Ep 16. Catharine Brown, CEO Designability: Doing Important Work!

“Despite all the discrimination legislation that exists and despite the equality, diversity and inclusion that we are (all) talking about, the needs of disabled people are not routinely met...” From using augmented reality to help dementia patients make a cup of tea, to building electric powered wheelchairs (the Wizzybug!) for physically disabled children, Designability creates practical products to enable disabled people live with greater independence. Catharine Brown, CEO of Designability, shares with us her charity’s work to improve the lives of the UK’s 14 million disabled people. Creating products based on principles of Design Thinking, the organisation puts the needs of disabled people at the centre of the user experience. Designability’s vision is to ensure that every disabled person has the products they want, to live the life that they choose. We talk about the leadership challenges and benefits of flexible working in a post-COVID world. Catharine shares her personal experiences encountering in-flexible working practices as a young mother and how even today the ‘motherhood penalty’ still affects women and their career choices. However, that certainly did not deter Catharine in her pursuit of doing ‘important work’. Recorded March 2021.

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Featuring candid, meaningful discussions that get beneath the surface of issues, this podcast aims to inspire, inform and deliver practical insights on the challenges affecting charity and nonprofit leaders today. For the benefit of leaders across the sector and for people who care about the important work of charities. Tackling a different theme each episode, Dhivya O’Connor, a charity CEO herself, invites top CEOs to share their unique insights, expert knowledge, and lessons learned running successful charities. The Charity CEO Podcast is produced and hosted by Dhivya O’Connor. For more details visit www.thecharityceo.com