A partnership for inclusion: Circular Energy and Bradshaw LeRoux join forces for disability inclusion

Lesa Bradshaw, founder of Bradshaw LeRoux, started the organisation 27 years ago. There was an awareness that people had different and diverse opportunities to access education and employment. This was also true for the disabled community. In her work as an industrial psychologist, Bradshaw identified the need for more disabled people in corporate positions.

“I’ve found that the disability inclusion model does not speak to the individual abilities of people. The medical understanding of disability doesn’t recognise that most of the disabling barriers come from our environments, our attitudes, and the world that we live in,” says Bradshaw.
Circular Energy will seek to diminish barriers for people with disabilities in the workplace - the different types of barriers being attitudinal, environmental, and organisational. Through its work with Bradshaw LeRoux, Circular Energy has come to understand that attitudinal barriers refer to perceptions and stereotypes of people with disabilities, whilst environmental barriers speak to infrastructure that people with disabilities have to work and live in. Lastly, organisational barriers highlight what we include or forget to include in our policies, thus promoting ableism in the workplace.

In order to create a disability-confident workplace, these barriers must be removed to enable people with disabilities to thrive.

Building disability confidence in the workplace is a process that involves asking questions like: What disables a person in their role and environment? What can a business, company or organisation do to adjust or remove barriers to enable employees? What are the employers’ accountabilities and what are those of the employees?

This process is one that seeks to create a disability-positive environment for all and therefore all stakeholders must come to the proverbial table. A relationship in which people with disabilities are encouraged to share insights can only be achieved through open communication.
As part of its commitment to advancing meaningful inclusion, Circular Energy will financially support 10 learners living with disabilities to obtain an NQF Level 4 Further Education and Training Certificate: Environmental Practice.

In collaboration with service provider partners, members, and Circular Energy itself, these learners will gain valuable workplace experience that aligns with their studies. This initiative will empower learners with practical skills to pursue sustainable careers, with the potential for full-time employment opportunities in the future.

Circular Energy and Bradshaw LeRoux are optimistic about the opportunity to invest in skills development for people with disabilities whilst exercising good practice. In this light, they will identify skills that are in demand, followed by the creation of inclusive skills programmes, and ensure that disability confidence is built amongst all.

Bradshaw stresses that inclusivity means ‘equal not special’, and that organisations such as Circular Energy must also retain disabled persons after skills development programmes.

“At the end of the day, we all want long-term careers that will enable us to take care of ourselves and our families. We all want careers that will nourish our growth and help us to contribute meaningfully both in the workplace and the economy”, concludes Bradshaw.