ELEN Meeting May 2026

Frontline Hearing: The Hidden Cost of In‑Ear Comms on Police Officers

Following the release of research conducted by the Disability Police Association on hearing loss and the connection to inner ear devices, we will be hearing from Claire Harrison of Northamptonshire Police, who took a thorough and thoughtful approach to understanding how this would affect the organisation, both now and in the future. She evaluated the potential implications for individuals and navigated options to identify solutions that would deliver benefits in the short term and remain fit for the future.

This raises a wider question for all of us: to what extent do we push our bodies in the course of our roles, and how damaging can that be over time? Claire’s insights open the door to an important discussion about how organisations recognise these risks and what meaningful support looks like when individuals are affected.

Building Safety, Trust, and Belonging: The Evolution of Northumbria Police’s Disability & Carers Network

Gemma Cornall and Chief Inspector Jennifer Bushby, from Northumbria Police will be joining us to reflect on their time as Co‑chairs of the force’s Disability & Carers Network, accessABILITY Network. They’ll share the personal motivations that led them to take on the role, and how they moved the Network from being seen as “the people you go to when something goes wrong” to a confident, proactive community that now supports a membership that has grown by more than 300%.

They’ll explore what shifted — culturally and practically — to make colleagues feel safe, welcome, and represented, including those with disabilities and those without. Their story is one of turning firefighting into forward momentum, and of building a space where people feel able to speak up, connect, and be part of meaningful change.

This meeting is for Business Disability Forum Partner and Member organisations only. Invitations have been sent to Partners and Members that are part of the Emergency Services and Law Enforcement Network (ELEN). If you haven’t received an invitation and you are interested in attending either just this meeting or becoming a Emergency Services and Law Enforcement Network, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

This event will operate using the ‘Chatham House’ rule.

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