On the 27th of June 2024, I had the pleasure of representing Power2Inspire at the Liberty Global London Head Office for their annual Sensory Awareness Day. And what a wonderful experience it was!
Every year, Liberty Global hosts a Sensory Awareness Day aimed at fostering workplace inclusion, truly underscoring the importance of diversity and understanding in professional environments. As part of this initiative, Liberty Global offices worldwide were celebrating sensory awareness, of which I was thrilled to be a part of.
Upon arrival, I met Mischern Chetty, Director of DEI Strategy at Liberty Global and Power2Inspire Board Trustee. We explored the office space, and I had the pleasure of meeting some of his team members, who were all incredibly welcoming.
The office had set up five stations dedicated to each of the five senses: touch, taste, sight, smell, and sound. These stations were designed to foster a deeper understanding of sensory impairments that might be present in the workplace.
My favourite was the sight station! The office had new virtual reality headsets, and we watched a beautifully curated story by an author who told his story by what he could sense visually, despite having visual impairments. The vivid sounds and immersive experience gave me a glimpse into what it might be like to navigate the world without sight. It was a powerful reminder of the diverse ways people experience the world.
The taste station was also a big hit, featuring a variety of snacks, including ice cream, popcorn, oddly cut fruits, and biscuits. It was hard to decipher the oddly cut fruits before tasting them. The flavours then often came as a surprise, which led to some funny reactions.
At the sound station, I realised how challenging it can be to focus in noisy environments. The group played various percussion instruments while I attempted to do my seven times tables—it was incredibly difficult! This exercise shed light on what it might be like for someone with attention deficit disorder (ADHD) to concentrate. It gave me a new understanding of how to support colleagues or friends who may face these challenges in the workplace or a social setting.
An interesting moment during the day was when one employee discovered they were partially colourblind through the official colour blindness test. They received immediate support from colleagues around them, and the team discussed how to navigate this newfound knowledge and support them in the office to ensure full inclusion.
The feedback from employees was a testament to the impact of the day. One person shared,
“A very non-standard day at work this week! And so valuable! I now realise it is so important to have an awareness of the differences in how we all experience the world.”
Another valuable lesson came from a discussion on kinetic sand where one employee said:
“We even had a great debate on kinetic sand… some people with ADHD traits loved the idea of a bowl of sand in meetings to play with and aid concentration, but others who identified more towards the autistic spectrum said they would be really distracted and not able to concentrate.”
I am grateful to have been part of this day, and I want to extend my thanks to the Liberty Global Employee Resource Groups for their efforts.
I am looking forward to attending next year’s event!
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