Disability Smart Awards 2024 winners

Meet the winners

Congratulations to all the winners, highly commendeds and finalists in 2024.

Disability Smart Diversity and Inclusion Professional Award

WINNER: Kim Whippy, PwC LLP.

The judges were extremely impressed with the breadth of evidence provided to illustrate Kim’s dedication, commitment and passion for disability inclusion.   

Particularly impressive was the insight work that ultimately helped shape her organisation’s ‘Enablement Strategy’ and ensured the voices of disabled employees were truly listened to. She engaged with teams across their organisation to ensure tangible improvements, such as improving the accessibility of recruitment processes, introducing neurodiversity assessments paid for by the business and the development of training programmes.   

Her work has led to a significant increase in employee confidence around disability and in employee satisfaction overall. 

The finalists in this category were:

• Carmel McKeogh, DFN Project SEARCH,
• Michael Vermeersch, Microsoft.

Disability Smart Leader Award  

WINNER: Oliver Holbourn, NatWest, RBSI.

Oliver has demonstrated a really embedded, strategic approach to disability inclusion for both customers and employees. He has fostered a culture of innovation and inclusion and driven this by saying ‘everyone must do something for accessibility’.  

The judges were particularly impressed with the many examples of successful initiatives that involved consultation with those with lived experiences. There was clear evidence of listening and acting on feedback to make meaningful change and it was clear that this is a leader who strengthens the voice and visibility of disabled employees.  

He has been exec sponsor for disability and accessibility for 3 years and sponsor of the organisation’s employee-led network. In this role, he has co-created a vision and supported a programme of work embracing the network and digital accessibility for customers.  

The finalists in this category were:

• Professor Brendan Stone, The University of Sheffield (Highly commended),
• Dr Nasser Siabi OBE, Microlink.

Disability Smart Technology Award

WINNER: Microsoft.

The judges were really impressed with how disabled people were considered and included throughout the process in developing Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Studio 2, and how mainstream this game-changing product could be. The precision haptic touchpad is large and provides feedback when you tap it. It is also adaptive, so it can be used with different parts of the body, such as the palm, foot, edges of the hand, or residual limbs. 

The finalists in this category were:

• Family Care Trust (Highly commended),
• Haleon.

Disability Smart Inclusive Workplace Experience Award 

WINNER: PwC UK.

PwC UK developed their own bespoke, innovative neurodiversity learning programme, ‘Great Minds (Don’t think alike)’, when internal research highlighted the lack of practical awareness of how to support neurodivergent individuals.  

Our judges were impressed by the approach taken to collaborate and really understand what was needed, and loved the encouragement of group learning by the inclusion of conversational coaching cards, using playing cards to engage learners.

Only launching in August last year, ‘Great Minds’ was accessed by almost 3,500 colleagues in its first 4 months. And this is only the start: there is a clear plan to grow its impact by integrating with other projects across the firm and globally.

The finalists in this category were:

• Na Laga’at Center (Highly commended),
• Texthelp Group.

Disability Smart Inclusive Recruitment Award 

WINNER: Whitbread PLC.

Whitbread has shown innovative, impactful and unwavering commitment to supporting young people with learning disabilities and autism to improve skills, confidence and obtain meaningful employment.

Their Thrive Programme has partnered with special educational needs colleges to offer training in replica mini–Premier Inn Hotels for students to gain real experience within hospitality. Students are supported to progress at their own pace with an offer of work experience, supported internships and a guaranteed job upon completion of the programme.  

Find out more about Whitbread PLC’s winning entry

The finalists in this category were:

• Zayed Higher Organization for People of determination (Highly commended),
• AXA UK.

Disability Smart Inclusive Communication Campaign Award 

WINNER: Reckitt.

Reckitt has developed the Vanish ‘Me, My Autism and I’ ad campaign, which centres on the real-life story of Ash and her family and friends to increase awareness of the everyday experiences of young girls with autism. The campaign really drives home the message on the importance of long lasting, familiar clothes to many autistic people, whilst raising awareness of the fact that fewer girls are diagnosed with autism than boys, making it more difficult for girls to get the support they need.   

