What is I.D.E.A?

Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility

The I.D.E.A standard was developed by Kathy Clements in association with Assent Risk Management with the aim of helping businesses support all employees and other relevant persons, raise awareness and understanding, and accommodate diverse needs. 

For organisations of all kinds, there are ramifications for not taking responsibility and ensuring they accommodate individual needs – not just legal, but also in terms of reputation, commercial factors, workplace culture, and to the detriment of their employees’ physical and mental wellbeing. 

The shift began in 2010 when the Equality Act was enshrined into law, bringing together a number of existing equality laws and identifying nine protected characteristics:

• age, 
• disability, 
• gender reassignment, 
• marriage and civil partnership, 
• pregnancy and maternity, 
• race, 
• religion or belief, 
• sex, 
• sexual orientation

The Equality Act made the legal framework much easier to understand, and prohibits discrimination and harassment in various areas, including employment, public services, and education.

Further new laws have been in discussion by the UK Government since 2024, and workplace attitudes and culture is beginning to shift towards a more acceptable, enriching, and comfortable environment. 

This standard is designed to not only support individuals already in employment whose work lives could be improved, but also help businesses become good potential employers for those who have struggled to find employment due to the stigmas and stereotypes attached to disability, neurodiversity, and the fear of “reasonable adjustments”.

Verified by Nickola Webb of the Royal Holloway University. 

Having gained a bachelor’s degree with honours in Performing Arts from London Metropolitan University that was strongly rooted in psychology, Kathy always had an interest in understanding the individual and how they perceived and managed the world around them. 

Her course involved writing and managing theatre productions and workshops, and therefore considering diversity from many different perspectives, which included physical restrictions. 

Kathy set out of a career path that involved helping businesses achieve high standards of management.  This was backed by professional courses, which all seemed to emphasise the primary importance in every business of people and their contribution to the success to the organisations they worked for.

A late diagnosis of Autism and ADHD and the ensuing path of self-discovery led to deep research into neurodiversity and formal training – all of which helped Kathy to recognise that there was a need to accommodate neurodiversity as well as individual physical differences in the workplace to get the best experience for all workers, and therefore an optimal workforce for the business. 

Kathy used her experience of working with ISO standards and many different types of organisation over the years to create a standard to assist businesses in recognising the individual needs of all their people, which in turn would create a productive and successful work space to take the organisation forward in a positive and successful way.

Assent Risk Management is a progressive Risk and Resilience Consultancy championing International (ISO), British (BS), European (EN) and other standards.

Our expert team delivers impartial consultancy and auditing services across multiple disciplines including: information security, cyber security, environmental sustainability, health & safety, quality management and business improvement.

Assent Risk Management helps SMEs of all industries navigate compliance with expert guidance and a structured approach.

Operating since 2002, we simplify ISO certification, cybersecurity, H&S, environmental sustainability, and more—so you can focus on growing your business. With our support, achieving compliance is straightforward, providing access to more opportunities.