Patchwork Hub

New to Patchwork Hub? Welcome to our community! For those who have recently joined us, Patchwork Hub is a disabled-led social enterprise providing an accessible jobs board, bespoke recruitment services and training/consultancy. 1. Patchwork Hub provides a valuable service to connect skilled job seekers with inclusive employers. 2. Finds jobs for the hidden talent pool (including disabled people, carers, parents and retirees). 3. Provides Diversity & Inclusion training and consultancy. #Jobseekers - You can use our platform to find opportunities more suited to you. These are offered by inclusive employers with a commitment to making their recruitment processes more accessible. Sign up today for your free Patchwork Hub account by following the link in comments. #Employers - We’re working with you to lead a culture change in work and accessibility. Our disabled-led business offers a range of affordable services including workshops and consultancy, delivered by renowned disability, accessibility and inclusion experts. Contact us today to find out how we can help you: ✉️ hello@patchworkhub.org  #Welcome #Work #Community #JobSearch #JobHunting #Employment #Inclusion #Opportunities #Employers #Employees  #Accessibility Image Description: A light green-blue background. Purple text reads ‘Patchwork Hub is a disabled-led business providing an accessible jobs board, bespoke recruitment services and training/consultancy. Three iconed bullet points read ‘Attract diverse talent. Integrate disability inclusion into your brand. Improved company culture’. At the bottom of the slide are two images of women. On the left, a woman is using British Sign Language on a video call. On the right, a woman is scrolling on the Patchwork Hub website. At the top-right of the slide, text reads ‘patchworkhub.org’

Happy International Day of Disabled People (& #PurpleSockDay)! Did you know that 1.3 billion people (16% of the global population) are disabled? Today, we join the world in recognising the importance of creating a more inclusive and equitable society for all. A disabled-led social enterprise, Patchwork Hub is passionate about amplifying disabled voices and championing disabled-led businesses. For many, it’s a challenging time of year, and we need your allyship and authentic action to break down barriers and foster meaningful change. Wondering how you can make a difference today? Here are a few quick ideas to support disabled individuals, and disabled-led organisations like Patchwork Hub. #IDPD #IDPD #IDPWD #PurpleSockDay Image Descriptions: Slide 1: A dark purple gradient background. Text at the top of the image reads ‘International Day of Disabled People’ Below this, text on a turquoise banner reads ‘Amplifying the leadership of disabled people for an inclusive and sustainable future’. In the centre of the image are three illustrated scenes showing interactions of disabled individuals living life. Under this, text reads ‘3 easy ways you can support others!’ Below, text reads ‘1: Support disabled-owned businesses. 2: Advocate for change in your organisation. 3: Keep an open mind to consistently listen & learn’. Slide 2: Same background and banner as slide 1. In the centre of the image is an image of a group of diverse disabled people in a line. Under this, text reads ‘3 easy ways you can support Patchwork Hub!’ Below, text reads ‘1: Use Patchwork Hub’s services. 2: Follow our social media channels. 3: Share this post to spread awareness of IDPD!’.

Just one day to go until #PurpleSockDay 🧦 Celebrating International Day of Disabled People (IDPD), Purple Sock Day supports Parallel Lifestyle's mission to champion #Deaf, #Disabled & #Neurodivergent entrepreneurs. At Patchwork Hub, we're proud to support this initiative and raise awareness of the incredible work behind Purple Sock Day and IDPD, tomorrow and all year around. By purchasing and wearing purple socks (starting at just £7), you’ll contribute directly to supporting entrepreneurs making a difference. Join the movement! Purple Sock Day is a fun, easy way to show your support for a great cause and celebrate diversity 💜 To buy your purple socks, visit the link in the comments. P.S. Although your socks may not arrive in time for tomorrow, you can still show your support by spreading the word or wearing something purple! #Accessibility Image Description: A light purple grid graphic. On the left side is a purple and white diamond Parallel logo followed by ‘Purple Sock Day’, the ‘L’ shaped like a sock. Text reads ‘Sustainable style with social impact. https://hubs.ly/Q02-16XF0’. On the right side is an orange diamond with ‘£7’ written in the centre of it next to a pair of purple socks. Across the bottom is a photo of Beth along with fellow disabled entrepreneurs, friends, and supporters styling their socks, looking incredibly dashing. Andrew Douglass

