The Inclusive Business Group

After what felt like an eternity of struggling and searching for answers, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). The diagnosis brought some relief, finally giving a name to the relentless beast that had taken over my life. But it also meant that I had to face a new reality – I was mostly housebound, unable to work, and my health was deteriorating.

The road to finding a way to manage my condition was long and arduous. My rheumatologist referred me for physiotherapy, which led me to hydrotherapy. Slowly, through perseverance and the support of my healthcare team, I was able to start moving my body again. It was during this time that I discovered the concept of “pacing” – managing my activities and energy levels to prevent crashing and worsening symptoms. This valuable insight came from the online community I had begun connecting with, fellow warriors battling CFS/ME.

This journey took me to creating The Fatigue Network with a group of colleagues in the organisation I went back to work at.

Nearly 8 years later I’m bringing that expertise outside of work through The Inclusive Business Group.

Read the story behind The Inclusive Business Group here:

https://theinclusivebusinessgroup.co.uk/the-inclusive-business-group-our-story/

ID. Photo of Carrie, a white women and shoulder length brown hair wearing a cream top underneath a pale green jacket. She’s sat at her laptop and holding a yellow mug of coffee smiling to camera. Purple text to the left reads After what felt like an eternity of struggling and searching for answers, I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, also known as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).

Does your organisation use employee passports?

A passport is a document owned by the team member who has a disability, health condition or caring responsibilities.

It explains the things the line manager needs to know, in as much detail as the team member is comfortable sharing.

It sets out the adjustments needed - whether that be physical things like a different desk or chair, technology like dictation software or working pattern flexibility.

It also sets out the agreement between both parties on checking everything is working as it should be, and how best to communicate with each other.

They’re an incredibly useful tool to help make sure everyone is sticking to the agreements made, and helps if the team member moves teams or the line manager changes - it can enable continuity of support.

Nobody else needs to see it, or even know you have one.

Employee passports are one of the topics of discussion in our peer support groups, including templates and guidance for managers and business owners with staff with disabilities or long term health conditions.

Contact me if you’d like help establishing passports in your organisation.



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25 per cent of small business owners are disabled or have a health condition (I’m just one of them - are you?)

21% of working age adults are disabled - so if you run a business and employ 5 or more people and think none of them are disabled in any way, statistics would suggest at least one of them has a disability or condition - and it may well be invisible as many are.

The "purple pound" is the money spent by disabled and chronically ill people in the UK and is reckoned to be worth around £249bn to the economy - so if you’re not considering how to connect with disabled customers, you’re missing out on your share of that money!

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Today is Purple Day.

Purple Day is an international grassroots effort dedicated to increasing awareness about epilepsy worldwide. On March 26th annually, people in countries around the world are invited to wear purple and host events in support of epilepsy awareness.

65 million people have epilepsy worldwide (including my daughter, my dad, my uncle and my cousin).

Approximately 1 in 100 people have epilepsy.

Epilepsy is a neurological disorder of the central nervous system, specifically of the brain . It is characterized by the tendency to have recurrent seizures.

The brain is made up of billions of nerve cells or neurons that communicate through electrical and chemical signals. When there is a sudden excessive electrical discharge that disrupts the normal activity of the nerve cells, a seizure may result.

Source: https://www.purpleday.org/

ID. Purple rectangle with white text in the centre that reads Purple Day.