Everything you know about disability inclusion is WRONG

Everything you Know about Disability Inclusion is WRONG

Summary of Event

Everything You Know about Disability Inclusion is WRONG! In this hour long presentation, Disability:IN Central Texas brings together a panel of leading disability inclusion experts who will share their hot takes on what companies, leaders, HR, and even your well-meaning coworkers get wrong about disability hiring and inclusion. We debunk myths, share our real world stories, and get real about disability etiquette.

Everything you know about disability inclusion is WRONG…well maybe not everything, but we all have something we can learn!

Key Points from the Webinar

A big thanks to Kate, Dylan, and Chris for their insights into this topic. Feel free to connect with any of these panelists regarding questions you have about disability inclusion. This panel was moderated by Myles Wallace.

If you want to hire people with disabilities, Peak Performers is happy to help. If your business is looking for a peer group to support you as you work towards disability inclusion, consider becoming a member of Disability:IN at the local or national level.

We encourage you to watch the whole video. Below is the executive summary of key questions and answers from the panelists.

 

What steps are companies taking to be more inclusive, where are they at, and what do they still need to do?

Dylan

The pandemic has made many companies more aware of the health needs of their employees and made them more likely to grant accommodations.

Companies still have an opportunity to invest more in disability hiring and retention similar to how they do with other DE&I programs and to reinforce learning so that disability inclusion is something that stays top of mind even as the pandemic fades away.

Chris

COVID has forced many companies to invest and take seriously work from home as an accommodations. Digital collaboration tools have made it easier for the disabled community to find jobs and participate in the workforce. This has been a boon for many workers. 

Companies still have an opportunity to be more welcoming to employees and explicitly state that accommodations are available to employer upon request.

Kate

Companies need to be aware as they bring companies back into the workplace that many people have developed disabilities during the pandemic. Companies have an opportunity to step-up and be more welcoming to all people with disabilities.

During the talent acquisition phase, companies can be doing more to build a welcoming space where all feel invited to apply. We should also be moving towards a point where accommodations are not a big deal and a quick conversation.

How have well-meaning coworkers and bosses accidentally insulted or been non-inclusive. What could they have done differently in those situations?

Kate

Sometimes coworkers feel like they need to walk on eggshells around me and don’t know how to include me. So instead they just didn’t include me.

If you’re on the fence about how to include somebody in your workspace, just ask. Use an open-ended question and allow the person with a disability to specify what they’re comfortable with.

Chris

It’s important to hold your workers with disabilities to the same standards as people without. We don’t need to be babied, and we take great pride in our work.

Also, don’t come down hard on employees, disabled or not. Instead have constructive coaching conversations with the goal of providing feedback and helping people improve.

Moderator

If you’re working around people with disabilities, you’re probably going to say or do the wrong thing. Listen for feedback, own your mistakes, and seek to do better next time.

Dylan

Don’t rush to assumptions. We need to work towards intentional inclusion and express an earnest curiosity about people with disabilities. You have a lot to learn from their lived experience

Also, as a person with a disability, don’t be afraid to speak up and express what you need to be successful.

What does disability etiquette mean to you?

Chris

Treat people with disabilities like anyone else. Treat them with respect. Just try to be a good human.

Also, ask questions, be curious, but don’t be condescending.

Kate

Be intentionally inclusive. Be accommodating, accepting, and acknowledge the people with disabilities around you. This doesn’t need to be complicated.

Dylan

It sometimes take a moment of confrontation for us to do better. Don’t shut down when you are confronted. It’s a work in progress for all of us.

Furthermore, many of us have different experiences within our own disability culture. Don’t make assumptions about that person’s experience or preference. You’ll have to engage with each person with a disability in a unique way.

What is the difference between bias and discrimination?

Dylan

Bias is how we interpret situations without conscious thought. Discrimination is more of an action and intentionally preventing someone access to something.

Kate

Bias often comes down to a perception. When you act on that perception and intentionally withhold resources that we get into discrimination. Also, when you intentionally create barriers towards someone because of your perception of them, that’s when we get into the area of discrimination.

Chris

I think it’s important to point out where biases come from: stereotypes. Stereotypes fuel our biases and then our biases become beliefs and this ultimately leads us to taking actions against people and discriminating. 

We also have to quit using labels. Labels belong on soup cans not on me. Furthermore, we have to stop putting labels on other people as a way to empower ourselves by putting others down.

What interesting conversations have you had with a professional with a disability on your podcast?

Chris

I talked with someone from Red Cross and how he’s seen Employee Resources Groups (ERGs) positively impact his organization. The Red Cross wanted to be more inclusive towards people with disabilities but failed to include that in any of their messaging. We can all do a better job at broadcasting individually and as organizations that we’re disability-inclusive.

