Inclusiveness recognised
Fairfax Media scooped an Attitude Award on Thursday night for its inclusiveness towards people with disabilities.
The annual Attitude Awards celebrate the achievements of people who live with disabilities and Fairfax won the Attitude ACC Employer Award, announced on Thursday night.
The company, which owns Stuff and newspapers across the country, runs a New Zealand sign language cafe and also employs several people with intellectual disabilities as part of a programme called Creative Spirit.
Fairfax Media corporate social responsibility manager Annamarie Jamieson said her team was ‘‘immensely proud’’.
‘‘Fairfax exists to represent our communities, and we need to reflect that internally as well,’’ Jamieson said.
Jamieson helped launch Creative Spirit in Fairfax’s New Zealand offices in 2012, and the sign language cafe one year ago.
The initiative provides people with intellectual disabilities with jobs in companies across New Zealand and Australia and aims to inspire others to provide more workplace opportunities for willing employees.
There are eight people with intellectual disabilities employed across Fairfax Media’s Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch offices and the Auckland office’s sign language cafe employs three deaf baristas.