The Churchill Fellowship: A Platform for Change and My Journey Towards Inclusive Work Cultures
What is the Churchill Fellowship?
The Churchill Fellowship is a prestigious grant programme run by the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, an organisation dedicated to investing in individuals to help them acquire knowledge and experience overseas. The Trust, founded in 1965 as a living memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, focuses on various topics, from healthcare and education to the arts and social change. The fellowship allows professionals, academics, and community leaders to embark on research journeys worldwide. These fellowships aim to bring back practical insights and innovative solutions to pressing challenges in the UK.
The essence of the Churchill Fellowship is not merely academic. It is deeply rooted in its commitment to effect tangible changes and stimulate fresh approaches to problems. These fellowships are neither qualifications nor an academic exercise but an opportunity to cultivate innovative ideas through global collaboration.
The Honour of Receiving a Churchill Fellowship
To say that I am honoured to receive a Churchill Fellowship would be an understatement. As someone who has devoted their career to fostering accessible and inclusive work cultures, especially for disabled individuals, this fellowship is both an affirmation and an opportunity. Given the quality and caliber of candidates who apply, being chosen signifies not only a vote of confidence in my professional capabilities but also recognition of the importance of my field.
This fellowship allows me to marry my lived experiences as a disabled individual with my expertise as a business consultant specialising in people and project management. The narrative around disability often tiptoes the line between stigma and exclusion. However, it is crucial to recognise that disability is not a disadvantage but a different lens through which to approach problems. Thus, my research topic is "Building inclusive work-cultures for disabled employees to drive innovation."
My Research Journey: East Coast USA to Europe
In October 2023, my journey will begin on the United States East Coast. This leg of my research will involve dialogues with policymakers, leading academic researchers, human rights lawyers, business leaders, and disabled organisations. The American experience is particularly valuable, given their disability legislation, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the proactive stance of several U.S. companies in promoting inclusivity and actively investing in developing accessible products.
In early 2024, I will travel across Europe to continue this vital work. Europe offers a unique perspective on integrating disabled people into the workforce, given its varied cultural contexts and legislative frameworks. Whether it is the robust disabled employee networks in Germany or the inclusive policies of Scandinavian countries, Europe provides a mosaic of approaches that can inform my research.
In both these journeys, I will be drawing upon the richness of conversations with disabled people themselves. After all, true insight can only come from those who live the reality every day. Their experiences, struggles, and triumphs will lend authenticity and depth to my findings.
The Output: A Comprehensive Report
The culmination of this fellowship will be a comprehensive written report slated for release in the summer of 2024. This report will synthesise the conversations, case studies, and observations gathered during my travels. It aims to create a blueprint for how businesses in the UK can build genuinely inclusive environments that don't just accommodate but actively benefit from the diverse abilities of all employees. I also hope the report will be a reference point for other researchers and advocate groups, supporting their endeavours in policy change and fundraising.
I firmly believe that the Churchill Fellowship offers a unique vantage point, providing me access to global best practices and fresh perspectives that I can bring back to the UK. In doing so, I hope to contribute to the growing body of knowledge around inclusive work cultures, thereby coming closer to my goal of becoming one of the UK's leading voices on this topic.
The Churchill Fellowship is more than just a grant or a research opportunity; it is a commitment to change. It equips its fellows with the tools to investigate, the platforms to discuss, and the resources to implement meaningful transformations in their respective fields. Being a Churchill Fellow is being an active voice of change, and I am both humbled and thrilled to be stepping into this role.
As I set out on this exciting journey, I am aware of the sensitivity of the topic area and the intersections that also need to be included actively. Though I am searching for best practices, no country in the world is 100% accessible and treats disabled people equitably. There will be many caveats to my work, celebrating the people and policies doing things right. But as we exist in a world of COVID-19, the world’s most recent mass-disabling event that disproportionately affected disabled and chronically sick people, I approach this research project with a sense of sadness and sensitivity for our community. I am also aware of my own limitations- as a disabled person with an energy disability, I have tried to plan rest days and built a supportive network I can call on.
Ultimately, I hope my work will contribute to a more equitable, inclusive, and innovative future for all. In this endeavour, I am guided by Churchill's words: "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts."