Hello! My name is Laura Maginess, I am the founder of the Glasglow Girls Club and GGC Business Club and I am delighted to be here.
Cheryl and I first met after she had joined as a member of the GGC Business Club and then cancelled very quickly after. Clare, our Membership and Community coordinator, reached out to check in after spotting Cheryl’s cancellation to see if there was anything GGC could have done differently and it was then that Cheryl explained she was deaf and wasn’t sure if all of the features of the the club were accessible to her.
Honestly, this was like a mega wake up call for me. Why had I not considered this before?
Not great on my part I know, but my hope is that in sharing my truth, other business owners who are potentially in the same boat can take action too. It’s never too late to work on making your business as accessible as possible.
We very quickly made the decision to enlist Cheryl as an accessibility consultant to our membership, to work with us to ensure what the club has to offer could be enjoyed by the deaf and hard of hearing community too.
Cheryl looked at every element and benefit of the club from our in-person events to live virtual content to ensure it was accessible. Not only that, but Cheryl also consults for other members of the business club and is soon to become an expert host on our Tuesday Training sessions, which will encourage members to take a look at every area of their business from an accessibility standpoint.
My understanding of the word accessibility and what it means to ensure your business is accessible has developed massively since meeting Cheryl and hearing her story of being both a deaf business owner who previously wasn’t feeling included by the business community and also as a consumer, who did not feel like brands were interested in her custom.
It’s safe to say that Cheryl has not only helped me with my business, but she has opened my eyes to the world she lives in. Societal changes are required to improve inclusivity and as business owners we can play a part in helping with this.
My advice to other business owners is not to feel overwhelmed by it all. As Cheryl teaches, making small changes in your business can make a massive difference to the deaf and heard of hearing community. Things like adding captions to video content and adding a line on event pages about the accessibility measures that have been taken. I would highly recommend investing in a consultant like Cheryl with lived experience to provide you with an action plan moving forward.
I greatly admire Cheryl, she is a powerhouse blazing a trail through the business community to ensure accessibility is at the forefront of minds and playing a massive part in improving inclusivity for the deaf and hard of hearing community. I have no doubt she is already a role model, showcasing to her community that being a successful business owner is possible, whilst at the same time striving to make things better for all.
Since meeting, Cheryl has fully embraced being a member of the GGC, she has helped to ensure our courses are accessible, comes along to every networking event and was a big part of our very first brand shoot.
To say the sky is the limit for Cheryl doesn’t seem big enough to me, maybe the universe is the limit and I cannot wait to celebrate her journey with her.
The GGC still has more to do, but with Cheryl’s guidance we endeavour to be as accessible as possible.
Links:
Website: https://www.glasglowgirlsclub.com/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/glasglowgirlsclub/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glasglowgirlsclub/
Maximising Your Marketing in Facebook Groups
Photos taken by Victoria Rose, www.flauntandflourish.co.uk
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