paul smyth barclays
Only by normalising the conversation around disability can we reduce discrimination, prejudice, injustice and poverty. In branches. Popping your finger into the top of a mug when pouring a kettle to make a cup of tea for instance avoids over-pouring and spill-over. As my sight worsened as a teenager, my memory, creativity and determination all improved to compensate for and adapt to living in a visual world as a non-visual person. they gain a sense of empathy and compassion for themselves and others similarly impacted. Regardless of whether you consider the medical condition diabetes to be a disability, it’s impact was the same on limiting my choices. The term predicament is defined as “an unpleasant or embarrassing situation that is hard to get out of” and that really does strike to the core of my and many disabled people’s feelings. Of course, with the marvels of technology and innovation, there’s even buzzers that blind people can buy and perch on the lip of their mug nowadays to guard against 2nd degree burns as they’re pouring their hot drinks. As these words sunk in, what filled me with panic wasn’t the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see again but rather I wouldn’t be able to ‘fit in’ again – with my school friends. Paul Smyth, Head of Digital Accessibility Don’t take our word for it. I think back to my 8-year old self sitting in the doctor’s room and being told “you have a rare eye condition and will lose most, if not all of your vision”. My breakfast cereal options and where I could purchase these from were narrowed further still, hobbling to a nearby convenience store and being dependent on the shop assistant to help find the dwindling number of cereals that met my needs. Barclays recognises this challenge and Is now leading the way through our partnership with the Government’s DWP Disability Confident campaign and our dedicated early careers hiring programmes which promote disabled talent. For me, I’ve come to understand “disability” less about broken bodies and wrongly-wired minds and more about the predicament that it creates – limiting people’s choices, opportunities and independence on a practical level. Paul Smyth, Head of IT Accessibility. Paul Smyth's Email. When most people hear the word “disability”, they think of a faulty body or mind. That’s a disability employment gap of ~3million potential workers who are desperate for meaningful employment and bring unique perspectives, skills and experiences to the party. They either let the bad news and hopelessness eat them up, they either deny the facts or they ‘own it’ – i.e. Paul Smyth of Barclays. I remember this moment as if it were yesterday. Technology makes lives easier for many of us but for some of us, technology makes things possible. For me that included using powerful magnifying glasses and binoculars to read large print textbooks or make out teacher’s scribble on blackboards. I can conveniently order my online groceries from the comfort of my own home, making use of a computer that zooms up and speaks aloud information, provided that the website has been built accessibly and designed for people like me. It’s ironic that visually impaired people can often better pay attention to their surroundings or better listen to what’s being said by others even without the benefit of seeing body language. One of the most important things I learned was how to assertively ask for help from others. I dare you to try making your next cup of tea or coffee with your eyes shut to gain a glimpse into my world!
I used to walk to my local supermarket and buy Kellogg’s cornflakes for breakfast – not because I thought they tasted any better than the cheaper, home-brand alternatives but because the packaging of these were unintentionally big, bold, and therefore easy to spot for me on the blurry supermarket shelves. This may sound heavy but within the UK at present, 81% of UK adults are in employment compared to 49% of disabled adults. I think back to my 8-year old self sitting in the doctor’s room and being told “you have a rare eye condition and will lose most, if not all of your vision”. When I said that a disability can limit choices, let me give you an example. Regardless of how the Queen says tea should be made, putting the milk in first means you won’t scald your finger as you’re filling up the mug with boiling water. The Barclays Accessibility team does this by supporting digital teams to embed accessibility into our services and culture through effective governance, partnering, training, and tools. Paul Smyth Head of IT Accessibility for Barclays and co- chair of the Reach network’s visual impairment group, shares his personal perspective on visual impairment, disability and employment. Our vision is to have an inclusive society where disability and health conditions do not present a barrier in education or in the workplace through Assistive Technology, Ergonomics and creating an accessible environment. Only then can we remove barriers, improve lives and unlock human potential. Most importantly though it meant grafting – instilling in me a gritty determination to work doubly hard to figure out and follow through on “another way” to do daily trivial tasks. Paul Smyth, Head of Digital Accessibility, Barclays We want to leverage inclusive technology to enable and empower all people to bank, work and reach their full potential. Products and Services. Be upfront. Needless to say, I have first-hand experience of several impairments and have learned a lot from many more Barclays colleagues with a disability story to share. I went about either denying or defying the facts for many years whilst I came to terms with this reality and whilst choosing to ignore this part of my identity.
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