Meet the People of the Year Sponsors:
Grant Kennedy, Chief Executive of Direct Enquiries Ltd
Grant Kennedy of Direct Enquiries and Harriet Harman MP at the People of the Year Launch
What role does your organisation play in promoting equality and human rights for disabled people?
Quite a big one. Direct Enquiries is the Nationwide Access Register. Our website – www.directenquiries.com - gets about 8.5 million hits a month from people actively searching for accessible locations.
We work with companies and venues so that managers understand what is required to make their locations accessible and provide staff training too.
It has to be said that some venues take access very seriously but there are still some organisations that have yet understood the business and social benefits of inclusion. Not only from a legal perspective but a commercial one, accessibility makes sound business sense.
Take me as an example, my first experiences of disability stems from my fathers use of a wheelchair. From a purely commercial perspective, by turning him away, restaurants, cafés and bars turned the whole family away. Businesses spend millions on finding new market places – the disability marketplace is enormous.
What made you decide to sponsor RADAR's People of the Year Awards?
We've been involved for with RADAR for several years. It does some fantastic things and deserves all the support it gets. By sponsoring the awards we get to demonstrate our commitment to RADAR and its campaigns.
What will be your main focus at the event?
We're hosting a seminar called “Accessible Britain” to explain the importance of accessibility, today and in the near future. The 2012 Olympics, for example, will attract millions of visitors from all over the world and as a country we need to make them welcome.
We'll also be involved at the evening event. The award ceremony is a great way to meet organisations with a common cause and start conversations that lead to real change.
What difference do you think the People of the Year awards and event make?
It's a way of recognising those who do extraordinary work and a way of celebrating individuals. I don't envy the judges having to make such difficult decisions picking the category winners.
What are the key benefits of sponsoring and getting involved with People of the Year?
We do it to enjoy a fantastic evening and help demonstrate our commitment.
People of the Year has been getting better and better over the years. It's less formal now, more of a party, and as a result I think the networking is more effective and we all get more out of it.
Why do you think it's important for businesses to develop disability confidence – particularly in a recession?
There are organisations out there who think that disability issues are less important during a recession but they're wrong.
For example, we have an ageing population so if you want the best staff and the most customers, 'disability confidence' essential. It has nothing to do with charity. If you want more customers coming through the door small changes in your customer service can make a big difference to the bottom line.
Research has demonstrated that disabled people make the best employees and I know from Direct Enquiries, where a third of our workforce is disabled, that this is true.
Legislation clearly helps drive the message home but it can also obscure the business benefits. Sometimes if you feel you are obliged to do something, you just do the minimum without seeing the bigger picture. Some organisations just tick the boxes without thinking through the business advantages of what they're doing. We try to help them see the real world benefits that simple changes can make.
Unfortunately larger organisations often give sole responsibility for equality issues to the Human Resources department. That makes sense for staffing issues but not for property related issues. HR does not have the remit to alter buildings. Equality affects the whole organisation not just human resources. We need to encourage organisations to locate specific responsibilities in the right place.
