2019-06-11 Meeting notes

Owned by Karen Ottoni
Last updated: Jun 24, 2019
4 min read

Date

Meeting Recording

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lIA2nH2JEx8pWKd8ZNtYlC-efZGNn2zN

Attendees

Agenda

Notes

Alissa intro

  • Dan Middleton has made accessibility a priority and to make sure Hyperledger tools are accessible to all.
  • Accenture’s Inclusion with I video—sets the tone for the inclusion discussion and for promoting empathy for all.
  • Doing our best to understand what accessibility means for Blockchain.
  • Laurie Henneborn, Accenture’s Research accessibility lead, recently published an HBR article (4 Ways to Improve Your Company’s Disability-Inclusion Practices).
  • Blockchain and crypto more reactive to the need of people with disabilities and things need to be proactively designed in to the solution

Laurie Henneborn Presentation on Accessibility

  • Laurie is a Managing Director who has been with Accenture for 20 years. She sits within Accenture Research, leading digital technologies and research teams, to provide research insights and industry expertise.
  • More recently, Laurie has been the accessibility lead and working with DisabilityIn and AADP (with Senator Kennedy), and with other initiatives.
  • Each of us has a commitment the way the world works and lives. At Accenture, we embrace diversity with a source of competitiveness and creativity.
  • In Fall 2017, Laurie suffered from a serious bout of depression and anxiety. She couldn’t see properly after her pregnancy and exhibited early signs of multiple sclerosis. For next 14 years since diagnosis, she only shared it with a few. This left her confidence at an all time low. After much mindful reflection about mental wellness, she published blogs about her journey.
  • It’s estimated that more than ¼ have some form of disability and are not disclosing it to their employer. Some were born with it and some were diagnosed later in life. For many, fear of disclosing is connected to stigma. For cultural reasons, family told her to limit who she should tell. By not disclosing, employees are more stressed and work hard to not disclose. To address this, this requires training, technology, and policies. Managers should also know how to interview and recruit folks with a disability. There is also a business case for including those with a disability (visible and no- visible).
  • Accenture partnered with AAPD and DisabilityIn for Getting to Equal research. Creating an inclusive workplace is the right thing to do. However, we needed to pivot the mind shift from philanthropy to foundational, especially at the C-Suite level. Can we get close for why it’s good for business? Through financial corporation analysis, they are outperforming others. Businesses inclusive of people with disability, are seeing rewards to bottom line.
  • Improvers on average, are 4x time more likely to outperform the other peer group
  • Accenture partners with Mindshift to recruit folks on autism spectrum and in FY 17, launched Accessibility Center of Excellence.
  • It’s important to:
    • Engage: Generate awareness building through recruitment efforts, employee resource groups, and chat capabilities internal and external. Also, provide philanthropic support.
    • Empower- Create empowering environments, to ensure they continue to advance and thrive. Specifically, with mission statements to ensure PWD with disabilities are thriving and companies are actively recruiting and training.
  • It’s important to understand problems, needs, and getting PWD actively involved in solutioning.
  • We need to be proactive in understanding accessibility needs with blockchain


Presentation on Good Chain

  • Need a broad variety of partners, NGOs and solution providers to tag physical products. Developing ecosystem of brands or recipients.
  • World Vision Timor Leste, contribute to fighting malnutrition and promoting food security. Looking at GoodChain as a fundraising vehicle.
  • Apart from doing something good, all of them generate valuable data for brands. You can see when product was scanned etc. Good for brands who want to have touchpoints with consumers.
  • Created a prototype as part of Odyssey hackathon which includes traceability of chicken and functionality for consumers to donate to a world vision project. Great to showcase to brands and showcase to World Vision internally.
  • View recording for a demo on the Good Chain consumer track and trace app to see chickens along supply chain and give back to a farmer or world vision project.
  • The team is investigating a potential implementation/pilot.
  • Following the journey of farmer where consumers can scan a code (e.g. coffee from Timor Leste). Looking to use a World Vision last mile payment service to help unbank farmers who can receive money from world vision.
  • World Vision (Timor Leste)- Kartaun Bele pilot (Presented by Fabiano)
    • Timor Leste has one of the highest rates of unemployment.
    • Banks distribute cash 1x a year given remoteness of the communities
    • Literacy levels are really low. Don’t want people to feel intimated by wallets.
    • Vendor has phones to receive payments via POS
    • 2 cards and one smart phone for them to transact and evens works if smartphone doesn’t have connectivity. Can be stored offline on the phone.
    • 190 households registered. Have yet to use cash. Settled with vendors in bank accounts.

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