Join Us for Our Annual Conference:
VRA Milestone Conference: 30 years Advancing Vocational Rehabilitation
We are excited to invite you to this year’s in-person event, bringing together leading professionals for an inspiring day of learning, networking, and celebration. This event promises to be one of our most engaging conferences yet, featuring interactive training sessions, a keynote address from the esteemed Professor Dame Carol Black, and our highly anticipated Annual Awards Ceremony.
Event Highlights
📅 Date: 14th November
📍 Location: Broadway House, Westminster, London, SW1H 9NQ
Agenda at a Glance
10.30AM: Arrival and Registration
Enjoy coffee and pastries while you network with like-minded professionals and leaders in the field.
11AM: Welcoming Address
Join our Chair Dr Julie Denning for the welcoming address and preparation for the day
11.15AM: Interactive Training Session With Nancy Doyle
It’s been a while since neurodiversity hit the radar of the diversity and inclusion sector and most people have heard of it, and know some affected. As a result, there’s a surge of diagnoses and disclosures at work and a difficulty in meeting the need. This talk will discuss the latest research based evidence on what works, what’s missing, and how we scale.
We’ll cover:
· Evidence to support disability adjustments
· Latest case law on what’s ‘reasonable’
· The limits of adjustments tick lists
· Career progression and talent
· Scaling neurodiversity support
· Universal design
Presenter: Nancy Doyle is a Chartered Psychologist, HCPC registered and a Visiting Professor of Occupational Psychology, co-directing the Centre for Neurodiversity at Work at Birkbeck, University of London. Her BBC documentary ‘Employable Me’ helped Neurodiversity hit the mainstream in 2016 and 2016, and she founded one of the world’s leading Neurodiversity consultancies, the non-profit b-Corp, “Genius Within”. Nancy is a proud neurodivergent herself, Forbes columnist, author and dynamic presenter, with the UN, the UK parliament, Stanford University, Imperial College London, Amazon, Google and Microsoft in her list of Keynotes. As well, Nancy has managed a large, majority neurodivergent staff team for over ten years and has lived experience of making it work in practice.
12.15PM: Interactive Training Session With Professor Sarah Vickerstaff
Managing health issues at work: Are we ready for the older workforce?
The relationship between health and work is increasingly significant in the context of an ageing population who are expected to extend their working lives. Research suggests that responding to the health issues that older workers may face requires not simply a focus on managing diagnosed health conditions and returns to work but also more proactive health promotion activities and creating an age positive environment. Offering a more age positive organisational climate encourages more openness about health and is likely to be a more supportive and productive environment for older workers and everyone else. The role of occupational health and wellbeing initiatives in this field is an under researched area but a very important one given the policy drift to encourage people to work for longer and delay retirement. This presentation assesses what we know currently and what we need to know to improve the management of older workers.
1.15PM: LUNCH
2.15 Welcome back and Celebration of VRA – Julie Denning (VRA Chair)
2.35 IRCM Partnership – Carole Chantler
2:45 PM: Keynote Speech by Professor Dame Carol Black
Topic: “Work and health, acknowledging 30years of VRA”
Renowned for her extensive research and leadership in public health and work environments, Professor Dame Carol Black will share her insights on how to create healthier workplaces and more engaged teams. This thought-provoking session is a must-attend for anyone looking to influence positive change in their organization.
3.30PM: Annual Awards Ceremony
Celebrate the achievements of industry leaders and innovators as we present this year’s Annual Awards. This prestigious event honours those who have made outstanding contributions to the field, driving excellence and inspiring others to reach new heights.
We encourage all attendees to to put in a nomination for the awards ceremony, we want to celebrate you, your achievements and contributions to VR around the country. For more information, check out the website here – 2024 Awards Nominations – Vocational Rehabilitation Association UK (vrassociationuk.com)
Speaker Bios
Professor Dame Carol Black
Professor Dame Carol Black is an internationally recognized leader in public health and workplace wellbeing. She has served in various high-profile roles, including as the government’s principal advisor on health and work. Her pioneering research and policy contributions have transformed the landscape of employee wellbeing, earning her numerous accolades. In her keynote speech, she will share her latest insights into building healthier, more productive work environments.
Nancy Doyle
Dr Nancy Doyle C. Psychol is the founder and Chief Science Officer of Genius Within CIC, an international B-corp and non-profit. Genius Within provides coaching, assessment, training, HR consultancy and scalable digital services to thousands of businesses each year. Genius Within won the Queen’s Award for Business in 2022 Nancy has worked in disability inclusion since the late 1990s and is a Chartered Occupational and Coaching Psychologist, registered with both the British Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association. Nancy is also the co-founder of the Centre for Neurodiversity at Work at the University of London. Nancy is a Forbes columnist and BBC documentary maker, known for her work on Neurodiversity inclusion globally. Nancy provides thought leadership, expert reference, talks and workshops for the United Nations, Universities such as Imperial, Cambridge, Oxford and Stanford, the UK Government and international companies such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Veolia and Orange.
Professor Sarah Vickerstaff
Sarah Vickerstaff, Professor Emerita of Work and Employment at the University of Kent. Sarah is an internationally recognised sociologist and researcher into paid work in later life. In the last 25 years her research on older workers and retirement has been funded by research councils
nationally and internationally, charities and the UK Government. In 2017-18 she was a Specialist Adviser to the House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee’s Older People and Employment Inquiry. In recent years her research has focused on the impact of ageism on employment. She is an elected Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and a Trustee of the charity Arthritis Action.
Call for Entries: Annual Awards
We encourage all practitioners, innovators, and leaders in the field to submit entries for our Annual Awards. This is your chance to gain industry-wide recognition for your hard work, innovations, and commitment to excellence. Whether you’ve pioneered a new approach, led a successful project, or contributed to meaningful change in your organization, we want to celebrate your success!
Award Categories Include:
- VR Team of the Year
- VR Practitioner
- VR Project
- VR Champion
The deadline for submissions is Monday 28th October.
For all the required forms and guidance – https://vrassociationuk.com/resources/2024-awards-nominations/
Don’t Miss Out – Register Today!
Seize the opportunity to learn from industry leaders, connect with peers, and celebrate the best in the field. Whether you’re looking to enhance your skills, gain fresh insights, or be part of a vibrant professional community, this event has something for everyone.
Tickets are selling fast – secure your spot today!
Questions?
For more information, feel free to reach out to us at enquiries@vrassociation.org.uk.
This conference is the perfect blend of inspiration, knowledge, and celebration – we look forward to welcoming you!
This event has been sponsored by: Legal and General
Want to Sponsor our Event?
We have a variety of sponsorship packages available to suit all budgets, check out our Sponsorship Brochure HERE.
Email enquiries@vrassociation.org.uk for more information and to confirm your chosen sponsorship package.