Start the journey towards Disability Confidence
Join a new 10 week online programme to help FinTech companies become Disability Confident. The series of free 1 hour webinars will run weekly from Thursday 19th September, and is a fantastic opportunity to learn how to build a more inclusive workplace.
In today’s competitive landscape, being inclusive is no longer optional—it’s essential. As a disabled CEO, DEI Educator, and Inclusive Talent Specialist with nearly three decades of recruitment search experience and ten years as a DEI educator, Cressida Stephenson witnessed how companies that prioritise diversity and accessibility unlock greater innovation, creativity, and success. Now, she is excited to offer a unique opportunity to Fintech companies seeking to become disability confident and more inclusive employers.
Cressida will lead the 10-week program designed specifically for Fintech companies. Each week, she’ll dive into key topics that will help you build disability confidence, accessibility, and inclusivity into the core of your recruitment and workplace practices. Every session will last one hour and is tailored to provide actionable insights that can be implemented immediately.
Here’s an overview of what you can expect over the next ten weeks:
19th Sept
Week 1: Introduction to Disability Confident
We will start with an introduction to the Disability Confident (DC) scheme, explaining how it works and why it’s crucial for businesses. This session will set the stage for your journey, helping you understand how the programme can benefit your organisation and position you as a pioneer in disability inclusion.
26th Sept
Week 2: DC Leadership Event: Learn from Disability Confident Leaders
This week, you will have the chance to hear from industry leaders who have successfully navigated the Disability Confident journey. They will share their experiences, challenges, and the benefits they have seen from becoming disability confident employers. Learn directly from those who have implemented these best practices.
3rd October
Week 3: Neurodiversity Awareness Training
October kicks off a month filled with important Neurodiversity awareness dates, making it an ideal time to explore this crucial topic. This week, we’ll focus on understanding the various neurodivergent traits and the strengths they can bring to your team. We will cover key neurodivergent conditions such as autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, and provide practical strategies to support and empower neurodivergent employees, helping them thrive in your workplace.
10th October
Week 4: Disability Awareness Training
This week, we will broaden our focus to include all types of disabilities, both visible and invisible. The goal is to increase awareness and understanding of different disabilities, helping your team foster an inclusive culture that values and supports all employees, regardless of their abilities.
17th October
Week 5: Neuroinclusive Interview Best Practices (Part 1)
In our fifth week, we will dive into best practices for conducting neuroinclusive interviews. It is crucial that all interviewers and managers understand how neurodivergent (ND) and disabled candidates may present during interviews. Often, we subconsciously rely on neurotypical social cues to gauge a candidate’s suitability, but ND candidates may exhibit different behaviours and communication styles. Recognising and accommodating these differences is essential, as 84% of hiring decisions are made within the first four minutes of an interview. This session will equip you with strategies to ensure that neurodivergent candidates are fairly evaluated, enabling you to make more informed and equitable hiring decisions.
24th October
Week 6: Neuroinclusive Interview Best Practices (Part 2)
Building on the insights from the previous week, we will dive deeper into practical techniques and adjustments that can make your interviews more neuroinclusive. This session will focus on tailoring interview questions, environments, and evaluation criteria to ensure fairness and inclusivity.
31 October
Week 7: How to Improve the Accessibility of Your Careers Website
This week, we’ll focus on enhancing the accessibility of your careers website, ensuring it’s welcoming and navigable for all potential candidates. We will guide you through the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), providing practical steps to make your website more inclusive. By adhering to these guidelines, you’ll improve the user experience for candidates with various disabilities, helping to create a more accessible and equitable recruitment process. Join us as we explore how small adjustments can make a significant difference in attracting a diverse pool of talent.
7th November
Week 8: How to Recruit Disabled Candidates
In Week 8, we will focus on effective strategies for recruiting disabled candidates. A key to success in this area is understanding that disabled candidates often approach the employment market in ways that differ significantly from non-disabled candidates. It’s crucial to recognize that their motivations and job search strategies may also vary. Traditional recruitment methods that are designed for non-disabled talent may not be as effective for attracting disabled candidates. We’ll explore tailored approaches and innovative strategies to ensure you reach and engage with disabled candidates effectively, helping you build a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
14th November
Week 9: How to Create Inclusive Job Descriptions
Job descriptions are the first step in the recruitment process, and they play a significant role in attracting diverse talent. This week, we will discuss how to craft job descriptions that are inclusive and appealing to disabled and neurodivergent candidates, helping you attract a wider range of applicants.
21st November
Week 10: How to Assess Neurodivergent and Disabled Candidates Fairly and Equitably at Interview
Our final session will focus on how to assess neurodivergent and disabled candidates fairly and equitably during interviews. We’ll provide practical tips for ensuring that your interview process evaluates candidates based on their skills and potential, rather than any biases or barriers related to their disabilities.
Why This Program Matters
This 10-week program is designed to help Fintech companies not just comply with disability regulations, but to lead the way in creating truly inclusive workplaces. As an approved Disability Confident partner, Cressida has seen how powerful it can be when businesses commit to making meaningful changes. By joining this program, you are taking a vital step towards becoming a more inclusive, equitable, and innovative organisation.
Each session will be led by Cressida Stephenson, a Disability Expert who combines years of recruitment, search, and DEI expertise with personal experience as a disabled worker. Her goal is to provide you with the tools, knowledge, and confidence to make your workplace more inclusive for everyone. Cressida is also the guest for our latest episode of Project Nemo’s Accessible Finance podcast, so make sure you tune in on your favourite podcast platform.
Start the journey to become disability confident and create a workplace where every employee can thrive.
Sign up here: Unlocking Disability Confidence Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite