The Lilac Review UK

The need for the Lilac Review was highlighted by the ‘Disability and Entrepreneurship report’, launched by Small Business Britain in March 2023 in partnership with Lloyds Banking Group. The report found disabled entrepreneurs face significant barriers to start and grow businesses, such as higher start-up costs, challenges accessing funding and support, as well as a lack of credit by wider society. Read more about The Lilac Review here: https://ow.ly/Z1FZ50Qz8yC Image Description: A call to action graphic from 'The Lilac Review'. It features a prominent purple rectangle with the words 'COMMIT TO CHANGE' in bold white letters. The background is white and decorated with abstract plus signs and circles in varying shades of purple and blue. Below the rectangle, 'The Lilac Review' is written in smaller blue text.

Jen Smith, founder of The Curious Mentor spoke to us at our Innovate Access event. Video shows Jen, speaking to camera at a busy Innovate Access event.

The Lilac Review is spearheaded by Small Business Britain who are committed to making all their campaign events as accessible as possible. To achieve this we have: ?? A BSL interpreter at all events. ?? Produced reports in plain text and audiobook format with executive summary available in BSL. ?? Captions on screen both at live and online events. ?? Made quiet spaces available for anyone who needs them. Image description: A panel discussion on stage at Innovate Access. The panel participants are seated on the stage, and to their left is someone signing for the audience.

The Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship is designed to create meaningful engagement between disabled entrepreneurs and the financial services sector in the UK. Find out more here: https://ow.ly/Hphb50ULLOh Image description: Quote from Martin Sibley, founder of Purple Goat Agency: "The launch of the Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship marks a transformative step toward levelling the playing field, providing much-needed support , and fostering inclusive economic growth."

It was great to see so many of you at our recent Innovate Access event. This exciting event brought Disabled entrepreneurs together with representatives from AI & Assistive Technology companies. We were joined by experts, innovators, thought leaders, Government officials and academics from a range of companies and research institutions for an insightful day of demonstrations, talks, panel sessions, networking and more. Sign up to our newsletter to be the first to know about any future events: https://ow.ly/CS2550VkFiL Image description: A large audience attending a presentation at Innovate Access in a modern conference room with large windows. The attendees, including individuals using wheelchairs, are seated in rows facing a stage where a presenter is speaking in front of a large screen displaying slides.

The Lilac Review launched to level-up disabled entrepreneurship. Operating over a two-year period, the Lilac Review is undertaking extensive research and analysis to identify, and remove, challenges faced by Disabled entrepreneurs. It has already tracked significant progress - including being shortlisted for 'best campaign' in the Shaw Trust's Disability Power 100 in 2024 - with interim research findings published in May 2024. The publication of the final Lilac Review - scheduled to be shared at the end of 2025, will include recommendations and a call-to-action for driving positive change across society. Image description: A testimonial graphic for "The Lilac Review." The quote within a speech bubble reads: “Disability itself is incredibly diverse and impacts us in so many different ways. Some people have a significant privilege that supports them, while others don’t have the same access and support.” Quote is attributed to Lee Chambers, Founder of Essentialise Workplace Wellbeing. The quote is set against a white background with blue accents, and there's a small image of Lee Chambers, wearing glasses in the lower right corner.

Jen Parker, founder of Fuzzy Flamingo spoke to us at Innovate Access about how she sees AI breaking down barriers for Disabled Entrepreneurs. Video shows Jen at a busy Innovate Access event speaking to camera #InnovateAccess #TheLilacReview #TheLilacReviewUK #SmallBusinessBritain #Disability #DisabledFounder #DeafFounder #DisabledEntrepreneur #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #SmallBusinessSupport #BusinessSupport #BusinessGrowth #Research #BusinessResearch

If you have attended one of Small Business Britain's networking events for Disabled entrepreneurs and want to connect more with the people that you met, then we would encourage you to please join the online networking group on LinkedIn. Join here: https://ow.ly/axBK50TMr74 Image description: Three women are smiling at the camera at the House of Lords networking event. They are wearing visitor badges on red lanyards around their necks. The woman on the left has long blonde hair and is dressed in a red cardigan. The woman in the middle has curly brown hair, wearing a black blazer with white polka dots, and carrying a small handbag. The woman on the right has long red hair and is dressed in a black blazer. The background shows other event attendees mingling.

The Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship marks a major milestone in improving access to finance for disabled entrepreneurs in the UK. The code, developed by the Department for Business and Trade in partnership with UK Finance, British Business Bank and the Lilac Review, is intended to drive engagement between the disabled entrepreneur community and the financial services sector in the UK. Signatories are committed to making progress to open up opportunities for disabled entrepreneurs. The founding signatories of the code are Barclays, HSBC UK, Lloyds and NatWest and they are committed to the following: Implementing Inclusive Design Principles - continue to apply and improve inclusive design principles to all products and services, adhering to good practice guidance. Supporting Disabled Founders - offer accessible and practical support for disabled founders, such as mentoring, networking events, finance readiness education, and business planning. Lenders should also consider setting up targeted activities for disabled entrepreneurs. Actively Sharing Evidence - showcase disabled entrepreneurs who have successfully accessed banking products and services to build and grow their businesses. Activity supporting Disabled Colleague Representation - actively support the representation of disabled colleagues in the organisation. 25% of small business owners are disabled or have a health condition, yet disabled-owned small businesses account for just 8.6% of the turnover of all UK businesses. This code aims to address this disparity and unlock an additional ￡230bn in economic growth. Find out more: https://ow.ly/ppzW50Vhg34 Alt text: A graphic with a clean, white background featuring blue and purple circular and plus-shaped design elements. The text reads "Disability Finance Code for Entrepreneurship" in bold blue text.

Marcus Oaten, Deaf Impact Officer at Signapse explained to us at Innovate Access about how Signapse is building an AI to deliver translation for BSL from English into Sign Language. Video shows Marcus at a busy Innovate Access event signing to camera #InnovateAccess #TheLilacReview #TheLilacReviewUK #SmallBusinessBritain #Disability #DisabledFounder #DeafFounder #DisabledEntrepreneur #Entrepreneur #SmallBusiness #SmallBusinessOwner #SmallBusinessSupport #BusinessSupport #BusinessGrowth #Research #BusinessResearch