Sanctuary’s Disability Network: building disability confidence

It’s hard to believe that our Disability Network at Sanctuary is only two years old. From what it’s already achieved and the important role it plays for our colleagues, you’d think it had been around a great deal longer.

In a short period of time its membership has ballooned, and we’ve seen strength of understanding and positive allyship continue to grow, fostering a culture of inclusion and support throughout our organisation. The network is one of four at Sanctuary, alongside our Parent Network, our Race Equality Network and PRISM, our LGBTQ+ network. All our networks are formed by colleagues from across the business coming together with a shared interest in inclusion and providing invaluable support to our employees and first-hand insight to the organisation.

Our Disability Network launched in December 2022, to coincide with International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). What started as a small group of similarly minded people with disabilities or long-term health conditions has continued to grow and flourish. It now boasts a dedicated committee with two passionate and committed co-chairs, and well over 200 members and supporters across its various forums and platforms.

The numbers are impressive, no doubt, but what does the network do and why has it proved such a valuable resource for our organisation? The answer – much like the individuals that make up any successful organisation or society – is that no one size fits all. For some, the network is a place to connect with colleagues with disabilities or long-term health conditions, or perhaps those who care for people with disabilities. For others, it’s a place to learn more, ask questions or offer allyship.

It’s a place where everyone knows your name and we help and support each other, a safe space to share lived experiences with colleagues who understand, and somewhere where a signpost to a relevant expert is never far away. And importantly, alongside this, the network is a platform to raise awareness of disabilities and long-term conditions of all kinds more widely across Sanctuary.

As well as through our communities on Teams and Viva Engage and our quarterly newsletters, we regularly see fantastic support from right across the organisation for our celebrations of Disability History Month, regular drop-in sessions and flagship webinar events.

I’m incredibly proud to be the executive sponsor for our Disability Network. I can’t overstate what an honour and privilege it is for me to be involved and to work closely with such a dedicated and inspirational group of people. As a wheelchair user I, like many others, have experienced both physical and emotional barriers leading to moments of embarrassment and frustration; being locked in toilets, if they exist, being unable to access buildings, or being told I can't use the same tube stations or hotels as non-disabled colleagues.

Even with good intentions, we sometimes fall short because we're not fully seeing these challenges through the eyes of the users themselves. Our Disability Network has such an important role to play in ensuring that those kinds of experiences are not what we’re delivering for our colleagues and for our customers.

Like all our networks, it’s about helping to ensure our colleagues have a voice, that they feel comfortable to speak up and use it, and that they know what they say will be listened to. That’s so important, and so powerful. Through the growth of our Disability Network and a strong cultural shift, Sanctuary is demonstrating its commitment to accessibility, building trust, and empowering employees to bring their whole selves to work without fear of judgment.

We’re still on a journey, and we’re looking to do more, both as a network and a wider organisation, but we’ve made real, tangible progress and are on an exciting trajectory. To borrow a direct quote from one of our fantastic Disability Network Co-chairs: “We started off as a little acorn. Now we’re a sapling. We’ve got a long way to go before we become that mighty oak, but we’re making progress, and we will get there.”

I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that she is right.