New strategic alliance on disability between Dylan Alcott and PwC
Australian of the Year for 2022 Dylan Alcott’s Get Skilled Access consultancy is entering into a strategic alliance with PwC in a bid to influence disability policy.
Improving employment prospects and workplace accessibility for people with disability are two priorities of a new strategic alliance between PwC Australia and Dylan Alcott’s consultancy, Get Skilled Access.
The former Australian of the Year and wheelchair tennis champion has teamed up with PwC to promote disability inclusion and accessibility to create opportunities for people with disability across society, and in doing so generate both social and economic value.
Mr Alcott said the alliance would build on each other’s strengths to provide tailored consulting services to help organisations and industries improve inclusiveness and accessibility for people with disability.
“People with disability make up nearly 20 per cent of our population, and it can happen to anyone, at any stage,” Mr Alcott said.
“It makes good business sense to invest in inclusive leadership and building more diverse teams.
“We want to role model what leading practice disability inclusion looks like and what it delivers, doing this by putting lived experience at the forefront, providing opportunities and showcasing the social and economic value that being inclusive brings,” he said.
The alliance has ambitions to change and influence policy in the disability space.
“If we can impact both corporates and governments to create inclusive leadership and teams, that mainstream representation is key to changing unconscious bias,” Mr Alcott said.
PwC Australia chief executive Tom Seymour said his organisation was already active in the disability space, with an employee network using its lived experience to inform client advice.
Mr Seymour said PwC wanted to “reimagine accessible employment”.
“We know that engaging people with disability in meaningful employment brings better outcomes for business, and to society more broadly,” he said. “We’re proud to be partnering with Dylan and GSA on this journey.”
Both groups said they supported Australia’s Disability Strategy, a joint-federal state initiative, and would put their combined resources into bringing about systemic change for the benefit of people with disability.
“We deserve equitable access to education, employment, services and products,” Mr Alcott said.