Alice Hargreaves

I’ve lived with a variety of chronic illnesses for as long as I can remember. It’s been an undercurrent of who I am for over 30 years, bubbling up to the surface in March 2020, when I was characterised as clinically vulnerable and told to shield.

I spent my career hopping from role to role due to a lack of accessibility and my needs not being met before joining SIC in April 2021. It suddenly dawned on me that my decade long career struggle was an experience I share with so many others who disabled, chronically ill, and/or neurodiverse. I was able to find a community.

The work I do, helping businesses do better, is vitally important and I’m looking forward to the future of the world of work being now.

ABOUT SIC

Only 4% of DEI strategies cover disability. Yep 4% think about that in relation to disabled talent; potentially a third of the workforce.

There are two ways we want to address these issues.

Number 1. By providing training and support to the disabled community. Through guides, traineeships, events, and career mentorship. In 2023, we're launching Learning Hub 2.0. A place for disabled professionals to access free e-learning.

Number 2. When there's a talent shortage, it's absurd not to hire from the disabled community. We run consulting, workshops, and 1:1 support helping businesses from recruitment to throughout the employee lifecycle. The Foundations of SIC are three core workshops that cover neurodiversity, disability, and inclusive design.