Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Ben Merrick is Director, Overseas Territories (OTs), and Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) and the British Antarctic Territory (BAT) in the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. Previously, he was the Deputy Director of the OTs Directorate in FCO.

He is also, since the summer of 2019, the Deputy Disability Champion for the Civil Service, having been one of FCO’s disability role models, actively supporting the FCO staff disability network, Enable, in championing inclusion.

Hearing loss and Covid: Simon’s and Sue’s experience

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 19 November 2020 - Diversity and inclusion, Health & Wellbeing, Uncategorized

Earlier this year, when I shared my experience on working from home during the pandemic, some disabled colleagues observed that a large proportion of civil servants working flexibly, provided new opportunities for greater inclusion and line manager empathy. Conversely, I’m …

Workplace Adjustment Stories: Maria's story

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 15 September 2020 - A great place to work, Diversity and inclusion, Health & Wellbeing

Maria works at the Home Office in Croydon. She has sickle cell – a disorder of the haemoglobin in the red blood cells. As Deputy Civil Service Disability Champion, I enlisted the help of the Civil Service Workplace Adjustment Service …

Personal Disability Stories: David’s Shielding Story

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 25 August 2020 - A Brilliant Civil Service, Civil Service Leaders, Health & Wellbeing

In the latest of a series of blogs on the changes disabled colleagues have experienced due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, we focus on shielding and the challenges it brings. Many of our family, friends, and colleagues have been shielding …

Workplace Adjustment Stories: Bushra's story

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 7 August 2020 - A great place to work, Diversity and inclusion, Health & Wellbeing, Improved outcomes

Bushra, who works in HMRC is sharing her story on how she has learned to work effectively with what has been a difficult journey through sight loss. Bushra’s story is an important one for us to remember. Whilst many of …

Personal Disability Stories – living with change: David’s story

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 3 June 2020 - Diversity and inclusion, Health & Wellbeing, Year of Inclusion

Deputy Civil Service Disability Champion Ben Merrick introduces David, who talks about living with change as a person with a disability.

Working with a disability during the coronavirus pandemic

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 5 May 2020 - A great place to work, Diversity and inclusion, Health & Wellbeing, Year of Inclusion

Ben Merrick, Deputy Disability Champion for the Civil Service, considers from his own experience the challenges and opportunities for those with a disability of working during the coronavirus pandemic.

Accentuating the positive and focusing on unexpected advantages – my year as a disability role model

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 3 December 2018 - A great place to work, Diversity and inclusion

Ben Merrick, Civil Service champion for visually impaired people, uses the International Day of Persons with Disabilities to tell us what he's been up to in 2018, and what a positive attitude and making sure he gets the support he needs has done for him.

Disability role-modelling and resilience: three approaches

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 20 December 2017 - Diversity and inclusion

Using his recent experience of handling a complex crisis as an example, FCO disability role model Ben Merrick gives his three top pieces of advice for coping with what life and work throws at you.

What being a disability role model means to me

Ben Merrick, Director, Overseas Territories Directorate, HM Commissioner for the British Indian Ocean Territory, Foreign & Commonwealth Office, 21 March 2017 - Diversity and inclusion

Ben Merrick says hearing a colleague say they knew of no visually impaired person in the Senior Civil Service inspires him as a disability role model.

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