Stephen Duckworth OBE
Dr Stephen Duckworth OBE
As a doctor who has worked for many years in rehabilitation medicine, it is quite clear that Michael McGrath's endeavours to reach both Poles are not only courageous but also clearly demonstrates how boundaries can be pushed in exploring our own potential. I fully support pole2pole because sometimes it takes a brave act to illustrate the challenges that exist out there amongst the employer community who continue to ignore the talent of over two and a half million disabled people who are currently unemployed in the United Kingdom.
Surely if Michael is prepared to endure this hardship in going that extra mile to reach his goal at the South Pole and in doing so help promote worldwide awareness around an extremely laudable cause, then it is not a great deal to ask of employers to take a few small steps towards embracing the value and contribution that disabled people can and do make in the labour market.
Once businesses realise the benefits of employing more disabled people and the impact this will have on their disabled customers, then they will reap the rewards of the £50 billion plus spending power that disabled people distribute every year to those organisations that have become more welcoming and accessible to them as customers. In demonstrating the business case, the approach for UK business must therefore be to embrace a more inclusive philosophy sooner rather than later.
Dr. Stephen Duckworth
Disability Matters Limited
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