The event was hosted by the HR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) team, in collaboration with the Scottish Union of Supported Employment (SUSE) and Scottish charity Into Work. The HR EDI team welcomed three disabled mentees to the University, offering them a taste of what it is like to work at the University of Edinburgh. Each mentee was matched with a University staff member who was their mentor for the day.
Four colleagues from different areas of the university took part as mentors:
- Dr Róisín McKelvey (EDI Manager – College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine)
- Gerry Crabbe (Risk and Culture Manager – University Sport & Exercise)
- Mel Mclaughlin (L&D Manager – University Sport & Exercise)
- Jenni Sarafilovic (EDI Manager – College of Science and Engineering)
A day of insight
Working closely with Federico Marchiolli, HR EDI Partner, the mentors planned a day of activities, presentations and discussions to provide their mentees with valuable insights into the workplace. The event gave mentees the chance to share challenges they had faced when entering work, highlight their strengths and explore potential work opportunities within and beyond the University.
Participants’ feedback
Jenni Sarafilovic
“This annual event is all about breaking down barriers and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. It was an absolute pleasure to meet our mentees, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. The day focused on breaking down barriers and challenging stereotypes about disabled people in the workplace – something that is very important to me.”
Mel Mclaughlin
“I believe the mentee found his time with us insightful and beneficial. He was really interested to find out about the variety of roles and hear about different career paths within Sport. He was very complimentary about how welcoming and friendly all our staff were and in particular those who spent 1:1 time with him. Our staff also found him to be engaged and said he asked lots of really good questions.”
Reflections and future steps
DuoDay demonstrated how barriers to inclusion can be overcome, and left mentees feeling hopeful and less alone. Together, participants reflected on the challenges of finding meaningful employment and discussed the positive contribution disabled people make in our workplace.
After sharing their own lived experience of disability, neurodivergence, and the rejection they handled when searching for opportunities, University staff who took part in the day agreed to stay in touch with their mentees to provide further guidance and support.
If you would like to know more about the event and would like to take part in similar initiatives in the future, please contact Federico Marchiolli (HR EDI Partner).