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Our commitment to inclusion

As an employer, Sightsavers promotes diversity in the workplace and is committed to being an inclusive organisation.

Sightsavers strives to create a diverse, inclusive global organisation for current and future employees.

In line with our programme work on disability rights and equality, we actively promote inclusion within our organisation and our wider professional networks. We also monitor gaps in our workforce to identify opportunities to recruit and retain diverse staff.

Sightsavers is a Disability Confident employer with Level 3 accreditation, an accolade awarded to employers that are leaders in inclusion. The Disability Confident scheme helps employers to challenge attitudes and increase understanding of disability, secure high-quality staff and improve employee morale by demonstrating fair treatment.

We’re also a member of the PurpleSpace networking hub, which supports employees with disabilities and makes it easier for employees to navigate the experience of ill health, disability, accident or injury. The aim is to create a unique ‘movement’ of existing disabled employees and their allies, champions and executive sponsors.

Disability Confident leader logo
Purple Space logo.
A close up of two women holding hands.

Our journey towards workplace inclusion

Sightsavers is committed to recruiting, training and ensuring the wellbeing of a diverse workforce. Follow the timeline of our journey towards becoming an employer of choice for people with disabilities.

Our inclusion timeline

The Disability Inclusion Working Group

In 2016, Sightsavers’ Disability Inclusion Working Group was founded to help us reach our inclusion goals. Originally called the Social Inclusion Working Group, it drew its members from across the organisation, and met regularly to propose new initiatives and review progress on existing projects and goals. The group was nominated for a prestigious Bond Diversity award in 2020, before concluding its work in 2023.

Between 2016 and 2023, the group:

  • Created and launched a global disability training programme for staff and all new starters at Sightsavers
  • Helped to develop guidelines for print, digital and live event accessibility, including Microsoft document templates, and introduced an internal testing process to ensure our content is accessible for people using screenreaders
  • Organised an ongoing programme of speaker sessions for inclusion champions and external trainers to share their expertise with the organisation
  • Helped Sightsavers achieve and retain Disability Confident Leadership status, recognising the organisation’s leadership as an inclusive employer
  • Spearheaded an internal accessibility campaign, called Think Accessibility, to encourage employees to adopt accessibility features in their work
Illustration showing a group of people. Some are sitting on different stools, while others are standing.
The group spearheaded the Think Accessibility campaign to encourage staff to be more accessible in their work.

Read more about the group’s experiences

See all blog posts
Man using a computer's built-in screen magnification options

Accessibility

We strive to improve accessibility of our digital and print materials and ensure our events are accessible.
Read our accessibility guidelines

Group of people wearing Sightsavers yellow t-shirts.

Work for us

We believe diversity improves workplaces, so we welcome all job applicants, regardless of their background.
See our jobs pages

Inclusion news and blogs

Susie Rodgers holds her gold medal at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.

Susie Rodgers: from the Paralympics to international development

Sightsavers' Kate Bennell reflects on Susie Rogers' lunchtime talk about her experience as a Paralympian swimmer before joining Sightsavers.

A close up of two women holding hands.

How we make our work inclusive

Ensuring your work can be understood by everyone should be an essential part of all your communications. Here’s a rundown of how to do it.

A close-up of two people holding hands.

A history of inclusion

From the Old Testament to the Paralympics and beyond: we track the progress of disability rights and accessibility from ancient times to the present day.

Learn more about our inclusion work

Read our inclusion report