Disability inclusion is still being heavily neglected on business agendas.  90% of companies claim to prioritise diversity and inclusion. However, only 4% consider disability in those initiatives. And it’s always struck me as really self-defeating. Because disability cuts across all other demographics, and intersects with other identities in really fundamental ways that a proper understanding of diversity and inclusion has to reckon with. Yet disability often remains an afterthought from businesses. There are many reasons for this, from fears of “getting it wrong”, unconscious bias and myths about the costs of workplace adjustments through to senior leadership forgetting their legal duties to disabled employees, candidates and customers. But times are changing. Disability inclusion and access aren’t simply a ‘nice-to-have’. In the UK, mandatory disability pay gap reporting and disability employment reporting are on the horizon for employers with 250+ employees. And the days of making the business case for disability inclusion are long since over… it’s a business and legal imperative for your organisation.  Companies that champion disability inclusion report 30% higher profit margins compared to their peers. And with the global disability market reaching over $13 trillion, by overlooking disability, businesses risk losing out on the immense spending power of disabled households. It’s time to start *authentically* prioritising disability inclusion in your senior leadership’s agenda, and doing so with urgency. Need help? Not sure where to start? Reach out to Patchwork Hub and we can support you across your whole disability inclusion work, with our jobs board, training, consultancy and speaking services. 💌 hello@patchworkhub.org #DisabilityIsDiversity #DisabilityInclusion #disability #DEIStrategy #DisabilityHistoryMonth #IDPWD2024 Image description: Alt text can be found in the comments and image text is in the main body of the caption above. Text is on a light blue background with branded illustrations throughout the slides of common symbols of disability, such as a wheelchair, assistance dog or stick, being left outside a room of colleagues. Patchwork Hub’s Disability History Month and International Day of Persons with Disabilities (#IDPWD) Logo is in the bottom left corner of slides.

There is only two days to go until #PurpleSockDay 💜🧦! Do you have your socks ready? It's not too late to purchase a pair of socks and help generate real social impact as we donate profits to support disabled entrepreneurs and supported employment. They also make a brilliant christmas present as our socks are made out of bamboo which is scrumtiously soft! 🤩 Get you or someone you know some socks at https://lnkd.in/e9NzDw6X #IDPD #SocialImpact #SustainableStyle #SupportedEmployment #Disability #DisabledEntrepreneurs

Welcome to Patchwork Hub's November newsletter 🥳 November has been a HUGE month for the Patchwork Hub team and we’re thrilled to bring you all the latest updates: • Patchwork Hub wins Best Small Employer at Shaw Trust Disability Power 100. • Our Founder and CEO wins Changemaker of the Year at Foundervine Future Awards. • We're hiring: Head of Operations and Sales & Account Manager. • Don’t miss out! Only two weeks left to book your speaker in recognition of Disability History Month. • Join us for the Disabled Entrepreneurs Network December briefing. New to Patchwork Hub? Welcome! Patchwork Hub is an award-winning disabled-led employment platform and jobs board. Our platform connects disabled and neurodivergent people, carers, and others seeking accessible work practices to job opportunities with inclusive employers. We’d like to send a big thank you to our community and those who have supported us and continue to support us throughout our journey. Your encouragement fuels our mission to make the workplace a more inclusive place for all, and we look forward to building on this momentum together. Here’s to driving change and championing disability inclusion together 💜 Beth Kume-Holland MOKOM - Driving Disability Inclusion The King's Trust Disabled Entrepreneurs Network Innovate UK Innovate UK Business Connect 2Gether-International EWOR Recruitment Industry Disability Initiative (RIDI) Jacqueline Winstanley FRSA Foundervine Izzy Obeng

It’s been a week since Patchwork Hub won Best Small Employer at the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 2024, and the team at Patchwork Hub are still over the moon! At the same time, we’re equally elated for Celia Chartres-Aris (née Hensman) who topped the list as this year’s most influential disabled person in the UK 🥳 To celebrate Celia’s incredible achievement, we thought we’d reshare her Patchworker Spotlight! If you didn’t catch Celia’s post the first time around, be sure to check it out now 👇 #PatchworkerSpotlight #DisabilityPower100 #ShawTrust Access2Funding Disabled by Society

