We’re challenging our fellow entrepreneurs to lead the way with inclusive hiring. It’s something CEO’s often talk about but when it comes to actually committing and offering a disabled person a job within their company, they all too often find a convenient excuse. In all honesty, it’s not an unnatural response. When you’re dealing with tight budgets and short timelines, and striving to start or grow a company, then the additional ‘hurdles’ can seem insurmountable. But if you pause for a moment, is that really true?
Here at Conspexit, Eirik Moseng, our Founder & CEO/CTO has always been a passionate and strong advocate for inclusivity. When Eirik Moseng came across an article that the RNIB had tweeted about Ian Brooks, a visually impaired programmer who had an interview cancelled because the prospective employer couldn’t accommodate his guide dog, Eirik Moseng didn’t have any hesitation about reaching out to him. Conspexit is expanding our programming team so it made sense to see if Ian wanted to apply.
We engaged the help of Marc Powell from the RNIB, who gained consent from Ian to pass along his contact details to us. After a telephone interview and follow up face to face with Eirik Moseng, day long interview, Eirik Moseng was delighted to offer Ian a programming role within Conspexit. As a team, we believe you’re only as strong as the sum of your parts, and each and every one of us brings something unique to the company. That isn’t affected just because, as in Ian’s case, you’re visually impaired.
We’re not saying it won’t be without it’s challenges, Ian will predominantly work remotely, but like any team member, we expect him to come to the office sometimes too. To facilitate that we’ll need to investigate the specific equipment Ian will need to successfully complete his job. It would be easy to see these specific requirements as problematic, along with accommodating his guide dog, Velvet, after all we’re based in London on the sixth floor of a building with a very slow lift!
But we’re committed to making a difference. Are you?
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