Ann Moghaddami - House of Commons
My name is Ann Moghaddami - I’m the Senior Diversity and Inclusion Manager at the House of Commons. I joined back in March 2007, so that’s 15 ago years this year. I’ve seen a lot of changes in that time - but to be honest, the House of Commons was stuck in the seventies when I joined, and things have moved on a lot since then!
I've held several roles in the House of Commons. When I joined, I was recruited as a pension professional, but after four years of that I moved into the Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) team, where I stayed for three and a half years. I reached the level of Deputy Head of Diversity and Inclusion, then moved across to work in business management. I've since returned to D&I - and I feel that I've come home.
Opportunities at the House of Commons
I’ve been lucky enough to have moved around in my time here, which is great, I’ve found that there are always opportunities to put yourself forward for different roles. You certainly don’t need to be stuck in the same role all the time. I was taken on initially to work in pensions, but I decided I wanted to do something completely different - Diversity and Inclusion - and I was supported in that.
I believe that if someone puts their mind to it, they have the chance to do almost anything they want at the House of Commons. There’s no need to stick to just working in HR or IT. You can diversify.
My passion for Diversity and Inclusion
D & I is my passion, work wise. The only reason I moved away from it in 2011 was because I wanted to be promoted, and there were no opportunities available on the team at that time. So, I applied for and achieved the promotion elsewhere, then as soon as an opportunity came up, I returned to what I enjoyed doing most. Now I’m back in the team and at a level I am happy with, so I’m not interested in any further promotion. It’s great, as it means I’m now able to focus completely on the work that I enjoy doing.
One of the things I enjoy the most about this job is that it gives me a chance to make a difference - in terms of including everyone in Parliament, putting in procedures and practices that are inclusive, and accessible. There are so many different people working here, and D&I pervades everything, so it means I get to work with many different areas of the organisation and a diverse range of people.
Current Diversity Projects
We're concentrating on four main areas at the moment.
1. The Workplace Equality Network (WEN): this has been under review, and as soon as the results come through, it will be my job to make sure that any recommendations suggested in the review are properly implemented.
2. The strategy for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee: this will be coming to an end in 2022 and I’ll be supporting ongoing work to develop a new strategy.
3. Accreditation: The House of Commons is already a Disability Competent Employer and part of my job is to make sure we stay that way, and that we continue to hold our accreditation - with a focus on recruitment practices.
4. ParliAble: I set this up with colleagues in 2019 and worked with them to secure a central budget to ensure all staff could have the workplace (or reasonable) adjustments that they need. ParliAble gathered staff feedback and then took advice from the Business Disability Forum - of which the House of Commons is a member. ParliAble also provides equality impact assessments for new workplace policies.
I’m also part of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) which includes people from around the Commonwealth countries. This, and the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) group will be a major focus for me in 2022. People will be asked to complete a questionnaire about how accessible they think Parliament is, and then when we have the survey results, I will be using them to take the project forward.
Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities
In 2011, the CPA established a group called the Commonwealth Parliamentarians with Disabilities (CPwD) - I work with them to make sure it’s inclusive and accessible for everyone. In the UK, the CPwD is led by Paul Maynard MP (who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy). The group organises awareness raising activities, events, campaigns and more to raise awareness around disability and the issues that people may face.
In the past, we’ve covered subjects such as autism, facial palsy, deafness, and blindness. To raise awareness of the impact of facial disfigurement, we once wore butterfly masks over part of our face to try and experience how it feels to live with the condition. We also put on a stage performance that highlighted some of the challenges faced by people with epilepsy.
Every December we celebrate the International Day for People with Disabilities. We also recently lit up Parliament in purple light – the colour of disability. For International Day for People with Disabilities in 2021 I spoke to the clerk of the House of Commons (the equivalent of a CEO) live on LinkedIn about accessibility issues; and we continue to work to influence policy.
The House of Commons is disability friendly!
To anyone who is thinking about working for the House of Commons, I’d say, you’ll be made very welcome. In addition to being open to people who want to experience different aspects of the work of the House, which makes for an interesting place to work, I believe that the House of Commons is a welcoming and inclusive place for all.
If you have a disability, or additional needs, don’t let that put you off, as we will also work with you to make sure that we put in place any adjustments that you need.
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