Vanity is not a good trait. But like many others, I am guilty of it. I blame the fact I have 10-month-old twins as well as a 7 and 12 year old. I am also on the wrong side of 45 but just the right side of 50! My hair is more chestnut than grey, and this requires some imagination and a bottle of something when I go to the hairdressers. In the current climate this is not possible and so, like many others across the world, I am returning to my natural tint.
My confession has come about having seen myself on camera this week. Like a lot of organisations Purple is adapting to the ‘new normal’ and we are therefore re-purposing many of our materials to be accessed online and we have found that using video content really helps to brings these materials to life.
The main way in which we have done this is by producing a set of online modules as part of an e-tutorial focused on disabled customers. The target audience is staff working in organisations on the shop floor (in supermarkets), delivery drivers, call centres or any other environment where there is a direct relationship with customers. The modules are short. Are framed as top tips and I hope relevant with the examples used. The topics covered include disability language and etiquette, working in an office environment and online web accessibility. We have also produced a quiz and some key statistics which make the case for why it is such an important issue.
Purple has decided to give these resources for free as staff need them in the here and now and raising purchase orders will cause unnecessary delays in this current crisis. We intend to release three modules this week and three next so look out for them via our social media channels.
In a separate online recording, we produced a live webinar for the staff at Landsec in acknowledgment of World Autism Day. However there was a crucial twist and a total first for Purple. As staff would be watching from home, it was decided to ensure the material was age appropriate so staff could watch with their children, creating an educational piece for the whole family. So workplace adjustment was widened to include classroom adjustments that could be made by pupils to be more inclusive too. My ability to walk the walk was stretched by the need for plain English, no jargon and making complex issues understandable. Purple co-presented with the brilliant Ambitious About Autism through their trainer Roisin O’Brien.
I am hoping this webinar will be the first in a series of resources to be delivered to Landsec staff. I hope other organisations will follow suit and invest in their staff at this time and see inclusion as a core part of recovery plans. And I am personally hoping that it won’t be too long before some of the current restrictions are safely lifted otherwise turning grey will only be one of a number of problems with my hair!
Mike Adams OBE
7 April 2020