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We recently launched our newest staff network, DANDI, focused on disability and neurodiversity. DANDI stands for Disability and Neurodiversity Discussion for Impact. DANDI is for those who are dealing with a disability, a diagnosis, or neurological differences, those who are supporting family members going through this, are an ally, or simply interested in learning more. Their mission is to champion the invaluable contributions that disabled and neurodivergent people bring to Kennedys throughout every stage of their career.
At Kennedys we already have a thriving community of networks, including Women’s Network, PACT (Parents and Carers), Rainbow (LGBTQ+), Embrace (Ethnicity and Cultural Diversity) and our DE&I advisory groups. It was important to us to add DANDI to represent our disabled and neurodivergent colleagues amongst our staff network, providing a community and voice within the Firm.
This network represents an important space for both our colleagues and clients. Co-chair of the network, Eve Hesketh said “Providing our colleagues with a space to build community within the workplace is so important. Through the network we aim to create a safe space for our disabled and neurodiverse colleagues, to empower their voices, and celebrate their stories to raise awareness across the wider firm.”
This network represents an important space for our clients too, who increasingly want to see law firms representative of the general population and DANDI forms an important part of this.
Launch event
The network launched with an exciting event, combining guest speaker Alex Partridge from LadBible with a panel discussion chaired by Scott McKinnell, Legal Director and DANDI Co-Chair. Alex shared his journey with ADHD and being diagnosed, the challenges he faced, and his incredible strengths. Alex talked about the importance of trusting people’s outcomes not their processes, an important message for DANDI.
After hearing about Alex’s journey, Scott chaired a panel consisting of a range of Kennedys colleagues from Apprentices to Partners who shared their journey of neurodiversity and disability in the workplace. The sharing of personal experiences had excellent feedback, including “I thought your panel discussion was brilliant: you made the subject immediately accessible and the pace was dynamic without feeling rushed.” Over 100 people attended the launch, with colleagues invited globally to dial in.
Looking forward
Moving forward, DANDI are going to have a focus on storytelling in 2025, giving people an opportunity to share their story and show hopeful endings. They meet on a monthly basis to hear from their ever growing network and continue to take ideas and feedback. They have consulted on the update to Kennedys’ Reasonable Adjustments Policy, providing a valuable voice of lived experience. Kennedys’ networks also focus on intersectionality and DANDI will be looking for collaboration with our other networks throughout the course of the year.