Disability Pride Month (July) is a time to recognise and celebrate the strength, creativity, and diversity of disabled people. Yet for many businesses and communities, it still passes by unnoticed. That silence speaks volumes about the barriers that remain not just physical ones, but assumptions, attitudes, and a lack of awareness.

I’ve lived with severe hearing loss since infancy and became profoundly deaf in adulthood. When I lost the little useful hearing I had left, it was devastating—personally and professionally. I reached out for help, but was met with indifference. “You’ve always been deaf,” shrugged the consultant, offering no support or solution. What could have made a difference? A moment of curiosity. A willingness to ask instead of assume. Some basic compassion.

For more information on Living 4 Moments lipreading classes which begin 16th September in York (venue: MySight York) click here. The classes are open to anyone with hearing loss or their supporters.Those experiences fuel my work today. I founded Living 4 Moments to help organisations become inclusive places where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Too often, disabled people are defined by their diagnosis or made invisible by inaccessible environments. But inclusion isn’t about perfection, it’s about relationships, empathy, and action.

I often share personal and professional stories in my workshops, like the time I managed a care home and noticed some staff only saw the illness, not the person. I encouraged them to learn about residents' lives and hobbies. The shift in connection was immediate. A dynamic, more human environment emerged. Small changes like this can transform culture.

And inclusion doesn’t just feel good. It makes business sense. In the UK alone, £274 billion is lost annually due to inaccessibility, known as the "Purple Pound." Studies show 70% of customers who face barriers won’t return. But when businesses make the effort to be inclusive, they win loyal customers and employees. According to Accenture, companies that prioritise disability inclusion enjoy 30% higher profit margins and 200% higher net income compared to their peers.

Disability inclusion isn’t just HR’s job. It’s everyone’s responsibility from the shop floor to the boardroom. Whether you’re unsure where to start or ready to go deeper, talks, audits and training can help build awareness, skills, and a more inclusive culture. Get in touch to find out how we can help you.

Inclusion starts with listening. With curiosity. With asking, not assuming. And when we get it right, everyone benefits from staff and customers to our communities and bottom lines

Further Information: The disability pride flag was originally designed by Magill in 2019. Due to colour contrasts and some of the flag triggering illness it was changed in 2021 to the more muted version shared left.

As we celebrate Disability Pride Month, it’s worth reflecting on the meaning behind the Disability Pride Flag.

Each colour represents a part of the disability experience:
Red – physical disabilities

Gold – neurodiversity

White – invisible disabilities and undiagnosed conditions

Blue – emotional and psychiatric disabilities

Green – sensory disabilities, including deafness and audio processing

Faded Black – mourning and rage for victims of ableist violence and abuse

What could I do differently to include someone who might otherwise be excluded?