Committees play an important role in organisations.
They’re meant to bring together insight, lived experience, and expertise, helping leadership make better, more informed decisions that reflect the needs of the whole workplace.
In theory, committees exist to ensure voices are heard, perspectives are considered, and decisions aren’t made in isolation.
That’s the ideal.
The reality?
Committees are often formed from the same familiar group: senior leaders, long-tenured staff, or those already perceived as having “influence” or authority within the organisation.
The result?
Decisions are made for people with disability and other marginalised groups rather than with them.
Not because anyone intends harm, but because inclusion was never built into the structure.
And when perspectives are missing from the decision-making process, the outcomes, no matter how well-meaning, often reinforce the very barriers they’re trying to address.
Who is at the table — and who isn’t?
“Nothing about us without us” isn’t a slogan.
It’s the baseline for inclusive decision-making.
If you’re forming a committee to oversee Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or any area that impacts employee experience, representation isn’t optional but rather it’s essential.
And yet, disability is frequently left out of DEI efforts.
This is often justified quietly:
- “We don’t have anyone suitable”
- “No one’s disclosed”
- “We’ll consult later”
But accessible workplaces don’t just benefit people with disability, they benefit everyone. And lived experience brings insights that no policy review ever could.
If you have an executive or governance committee, ask yourself:
- How many people with disability are involved in shaping decisions?
- Are people invited because of their lived experience or excluded because of assumptions about capacity?
- Who gets asked to contribute, and who never gets asked at all?
Absence doesn’t mean lack of interest. Often, it means the system wasn’t designed to invite participation in the first place.
How decisions are made — are they accessible to everyone?
Inclusion isn’t just about who sits on a committee., it’s also about how that committee operates.
Even when people with disability or other marginalised identities are present, inaccessible processes can quietly limit their ability to participate fully.
Consider:
- Are meeting papers shared in advance, in accessible formats?
- Are meetings run in ways that privilege fast processing, constant verbal contribution, or long blocks of time?
- Is disagreement welcomed or subtly discouraged?
- Are decisions made in the room, or informally before the meeting even starts?
When decision-making relies on unspoken norms or inaccessible practices, participation becomes conditional. Some voices are amplified, others are sidelined, often without anyone noticing.
Accessible decision-making isn’t about lowering standards, it’s about widening participation so better decisions can be made.
What barriers exist that prevent full participation?
Barriers aren’t always obvious and they’re rarely intentional.
They can be structural:
- Meetings scheduled outside flexible working hours
- Participation tied to unpaid or “extra” labour
- Committees formed without clear pathways for involvement
They can be cultural:
- A belief that leadership equals capability
- Assumptions about who is “ready” or “appropriate” to contribute
- A lack of psychological safety to disclose access needs
And they can be practical:
- Inaccessible meeting platforms or venues
- No budget for reasonable adjustments
- Consultation happening too late to influence outcomes
When these barriers stack up, participation becomes exhausting, or even impossible. And over time, people stop putting themselves forward, reinforcing the myth that “no one wants to be involved.”
Inclusion work asks us to flip the question:
Not “Why aren’t people participating?”
But “What about this structure makes participation difficult?”
What now?
Committees shape culture.
They influence policy.
They decide what gets prioritised and what gets overlooked.
Redesigning committee structures isn’t about adding more people for optics. It’s about creating conditions where diverse voices can genuinely contribute, influence outcomes, and stay engaged.
I work with organisations to review and redesign committee structures, policies, and engagement methods to ensure people with disability and other marginalised voices are meaningfully included, not just present.
If you’re ready to move beyond box-ticking and build committees that actually reflect the communities they serve, let’s talk.
Book a call to explore how we can work together to make your organisational committees thrive this year.
Because inclusion doesn’t happen by accident.
It happens when we’re willing to look closely at the systems we’ve normalised and choose to build something better.