What training were you exposed to within organizational development and what would you have liked to see around disability inclusion in these trainings?

Kate

A lot of people accidentally fall into Human Resources. This leads to many issues in the workplace with people lacking formalized training. We need to spend more focus and training on people who “fall into” human resource roles.

At the local, state, and federal level and what would you hope to change regarding disability inclusion?

Dylan

At the federal level, I would work to permanently remove the sub-minimum wage.

On the state level, we’re missing access to community-base options. We have people with disabilities waiting too long to get access to services.

At a local level, it’s important to ensure that people with disabilities have a seat at the table and representation in local government.

Are you ready to be more disability inclusive?

Here are two quick ideas:

  1. Join Disability:IN Central Texas as a member.
  2. Work with Peak Performers to hire more people with disabilities.

Labels for people with disabilities

Labels matter

Respecting what people call themselves

It can sometimes be confusing when a group of people start calling themselves something different and ask you to do the same. Language changes and so too does cultural norms and the labels applied to people. Over time, we have seen people with disabilities (as well as other minorities) change what they prefer to be called.

  • Once we used the word “handicapped.” Now many prefer to use the words “person with a disability” so as to put the person before their disability.
  • Once we referred to people as having “shell shock.” This has moved towards “post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD),” perhaps to be more inclusive people who share the condition who are not survivors of war.
  • Once we referred to people as “retarded.” Now, most will prefer the words “intellectual disabilities,” perhaps due to how many have used “retarded” in a casual derogatory sense.

These changes can be confusing

As an outsider, this can seem overwhelming and confusing. You will probably say the wrong thing and you might even be corrected. I certainly have!

This experience of being corrected can be embarrassing, especially if it happens publicly. But it’s important to realize why you’re being corrected–and why this is more important than your pride.

Often, labels are applied to a group of outsiders and people in the minority, including those with disabilities. Often, these people did not choose what to be called–the labels might be chosen by medical professionals, government, cultural influencers, or society at large. Historically, some labels might have been used to denigrate people or remind them of their “lesser than” status in society.

And so people choose to change these labels.

Giving people the power to identify themselves shifts the power from us to them. This shift is important: this empowers them to transform a label into an identity.

Labels will keep changing

Recently, we’ve been seeing a growing popularity around the word “neurodiversity.” This term aims to be more inclusive of people whether they have autism, ADHD, or obsessive compulsive disorder. Some people prefer to use the term “neurodiversity” while others prefer to be specific about the condition they experience.

And these labels will keep changing. For example:

Currently, it is culturally acceptable to casually use the word “crazy” in order to describe any number of wild and unpredictable things. We call ourselves “crazy;” we call each other “crazy;” everything is just “crazy.” People who experience psychological disorders would be right to take offense to this. So it’s important to be receptive when the time comes to retire this word. And we need to be especially mindful of applying this label in a way that’s hurtful towards people who are different.

Bottom line: be respectful, be empathetic, and seek to call people what they want to be called.

Asking People About their Disability

Curiosity is Not the Problem

Asking People About Their Disabilities

Have you ever wondered:

– How a wheelchair user drives a car?
– What it’s like to experience a panic attack?
– How a diabetic knows how to regulate their blood sugar?

It’s natural to have questions. Having a disability means that you adapt to the world and this makes your experiences different and interesting! Any one of these questions are not inherently problematic, and many people with disabilities will gladly tell you about their lived experience. However, what can be problematic is the WAY we ask these questions.

Advice for Asking Better Questions

1 – Consider the Intention of your Questions

If you’re asking a question with the intention of confirming your biases or to validate your judgement of a person, your question is not going to be received well. On the other side of the coin, while we may want to help, they might not need your help–don’t ask questions with the intention of “rescuing” them.

2 – Set Your Tone Carefully

Asking someone “what’s wrong with you?” is not a great tone to set. Be polite.

3 – Consider Your Timing

Would you walk up to a stranger and immediately ask them personal questions? Or would you ask a co-worker personal questions in a public space or in front of others? Carefully consider when you ask someone these kinds of questions and in what environment.

4 – Ask Permission

Disability can be a guarded topic that we may not want to talk about, or a person with a disability may get asked about their condition so often they’re sick of talking about it! It’s important to realize that someone may not want to talk about their disability with you–so give them space to opt out. To start a conversation, I recommend starting with “Do you mind if I ask you about XXXX?”

Let’s Talk About It

If you have questions, we’re happy to talk about it! Also, did you know we recruit people with disabilities?