Our new community to build inclusive workplaces

Christopher Betts, General Counsel

. May 25, 2023 . Regional

I spent most of my childhood colliding into things due to my (then-undiagnosed) vision problems, so my early photos always show me banged up and bruised—to the extent that child services investigated whether my parents were beating me up.

I’ve come a long way since those days, and while I still bump into walls and hallways every now and then, my more common struggles are things like people sitting on my left thinking I am ignoring them; driving a car can be a bit challenging; and I’ll certainly never be challenging for Olympic gold in any sports that rely on depth perception.

So one of the main reasons why I joined Grab was because its commitment to inclusion resonated with me.

The day I realised I had truly found the right place was my first experience being allocated a deaf driver in Singapore.

I was able to make use of the messaging app to communicate with him during the ride, and then discovered an instructional video on how to say thanks in sign-language that Grab had produced.

I am now excited and proud to serve as the Executive Sponsor of Grab’s newly established Inclusion Community.

The vision of the community is to shape a workplace in which all Grabbers are able to reach their full potential, irrespective of their unique accessibility traits, and to raise awareness and champion inclusion for Grabbers with illnesses, impairments and disabilities.

We aim to help Grabbers also understand different disability types and be equipped with disability etiquette when speaking with or assisting a person with disability.

I look forward to helping all of the amazing committee members and other contributors work towards our mission, and encourage everyone (at Grab and elsewhere) to play their part in building inclusive workplaces and societies so that everyone can thrive in their own way.