Here you will find everything you need to know about the Disability at Work Summit. This page will be updated with the programme and timings for the day. We will email you to let you know when that happens.
Questions and Contact Details
You can contact us with any questions or suggestions:
Richard Boggie richard@differencenortheast.org.uk 07498 317352
Nic Cook nic@differencenortheast.org.uk 07944385409
At a Glance
- Tuesday 14th June 2022, 11am-4pm
- Crowne Plaza Hotel, Newcastle or Online via Zoom
- Lunch and refreshments provided
- Dress however you like- comfort highly encouraged!
What to Expect
We will work together in small groups and individually across 3 different phases of the day:
1. Explore barriers that prevent disabled people from enjoying equality in employment.
2. Envision a more inclusive employment culture in the North East.
3. Devise actions we can start to take together to make this a reality.
We will do this through activities led by our kind and attentive facilitator, Lauren. You can obviously choose not to take part in any activity that you do not feel comfortable with, or if you need to take some time out.
Access Guide
You can view or download our access guide here: Difference Access Guide
It contains information about the venue, how to get there, and what to expect. If you have specific access requirements and have not yet had a chat with us, you can contact us on the details above. We all have various needs at different times. At the summit, we commit to looking out for each other and helping where assistance is needed. You can read our Inclusive Sharing Principles below, which we always keep in mind when we work with others.
Inclusive Sharing Principles: Safety and wellbeing take priority. Respect and value our differences. All opinions count. A safe space for learning. Listen to one another.
Programme
You can download the programme for the summit here: Programme
Covid-19 Safety
The venue is relatively large and open plan. This means that we can practice some social distancing. We have reduced the room capacity from 80 to 50 so that we can have more space to move around. Participants are encouraged to wear a mask if they want to do so. There is hand sanitiser available throughout the venue. We will supply lots of pens and stationery so that we do not share these. The doors to the room we are using are fire doors and need remain closed. There are 2 doorways into the room so we will enter and exit as 2 smaller groups through these to avoid crowding. There is an air conditioning system that brings in fresh air to the room which we will use. We will take regular breaks out of the main room and you are welcome to leave the space at any time you need to.
Who will be there?
The Disability at Work Summit is being hosted by Difference North East. You can find out more about our work here. Around 50 people will be involved, from a wide range of organisations; universities, local authorities, employers and charities. Most participants will be there in- person and we have a number of people joining us online via Zoom.
We will also be joined by:
Lauren Maile-Wilson.
Lauren is a skilled facilitator with a decade of experience in leading workshops, wellbeing. She also runs adult education courses and leads training for a wide range of organisations. There, she supports the development of facilitation skills for embedding creativity into leadership and practice. Her practice explores the intersection of mental health, creativity and wellbeing where she uses creativity as a tool for personal and social development.
Jamie Cook
Jamie is a producer / musician / performer based in Newcastle. Using installation, live performance, film and audio-media, his practice brings people together through explorative and engaging work. He will be using this expertise at our summit to create an innovative hybrid event making the digital space as accessible and participatory as being there in person.