Categories

Disability Smart Awards

Ten Business Disability Forum award categories.

1. Disability Smart Diversity and Inclusion Professional 

This Award will be given to a diversity and inclusion professional who has overseen real and tangible improvements for disabled people in their workforce and potentially beyond. We are looking for a true practitioner with a hands-on role who is dedicated to delivering disability inclusion locally, nationally or globally. We want to reward and showcase a D&I professional who has engaged teams and functions including senior leaders and whose actions have resulted in positive change and breaking down barriers experienced by disabled people.   

2. Disability Smart Leader Award  

This Award will be given to an inspirational leader who has led the implementation of real and tangible improvements for disabled people. We are looking for an individual who leads by example and uses their position and seniority to create a better environment for disabled people locally, nationally or globally. We want to reward and showcase a Leader who is a real change maker and who has truly driven disability inclusion to make positive change and break down barriers experienced by disabled people. 

3. Disability Smart Technology Award 

This Award will be given to a use of technology that has really improved the life opportunities and experiences of disabled people, in the workplace, as a consumer or in wider society. This might be through an innovative use of existing technology or through the development of a new digital or assistive technology product that has been created within the last 18 months, and that has gone the extra mile to break down barriers experienced by disabled people.   

4. Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award 

This Award will be given to an organisation that is a great place to work. We are looking for an organisation that demonstrates that it really values the physical and mental health and wellbeing of all its workers, including disabled people, and has thoughtful, engaging and inclusive workplace practices. This might be through a new way of delivering effective workplace adjustments, a holistic wellbeing programme or a truly inclusive approach to the workplace post pandemic that enables disabled people to grow, develop and thrive in the organisation.  

5. Disability Smart Inclusive Recruitment Award 

This Award will be given to an organisation or team that has created innovative, engaging and most of all, inclusive and accessible recruitment campaigns that has resulted in greater numbers of disabled people obtaining work or accessing a profession. We want to reward and showcase a team that has gone the extra mile to break down barriers experienced by disabled people.   

6. Disability Smart Inclusive Communication Award 

This Award will be given to an organisation or team that has created truly inclusive internal or external communications in formats that can be accessed by everyone.  We want to reward and showcase an organisation that has embedded accessibility and inclusivity into all their communications with their workforce, customers, clients or service users and/or with their stakeholders (including the general public) to improve how disabled people access information and to help the organisation communicate more effectively with everyone.  

7. Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Service Award 

This Award will be given to an organisation that has provided excellent customer service to everyone – including disabled people. We want to reward and showcase truly inclusive customer service from an organisation which has gone the extra mile to break down barriers experienced by disabled people. This might be a genuinely inclusive approach to customer service during or after the pandemic or creating a new product or service to meet the needs of disabled customers.  

8. Disability Smart Accessible Built Environment Award 

This Award will be given to an organisation that has created accessible and inclusive physical environments for everyone, including disabled people. We are looking for environments that support the physical and mental health and wellbeing of everyone who lives, works or spends time in them – whether employees, customers or other stakeholders, including the general public – and that are truly inclusive.  

9. Disability Smart Learning & Development Award 

This Award will be given to an organisation or team that has created innovative, engaging and most of all, inclusive and accessible learning and development solutions for everyone, including disabled people. We are looking for an organisation which has taken a different approach to developing and/or delivering learning and development, (this can include e-learning) or that has presented a subject related to disability inclusion in a new and innovative way. 

10. Disability Smart Inclusive Product Design Award 

This award will go to an organisation or team that has created a new product (in the last 18 months) which is both accessible and aspirational in terms of its functionality and design. We are looking for a product which has thoughtfully considered inclusion for everyone including disabled people from the outset, and which has built in end-to-end inclusive design from inception to delivery.  

We will also recognise an individual with a Disability Smart Lifetime Achievement Award.

Disability Confident Awards

Three separate awards for organisations registered for the UK Government’s Disability Confident employer scheme independently judged The Department for Work and Pensions Disability Confident Team.

The Disability Confident scheme supports employers to make the most of the talents disabled people can bring to the workplace. It provides UK employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. By being Disability Confident and understanding more about disability, employers and their businesses will be better able to understand the needs and potential of disabled people.

1. The Disability Confident Impact Award   

This award will go to an organisation that can demonstrate that they are actively progressing through the different levels of the Disability Confident scheme.  (Level 1-2 and Level 2-3) 

They will also demonstrate that there has been a positive impact on the organisation in terms of disability employment and other opportunities such as apprenticeships, internships and work experience, and increased the understanding around the cultures and behaviours of disability in the workplace 

They will be actively promoting the Disability Confident scheme more widely to other employers, suppliers and stakeholders.  

2. The Disability Confident Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Workplace Award 

This award will go to a Disability Confident employer that can demonstrate that they have placed mental health and wellbeing at the heart of their organisation.  

They will be able to demonstrate that they are raising awareness of mental health and wellbeing across their organisation and have put in place appropriate help and support for their employees. 

3. The Disability Confident Small Business Award 

This award will go to a Disability Confident small employer that can demonstrate that they have actively supported their disabled employees. This could include making appropriate workplace adjustments that have enabled staff to work remotely or in a blended way, supporting them to deliver their work effectively. 

We want to reward and showcase an inspirational small employer that can demonstrate that they have gone the extra mile to support disabled people. 

If you require this content in a different format, contact enquiries@businessdisabilityforum.org.uk.