This Episode: Harnessing the Power of Disability with Chris Jay
Lucinda talks with Chris Jay, CEO of Bascule Disability Training, about transforming workplace cultures around disability. Chris draws from his personal experiences as a wheelchair user managing anxiety and depression to challenge negative stereotypes and explain how organisations can authentically support neurodiverse and disabled employees. By focusing on outcome-based performance rather than rigid traditional processes, Chris sheds light on why accessible recruitment, open communication, and proactive adjustments ultimately boost overall productivity and benefit everyone in the organisation.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Effective training must shift disability awareness away from being just an HR compliance issue and toward being an inclusive cultural norm that boosts overall productivity.
- The majority of discrimination stems from societal ignorance and a lack of understanding, rather than malice, making proper education vital.
- True inclusion means organisations proactively ask prospective and current employees about their needed adjustments rather than forcing individuals to self-disclose under fear of bias.
- Modern businesses should evaluate employees by the quality of their work output and outcomes rather than micromanaging the specific physical locations or processes used to complete it.
BEST MOMENTS
“Sixty-seven percent of the British population feel uncomfortable talking to people with disabilities, so in my view, the drawbridge is up. My job is to bring it back down.”
“We can never train people to deal with every possible permutation of disability… Our job is to create a culture where it’s okay to talk about your needs.”
“The psychological difference of the business going out to you first and saying, ‘Hey, we’re an inclusive organisation. How can we help you perform at your best?’—that really is everything I believe in.”
“Look at the outcome of the work and not the process that gets the work done.”
Valuable Resources
The HR Uprising Podcast | Apple | Spotify | YouTube
The HR Uprising LinkedIn Group
Mastering Motivation with Rob Lion (The HR Uprising)
How To Be A Change Superhero – by Lucinda Carney
HR Uprising Mastermind – https://hruprising.com/mastermind/
If you liked this episode, try these
- Podcast Episode 165: The Disability Opportunity with Hardeep Rai
- Podcast Episode 130: Total Inclusion with William T Rolack
Find out more about Actus solutions:
Appraisal Info-book: Rethinking Performance Appraisals
Performance Management Software
About The Guest, Chris Jay
Chris Jay is the Founder and CEO of Bascule Disability Training, a social enterprise helping organisations create more inclusive and accessible workplaces. Born with cerebral palsy and a wheelchair user for over 25 years, Chris is an acclaimed disability inclusion speaker, author, consultant and trainer who combines lived experience with practical expertise to challenge perceptions of disability. Having worked with businesses, schools and universities across a range of sectors, he is a passionate advocate for recognising disability not as a barrier, but as a strength that drives innovation, understanding and success.
Connect with Chris
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-jay-bascule
Bascule Disability Training Website: https://bascule.com/
About The Host
Lucinda Carney is a Business Psychologist with 15 years in Senior Corporate L&D roles. Lucinda, for over 10 years as CEO of Actus Software has worked closely with HR colleagues helping them to solve the same challenges across a huge range of industries. Certainly, it was this breadth of experience that inspired Lucinda to set up the HR Uprising community. In order to facilitate greater collaboration across HR professionals in different sectors, helping them to ‘rise up’ together.
“If you look up, you rise up”
How To Be A Change Superhero – by Lucinda Carney
Contact Method
- Join the HR Uprising LinkedIn community: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13714397/
- Email: Lucinda@advancechange.co.uk
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucindacarney/
- X / Twitter: @lucindacarney
- Instagram: @hruprising
- Facebook: @hruprising
- YouTube: Channel
Actus Software
Subscribe To The HR Uprising Podcast Now:
