PurpleSpace was established in 2015, following the release of my first book Secrets and Big News in 2014, which created a real demand in the establishment of disability employee resource groups.
In Secrets and Big News, I partnered with 55 organisations in public and private sector to understand what was stopping disabled employees from sharing personal information about their disability or ill health.
Statistics show that approximately 12% of an employer’s workforce has a disability or long term health condition, yet data across all sectors will often only show 3% or 4% sharing this.
I wanted to find out – where are the missing people? Why don’t more people tell their employer about their disability or health condition? What is stopping people from sharing information with their employer?
The resounding feedback from this research was that very few of us enjoy the language when we’re asked to ‘disclose’ or ‘declare’ this information, suggesting perhaps that we are “hiding” something or that we’ve got a huge piece of news to tell – hence the title of the book.
Our big mission is to make it easier for employees to navigate the experience of ill health, disability or the experience of an accident or injury, at the same time as flourishing at work.
The first part of this was to create PurpleSpace as the world’s first professional development and best practice exchange for disability ERG/network leaders allies and champions.
We specialise in Networkology – a word that we created to describe the ‘art’ and the ‘science’ of running a high-performing disability ERG/Networks. We deliver our network know how to 2000+ leaders around the globe, across 200+ organisations. Together they reach of over 1 million disabled employees.
Through this, we support the disability ERG/Network leaders to build vibrant disability networks that help colleagues to bring their authentic selves to work.
Positively Purple is a practical guide, via a real story about my life, to help drive purposeful change for and by people with disabilities.
For many people with a disability, either visible or invisible, that experience is hard to navigate in the context of work. I wanted to offer practical advice for how employers can build environments of trust and support for those with disabilities, how employees with disabilities can advocate for themselves and flourish in the workplace and how those without disabilities can be true allies.
For many people with a disability, either visible or invisible, that experience is hard to navigate in the context of work. Champion change, for yourself and others, challenge stigma and become Positively Purple.
Sharing a compelling personal story, Kate Nash offers practical advice for how employers can build environments of trust and support for those with disabilities, how employees with disabilities can advocate for themselves and flourish in the workplace and how those without disabilities can be true allies.
No really. Though I always knew I would work in the field of social change for people with disabilities. Personal experience of disability at the age of 15 when I acquired Stills Disease (a type of rheumatoid arthritis) meant I experienced, at first hand, the soft bigotry of low expectation. I wanted a big audacious role that would support people to bring their authentic selves to work.
Millions! Though most challenges, I find, are self-generated. So for all the challenges with disability and ill health the biggest challenge is when you get in your own way. When you create bigger barriers that actually exist in reality. You have to break them down, find your purpose and create a plan. Even if it takes an age.
Creating PurpleSpace and a new positive narrative within the community of disability ERG / Network leaders.
At PurpleSpace, we believe that the only real way for employers and employees to build disability confidence is from the inside out, and that is why we choose to help employers to improve business performance by learning directly from their own disabled employees.
I offer some practical advice throughout the Lessons Learnt summaries in Positively Purple for both employers and disabled employees, but here are a few important suggestions for organisations looking to accelerate the change:
Obstinacity! It is a mash up of words: obstinate and tenacious. I am utterly focused on achieving my purpose in life. However it has to be followed by meticulous plans that are delivered in sequence.
I have been exceptionally lucky to have been mentored by some extraordinary change leaders during my career. Some of the best mentoring comes from surprising places and is the most uncomfortable to receive. You have to be open to receive difficult information and to act on it. Not everyone to that. I am.
My main advice would be to not take yourself too seriously. I have seen many people “get in their own way” and not try things out, experiment or make an ask for “not having the confidence” as if it’s some pre-ordained gift.
We have a mantra at PurpleSpace: “confidence is a strong expectation of a positive outcome” and I truly believe those words. You have practice each and every day to stretch your confidence. So you have to pick, each and every day something you are not sure about and then flip it. Believe it will happen. (But you have to put the work in too).
We have so many exciting projects and resources coming up through our 2023 Learning Programme as we deliver our 12 monthly Leadership Lessons. We have also just launched our 2023-25 strategy which focuses on four pillars –
Networkology. Building high performing disability ERG/Networks via enhanced leadership capacity. Our Futurists will be powering an accelerator programme to upskill disability ERG/Network leaders through our leadership learning – we’re incredibly excited about this.
Inner confidence. Supporting disability ERG/Network leaders to develop the inner confidence of every disabled employee – we are releasing a suite of 10 condition specific guides called Confident Conversations. These enable employees with disabilities and long-term conditions to share aspects of their story and secure the workplace adjustments/accommodations they need to thrive.
Global Community. We will be hosting a 2024 Global Summit to connect disability ERG/Network leaders from around the world to accelerate the global growth of the disability ERG/Network movement
#PurpleLightUp. Extending the #PurpleLightUp movement to ensure a universal, global and life-affirming celebration of the economic contribution of employees with disabilities.
