A former geography teacher from Liverpool has pivoted his role to become one of the UK’s leading qualified workplace needs assessors.
Hertfordshire born Barry Wheller, founder of Inclusion Compass based on Merseyside spent 25 years as a teacher, SENDCo and exams access arrangements assessor where he developed and refined strategies to support a wide range of students. This long experience in the classroom gave Barry a deep understanding of individual learning needs and how tailored support can make all the difference.
Barry said: “My experiences have naturally led me to this role. The experience I’ve gained along the way has been invaluable in shaping my approach to workplace assessments today. It’s taken me many years to develop and refine strategies to make my own work life easier. That journey has inspired me to ensure that everyone I work with has access to similar tools, ones that can genuinely reduce stress and anxiety in the workplace. I know firsthand how transformative proper support can be, and I’m passionate about ensuring that others don’t have to struggle as I did to find it.”
A significant part of Inclusion Compass’s work involves simply talking with people, listening to their stories, and learning about both their challenges and strengths.
Barry continued: “What I value is the openness and honesty people bring to these conversations. For many, it might be the first time they’ve truly spoken about the difficulties they face at work, or previously in education. To be able to complete a workplace needs assessment and then offer strategies that I know will genuinely make a difference to someone’s working life is incredibly rewarding.”
There are very few workplace needs assessors across the UK who are qualified in neurodiversity in the way that Barry and his team are. Barry, in particular, given his own training, enables him to develop tailored strategies for neurodivergent individuals.
“This regardless of whether they have a formal diagnosis or simply exhibit traits associated with neurodiversity. What makes my role unique is that I can support a wide range of people, including students completing GCSEs and A-levels through access arrangements and apprentices requiring reasonable adjustments. That’s both in the workplace and during their end-point assessments, and for employees across various sectors who may need support.”
Speaking about the opportunities that the industry offers for Inclusion Compass to grow further, Barry believes there is a significant backlog in accessing work applications and changes to the Access to Work system.
“This means that many people are unsure how Access to Work can assist them. With our workplace needs assessments, we can tailor strategies that can be used immediately. They can be simple in format and free for some people and if I can provide people with meaningful strategies to help them as soon as the meeting is finished, then that is incredibly rewarding for me.
“In addition, where a financial outlay is required in the case of a written report, the feedback has shown how much added value this brings to everyone we help.”Barry is also currently focused on driving Inclusion Compass to become the go-to company in Liverpool and the North West for workplace needs assessments.
“We’re aiming to build an even stronger reputation so that when individuals or organisations realise they need this kind of support, we’re the first name that comes to mind. I’m also focused on growing our client base within schools and expanding into trusts and academies. I want Inclusion Compass to be the first choice for exam access arrangements and dyslexia assessments across the wider region.”
