Applying Authentic Inclusion to All Employee Segments, with Frances West

Authentic inclusion - what does this mean for organizations and individuals? On Episode Nine of the Caregiver Camp Podcast, Debbie Howard chats with Frances West of FrancesWestCo, a global advisory company working with public, private, and non-profit organizations including start-ups, to operationalize inclusion as a core business imperative to drive disruptive innovation.

With digital technology accelerating at a faster pace due to the pandemic, it is even more imperative that organizations think about digital inclusion in all aspects for employees to be able to feel authentically included. Frances explains the importance of approaching digital inclusion with “human first” thinking, and designing for the human experience first and foremost as the key to being authentically inclusive.

In this episode you will hear:

How authentic inclusion needs to be approached holistically
Designing digital technology for workplaces for the human experience
Challenges of digital inclusion in the workplace and how they can be overcome
How we can all be more digitally inclusive
Designing products to be inclusive for hearing and visually impaired
Digital inclusion for elders and digital tech adoption
How organizations need to be thinking of their employees to include their caregiving responsibilities (as part of being inclusive)

About Frances:

Frances West is a former IBM executive and was the organization’s first Chief Accessibility Officer where she was recognized for establishing IT accessibility standards, shaping government policies, and developing human-centric enterprise technology and solutions. She founded FrancesWestCo, a global advisory firm in 2016, providing strategy and advice for C-suite, government, startups and venture capitalists on digital inclusion and innovations. She is the author of Authentic Inclusion™ Drives Disruptive Innovation, a timely and actionable book featured at CES and SXSW.

Sought by Fortune 500 companies, government organizations, non-profits and start-ups, Frances West delivers virtual or on-site keynotes that influence, inspire, and impact audiences to prepare organizations for future growth. Whether keynote, townhall, or fireside chat, Frances’s presentations influence leaders, impact business and inspire transformation, and are customized for live and virtual events.

Connect with Frances:

Website: https://franceswest.co/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/frances.west.104

IG: https://www.instagram.com/franceswest34/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/frances-west-0b81924/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/fwest34

Links to items mentioned in this episode:

International Labor Organization and Global Business and Disability Network

Leave no one offline: A primer on engaging your company on digital accessibility

Ask the C-Suite: Episode 2 (July 8, 2021)

A Chief Accessibility Officer’s Keys to Success

TEDxMountainViewCollege