Enlightening Insights at The Zero Project Conference
The Zero Project is a global and research-driven initiative to support the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and serves to innovate within the field of inclusion to advance the CRPD. Hosted by the United Nations Office in Vienna, this year’s Conference was on employment and ICT. The Zero Project Awards 2025 honored 77 innovative solutions from 45 countries, focusing on Employment and ICT.
The Butterfly attended, representing the Middle East alongside the IEE members. It was filled with enthusiasm and insightful, international discourse, particularly on technology, AI and how it ties in with inclusion and increasing opportunities for all. A key session titled “Putting the I in ESG: Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Sustainability Practices” explored strategies for companies, investors, and standard setters to effectively incorporate disability inclusion into their ESG and sustainability initiatives. This session was organized in cooperation with the International Labor Organization’s Global Business and Disability Network and saw the participation of Dr. Florian Koemm (Global Head of legal and compliance operations, and Vice President and General Counsel, Middle East and Africa) of Siemens Energy, an esteemed member of The Butterfly’s Inclusive Employment Ecosystem.
The summit concluded with renewed inspiration and energy to work towards an inclusive society.
Celebrating International Women’s Day with Clupea
Clupea Group, a career coaching and leadership business, founded by Dr Fatma Ridene, a certified Senior Professional Coach celebrated International Women’s Day by hosting a webinar titled “Empowered Voices: Celebrating Women’s Resilience and Leadership”. It served to honor the powerful and moving contributions of women around the world in various facets and fields.
The Butterfly was invited to speak on the perspective of women with disabilities and their resilience, with them being one of the most vulnerable among the community and how they are discriminated against. Mishiel Ayub, Assistive Technology Specialist and Project Manager of The Butterfly represented us and presented on how women can be inspirational in breaking down stigma and boundaries as well as how The Butterfly serve to empower women with disabilities, from education to employment and anything in between
Train The Trainers at Serco
As part of the many services and resources The Butterfly offers various training sessions to enhance an organization’s inclusiveness and culture. We were privileged to conduct a ‘Train the Trainer’ session for Serco, a valued IEE member on Disability Awareness. Through these sessions we equip the staff at Serco with the valuable knowledge and skills so that they can carry over and disseminate them, embedding inclusion as a major part of the organization as well as running them holistically. We look forward towards more training sessions in various forms and contexts, both with Serco as well as our other IEE members.
Behind The Scenes: How We Ensure Our Network and Message Blossoms
The Butterfly’s small but resourceful team is a core component of our success. All cogs in the machine are necessary to make it work. Today we would like to provide spotlights for Rushil Makan, Sales Associate and Chris C. Dimal, Communications Associate. Building networks and forging connections is what Rushil excels in. He opens the doors to organizations for understanding the significance of inclusion and how The Butterfly can aid in their awareness and do better. A crucial challenge of Rushil is to find the time and place to discuss the necessity of inclusion while they can be busy; nonetheless a rewarding aspect is finding companies that are already committed and promoting inclusion alongside those who are open to beginning the journey. These connections increase the outreach and scope of our mission in ensuring an equitable world for all.
Meanwhile, Chris deals with being a voice and advocate, particularly autism. On the last week of March a radio interview on Talk 100.3 FM, conducted by Muriel D’sa in light of autism awareness month which is coming up on 2nd April. He shed light both on what autism is, its challenges and differences, alongside spreading the message about what The Butterfly is all about.
Drawing on all our experiences, we keep growing the ecosystem which just results in a valuable pool of expertise and network to grow inclusion
How Reasonable Adjustments Are Crucial for Inclusion: The IEE Workshop Of March
The University of Wollongong hosted our third IEE workshop of the year, held on the 20th of March learnt about reasonable adjustments and the various details on understanding and implementing them.
The session detailed how we can incorporate reasonable adjustments into the workplace, what kinds of adjustments and potential challenges lay ahead. We explored in detail the best industry practices and procedures, including why we now use the term ‘reasonable adjustments’ instead of ‘accommodations’, although this foundational aspect of inclusion remains as important as ever. Touching upon various disabilities, we engaged in understanding how adjustments can vary for people of various disabilities, the ideal path for requesting and obtaining adjustments, including who should be the point of contact, the challenges in doing so and the legislative background.
With this session we go forward with a renewed understanding of this significant topic, alongside it being the first time an educational institution holding a workshop.
W3C website