🌟 Part 3 of Our Disability History Month Series!🌟 Beth Kume-Holland from Patchwork Hub and Bailey from Disability with Bailey are back to tackle another crucial topic:  💬 “How can you effectively communicate your workplace adjustments to your employer?” ✨ Key takeaway: Start by writing it down! Clear, written communication makes it easier for everyone to understand your needs. While in day to day language, it’s best to say “workplace adjustments / accommodations / access and support requirements”, it’s best for employees to have the term ‘Workplace Reasonable Adjustment’ in written plans for outright clarity and to align to terminology used in the Equality Act 2010. Here’s what else we cover: ✔️ Tools like Workplace Reasonable Adjustment Plans (WRAP) and Inclusion Cards can streamline the process. ✔️ Unsure what support you need? Speak with trusted people, Occupational Health, or HR for guidance. ✔️ Look for patterns – if you’re unsure what you need, but something feels awkward or unnecessarily hard, that’s your cue to explore adjustments! ✔️ Some employers even have a “menu” of common adjustments to make the process simpler. Stick around for practical frameworks and advice that will help you thrive at work – and ultimately, unlock your full potential! Make sure you catch up on previous editions of our series and share with your colleagues and peers to celebrate Disability History Month! [VD: Beth, a white woman with long brown curly hair, glasses, wearing a black dress sits at her desk and asks the question to Bailey who answers, they are white, femme presenting with brown curly hair, green jumper on and gold glasses] #DisabilityHistoryMonth #DHM24 #InclusiveWorkplaces #DisabledEmployment #ReasonableAdjustments #WorkplaceInclusion

🎉 Congratulations to Beth Kume-Holland and Patchwork Hub 🎉 It's been a remarkable week for Beth Kume-Holland and her social enterprise, Patchwork Hub, as both were celebrated in the prestigious Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 for 2024, with Patchwork Hub also winning the award for Best Small Employer. 🏆 Growth Impact Fund investee, Beth Kume-Holland is a disability inclusion expert and the founder of Patchwork Hub, a disabled-led social enterprise providing an inclusive jobs board, alongside training and consultancy services for employers. 🏅 Beth has also won Future Awards’ Changemaker of the Year Award, for the work she’s done through Patchwork Hub. To find out more about the Growth Impact Fund click here 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_GnuVPU #GrowthImpactFund #SocialEnterprise #SocialChange

We’re well into Disability History Month - a time to celebrate the progress and contributions made toward disability rights while recognising the important work that still lies ahead. And this year’s #DisabilityHistoryMonth theme, ‘Disability Livelihood and Employment’, resonates deeply with us at Patchwork Hub. As a disabled-led jobs board and training provider, we’re dedicated to breaking down barriers to employment and creating inclusive opportunities. For too long, disabled professionals have faced unnecessary obstacles in accessing fulfilling work. But inclusive workplaces don’t just benefit disabled employees; they drive business growth, retention rates, team productivity, and create a supportive environment that ultimately benefits everyone. From meeting legal requirements to boosting the bottom line, the need to make a business case for disability inclusion is a thing of the past. And yet, despite how far we’ve come, we have a long way to go. So many employers are, unfortunately, not taking action… So please, support disabled professionals this month and beyond in any way you can - whether it’s simply reposting content to your network or asking your team what your organisation is currently doing around disability inclusion. And, if your organisation is interested in doing more around disability inclusion, let’s connect. Whether it be a training session, a consultancy project or ensuring you are attracting disabled candidates in your recruitment, we can help. DM us or reach out to hello@patchworkhub.org now 📩 #DisabilityEmployment #ChangingTheNarrative #RepresentationMatters Image Description: Title text reads ‘Disability History Month’. To the right of this is a digitally drawn illustration of a brunette disabled woman, sitting in a power chair wearing a purple dress, and holding a mic with a wrist support. Patchwork Hub’s logo and the month’s dates, 14th November to 20th December 2024, are in the bottom left corner on a light blue background.