businesses across the UK have been in touch to organise similar talks for their teams.
If you would like to discuss the talk in more depth, access recommended resources or organise a presentation for your team please do get in touch using the contact form below.
ME and Me 