Lisa Debenham, Director, Redevelopment and Planning and Lisa Jeffs, Senior EDI Consultant, St Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton.

“Inviting external agencies to review our hospital’s policies and procedures was a first for St Joe’s. This was an organizational risk that we took, knowing that we could not be entirely certain of the outcome, especially as we were the first organization to pilot the HDEN audit. The vulnerability of this position was met with kindness, generosity, patience and expert advice from the HDEN representatives. We acknowledge that our recruitment process included unintended barriers for individuals with disabilities. Rather than focusing on shortcomings or doubting our dedication to accessibility, HDEN members provided constructive solutions and expressed confidence in our capacity to improve. 

This project demonstrated that collaborating with individuals who possess lived experience and valuing their expertise leads to improvements in environments, processes, and outcomes. The final report that HDEN gave us far exceeded our expectations in terms of its utility, comprehensiveness, and expert advice. The impact of this partnership is far reaching—we could not have asked for better partners."