Reckitt worked closely with Ambitious About Autism to develop the campaign. An online resource hub and an exhibition sharing stories and clothing from autistic girls were developed alongside the TV ad, and the campaign gained the support of online influencers and was shared across social media platforms. 

Judges were particularly impressed by the time that went into casting Ash and her family and friends and exploring their real-life story and experiences. The judges felt the authenticity of the story really shone through in the ad and made it relatable.  

The finalists in this category were:

• The Royal Society and The Scottish Sensory Centre (Highly commended),
• Tilting the Lens.

Disability Smart Inclusive Customer Experience Award 

WINNER: TUI UK&I.

TUI UK&I has demonstrated a thorough approach to inclusivity. They have thought about all customer touch points by training staff in retail stores, establishing a dedicated Assisted Travel Team in their contact centre, providing information including the 200 (soon to be 400) Access Guides online and introducing online booking of accessible rooms in some hotels.  

Booking a holiday, especially overseas, can be expensive. Having detailed information in advance means disabled customers can make informed choices about their holiday and provides reassurance they will be able to participate and enjoy their holiday fully.  

The finalists in this category were:

• Marsham Court Hotel (Highly commended),
• Alton Towers Resort.

Disability Smart Accessible Built Environment Award 

WINNER: HSBC.

HSBC have opened their most accessible, inclusive, sustainable, and digital branch yet in Sheffield.

They have gone above and beyond by introducing sensory rooms, safe spaces for survivors of domestic abuse, video sign at ATM machines and transition areas and gender neutral accessible toilets, despite customer toilets not usually provided due to security risks. It is also the first bank to trial Goodmaps – an audio navigation app for people with sight loss.

The pioneering Sheffield branch was developed as a global blueprint for branch design going forward.

The finalists in this category were:

• European Bank for Reconstruction and Development,
• The Huddersfield Town Association Football Club Limited.

Disability Smart Global Disability Inclusion Award 

WINNER: Google Accessibility Discovery Centre.

The Accessibility Design Centre (ADC) drives research and innovation in accessible technology. Its broad interactive display of assistive technology showcases products from many brands beyond Google and the judges welcomed the innovative approach of this project in demo-ing the latest in assistive technology and going beyond brand, championing the right tool for the right individual. The contents of the centre continue to evolve.

The disability community has been at the heart of this project from the outset with the centre becoming a physical manifestation of the principle of “nothing about us without us.”  

Whilst it is based in central London, The ADC’s impact is far wider. In its first year of operation, it has hosted over 2000 external visitors – from MPs and regulators, to universities and charities across multiple countries in the EU and Middle East, global companies, local UK charities and hundreds of local school children. The breadth of visitors to the centre works to broaden knowledge and inspire change across networks and beyond business.

The ADC has already inspired collaboration with other businesses and its success has inspired Google ERGs across the globe to set up their own centres in the next year.  

The finalists in this category were:

• The Valueable Network, Associazione Italiana Persone Down (Highly commended),
• HSBC.

Disability Smart Inclusive Product Design Award 

WINNER: Primark.

Primark created an affordable adaptive underwear range. 

Adaptive products can be difficult to find, expensive and only available online. As a retailer that has always been about making great fashion and everyday essentials affordable to as many people as possible, they wanted to bring competitively priced, adaptive underwear to the disabled community, who we know are often impacted by the disability price tag.  

They also made changes to their Click + Collect process, adding a message to all orders inviting disabled customers to ask for a Click + Collect colleague when they visit a store to collect their package. The judges were really impressed with how they considered and included disabled people throughout the process.

The finalists in this category were:

• Amazon,
• HSBC.  

Disability Confident Awards

Sponsored by Ingeus.

These Awards are run and independently judged by the DWP Disability Confident Team.

Disability Confident Small Business Award

WINNER: Aquarius Hair Design

The finalists in this category were:

• Milwood Servicing Ltd,
• Clootie McToot.

Disability Confident Impact Award

WINNER: Microsoft.

The finalists in this category were:

• ICCE Team, Ministry of Justice,
• Vodafone.

Disability Confident Mental Health & Wellbeing in the Workplace Award

WINNER: Asda.

The finalists in this category were:

• Bristol Myers Squibb,
• West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust.

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