A Swansea-based firm has become the first company outside of the US to be accredited as a disability-owned business enterprise (DOBE).
People and development consultancy Delsion was named a DOBE by Disability:IN — a US not-for-profit organisation encouraging disability inclusion and equality in business.
The accreditation means that Delsion will now have access to equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) practises, organisations and related knowledge not previously accessible in the UK.
It will allow Delsion to work with globally-recognised brands.
Delsion’s founder, Julian John, became disabled through brain damage following a high-level career in HR. He has had to learn to stand, walk and talk again, while overcoming long-term unemployment and homelessness.
Mr John set up Delsion to support organisations and promote diverse entrepreneurship and enterprise. He is the main shareholder of Delsion Ltd, a requirement of the accreditation process with Disability: IN to demonstrate that the Swansea-based firm is a disability owned/led business.
Mr John said he sought the accreditation to help demonstrate the best practice that is happening at a global level and in the UK.
He said: “This accreditation shows how Delsion is able to compete on the world stage through the work that we do to support organisations in becoming more inclusive and promoting diversity generally.
“It also is a great opportunity for UK businesses to increase diversity in their own supply chains as a result of Delsion’s breakthrough accreditation, and to learn from the knowledge and insight that will come with it into the British market.”
He added: “Our approach to helping organisations become more diverse and inclusive comes from our extensive experience of people and culture change, and importantly from our lived experiences of disability and the very issues and barriers that diversity and inclusion activities are aimed at eliminating.
"Having such a recognised accreditation is a clear sign of how effective this approach is to others considering working with us.”
Disability:IN, located in Alexandria, Virginia, compiles the Disability Equality Index, which recognises the accomplishments of 400 international and large-scale businesses dedicated to supporting disability through its supply chain.
Delsion is also the first organisation outside of the US to have gained accreditation as a DOBE through Disability: IN’s third-party supplier diversity programme.
Other corporate partners in the programme include Marriott, Microsoft, Sodexo, Walmart and Wells Fargo.
President and chief executive of Disability:IN Jill Houghton said: “We are proud to expand our DOBE program to the UK as we recognise the global economic impact that self-employment brings to people with disabilities.”
She added: ”Delsion is a role model for disability-owned businesses and now has the third-party accreditation needed to bring its people training programs to UK corporations looking for diverse suppliers.”
