The Accessibility Tick awarded to five more organisations
Photo shows Accessibility Tick recipients. Sarah McLeod, HR Director- Organisational Development at ADHB; Phillipa Gimmillaro, Director of Talent and Culture at Sudima Hotels; Vicky O'Neill, Head of Human Resources at Ricoh NZ; Kellie Houlton, Head of Organisational Development at ACC. Mike Davies, Managing Director at Adecco.
The Accessibility Tick is proud to award a further five organisations with the Tick in Disability Pride Week. This week Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Adecco, Auckland District Health Board, Ricoh NZ and Sudima Hotels have joined Vector as the first organisations in New Zealand to demonstrate their commitment to accessibility through this new programme.
Accessibility Tick programme lead, Tanya Colvin, says: “The levels of enthusiasm, care and dedication to getting accessibility right that I have seen across all of these organisations is inspiring.
“I believe we are at the beginning of creating a sea-change for accessibility to become a ‘business as usual’ consideration for New Zealand employers, and it is exciting. We know employers see the value in fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace, and in making their product or service offerings accessible to all customers. Now it’s time to tackle what this means for people with disabilities.” Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero encourages employers to learn more about the Accessibility Tick. She says: “I support initiatives that build inclusion and aim to ensure employers take full advantage of the talent pool of disabled people.” Access Alliance coordinator Dianne Rogers congratulates the five businesses on being awarded the Accessibility Tick. She says: “We applaud your efforts to create accessible environments for your employees and customers, and we look forward to working together to put accessibility at the heart of a more inclusive Aotearoa New Zealand.”
Recent labour market statistics show New Zealanders with disabilities are three times less likely to be employed than their non-disabled peers. The difference between employment rates of disabled and non-disabled people is called the disability employment gap. New Zealand’s disability employment gap is currently 47.7%.
The Accessibility Tick is also proud to announce partnerships with Workbridge and The Cookie Project. “Our Workbridge partnership is important because they will be able to provide both services and candidates to member employers. We love what The Cookie Project is doing and see them as a valued partner providing a future talent pipeline to member employers,” says Tanya Colvin.
“Congratulations to Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), Adecco, Auckland District Health Board, Ricoh NZ and Sudima Hotels on achieving the Tick. The winners out of their work are New Zealanders with disabilities who can reference the Tick as a marker of confidence that accessibility and inclusivity are given precedence at these organisations," says Tanya Colvin.
To find out more about the Accessibility Tick, visit: accessibilitytick.nz
About the Accessibility Tick The Accessibility Tick programme helps New Zealand organisations become more accessible and inclusive of people with disabilities. We are a pan-disability social enterprise with a vision for bridging the accessibility and disability employment gaps. We recognise that New Zealand organisations have a variety of accessibility issues and we help to simplify that process and to get better outcomes.