Esi Hardy | How to make your live and online events more accessible to people with disabilities

Are you and your business fully inclusive?I was introduced to my next guest at a time when I had several clients attending some of my live online events who were struggling with accessibility due to their disabilities. Thankfully, we've been able to accommodate their needs but this is something we could have been better prepared for so that people with accessibility issues can feel not just included but valued right from the start of their engagement.Whilst things are improving in the area of inclusivity, there is still a long way to go and many good reasons to get on top of accessibility and inclusivity right away, as so many people don't wish to make a fuss and end up feeling left out altogether or separate from other groups. My guest on this episode is Esi Hardy who is a speaker, trainer, writer and disability/inclusion expert who founded her company Celebrating Disability to help businesses improve their accessibility, both for employees and for guests.I learned so much from chatting to Esi of the ways we can be more inclusive and helpful without it becoming patronising or intrusive. I honestly believe that we all miss out when there are people who feel they can not join in as well as everyone else. Whilst it may not be possible to do everything imaginable to include everyone in every way, there is so much that is easy to do and makes a world of difference to people who may otherwise feel like they are stuck on the periphery.Esi has her own podcast called 'Part of me' which is all about disability inclusivity in all walks of life. You can find out more about disability inclusivity from Esi's website CelebratingDisability.co.uk and Esi will be delighted to hear from you if you would like her to her you and your business become more disability-inclusive. Esi Recommended a book called Ripples from the Edge of Life by Roland ChestersSee you next time.Support the show (https://speakinginfluence.supercast.tech/)Mentioned in this episode:Podfluence WeeklyJoin us for the official Podfluence Weekly newsletter https://present-influence.ck.page or Subscribe on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/build-relation/newsletter-follow?entityUrn=6882642444815519744