Learn how Belfast became an accessible, diverse and inclusive host destination ahead of The Harkin Summit 2022.
About the summit
The Harkin Summit is a global event that brings together leaders and activists from various sectors, including business, government, philanthropy, the third and voluntary sector, and academia, to address disability employment issues and showcase best practices.
The summit aims to promote equality of opportunity for people with disabilities in the labour market through transformational change before, during, and after the event.
The Harkin Belfast 2022 summit focused on the theme of ‘Disability: Shaping, Growing and Driving Economic Change.’ The event featured a program with 114 speakers, including many with mobility or communication requirements.
The solution
To ensure the summit’s success, Belfast underwent transformational change before, during, and after the event to become an accessible, diverse, and inclusive host destination.
One of the initiatives to improve accessibility was JAM Card training of ICC Belfast staff and Visit Belfast visitor servicing staff, allowing customers to communicate their accessibility needs discreetly. Over 260 hospitality and tourism professionals in Belfast have now been trained in inclusion through a video curated by Visit Belfast and NOW Group, which will be rolled out across the city’s tourism and hospitality sector.
To provide maximum space and comfort for delegates, a permanent Changing Place was installed by SYNC Living in the Riverside Foyer area of ICC Belfast. This facility includes a peninsular toilet, grab rails, and a changing bench for visitors requiring additional support. A social narrative access video was also produced by the University of Atypical to assist delegates in navigating their surroundings at ICC Belfast.
ICC Belfast’s technical infrastructure was also enhanced to deliver an interactive, accessible conference, including the use of a hybrid meeting platform allowing attendees to influence discussions and content themes in real-time through Q&A, polls, and gamification. A fully accessible summit website and delegate app were designed to minimise print collateral requirements and ensure materials could be easily accessed by people with sight impairments. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) was provided for those with hearing difficulties.
Under the direction of the Northern Ireland Communities Minister, Deirdre Hargey, various legacy initiatives were also rolled out, including:
- 300 ring-fenced employment opportunities for young people with disabilities
- 100 mentoring sessions delivered during the summit
- An 8 week Entrepreneurship Course for young people with disabilities in collaboration with the British Council
- A Dragons’ Den for disability-led enterprises sponsored by Ulster Bank
Results
The Harkin Summit and the legacy initiatives that followed have made significant progress in promoting equality of opportunity for people with disabilities.
The city aims to utilise the Harkin Summit to learn from global best practices, further progress, and inform future policy work and initiatives in this area.
As a result of the summit, Belfast was also awarded Best EDI at an Event at the recent ABPCO Excellence Awards.
