Embracing Diversity - Celebrating Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, recognizing and celebrating the vital roles people with disabilities play in the nation’s workforce.A disability takes many forms, whether mental, physical, developmental, cognitive, or emotional. A person may become disabled at birth, or it may arise over the course of their lifetime. Beyond those limitations known at birth, some impairments are only revealed as a person ages, or are caused by accidents and/or other events. There are more than 50 million Americans with living with disabilities today.

“Disability: Part of the Equity Equation” is the theme as selected by the U.S. Department of Labor. “A strong workforce is the sum of many parts, and disability has always been a key part of the equation,” said Assistant Secretary for Disability Employment Policy Taryn M. Williams. “People with disabilities make up a wonderfully multifaceted group. By recognizing the full complexion of our community, we can ensure our efforts to achieve disability inclusion are, in fact, truly inclusive.”

Disability Diversity

Part of the diversity present in today's workforce are our disabled workers. There are all types of disabilities covered by the word "disability." Just as with race, gender, and culture, a disability may mean that someone does or processes things a little differently than you. For example, a person with a hearing disability might need special accommodations related to communication tools in the workplace, or a person with a physical disability may require an entrance into the place of work with an automatic opener, while an employee with a wheelchair may need their desk access and height adjusted to fit their device. Understanding and valuing the need for an accommodation will go a long way toward promoting a harmonious, productive workplace environment for all employees.

Your Past Experiences with Disabilities

Consciously and unconsciously, our experiences with people who have disabilities shape the way we perceive and engage with people in the workplace. For example, you might believe that those with mental illnesses are unreliable or unstable workers if you knew that person does not regularly take medication as prescribed. However, you may not know that the medication has severe side effects for them that make them unable to perform. It's important to take a minute to explore your personal biases about people with disabilities. Uncovering your own biases and stereotypes, and replacing them with facts, is the best way to build a better working relationship with disabled co-workers.

Common Stereotypes

Stereotypes are common to the disabled. We make incomplete assumptions when we base our perceptions on the disability instead of the capability of a disabled person. For example, people stereotype individuals with cerebral palsy as unable to walk and having impaired speech function. They are stereotypes that people believe, based on misconceptions, past experiences, and the absence of facts. To the contrary, an individual with cerebral palsy may have a narrow gait or shortened stride,buttheystillwalkundertheirownpower;likewise, their manner of talking may be heard differently, but this does not mean their thoughts are impaired if you show the courtesy of your time to listen to what they are saying.

The same holds true of those with mental illnesses. Our society perpetuates common stereotypes that people suffering from mental illness are dangerous, unstable, and face periods of hospitalization. The portrayals some moviesinHollywoodgiveusofthosewithmentalillness foster a bias against mental health. Clinical depression is a form of a mental illness, and anxiety issues can be considered a form of mental illness. Anxiety and depression can be debilitating for some people, but stereotyping someone because they suffer from these disabilities removes the individual’s inherent abilitiy from the equation, labeling them as being less than you or others like you who do not suffer (or recognize their own) disability.

We should presume that when we see someone with a disabilitythattheyarejustascompetentasyouareinthe job they've been assigned. Assuming that they are not capable or that you need to step in and help diminishes their self-respect. Pity is not the same as compassion. Pity stems from stereotypes and biases. Compassion stems from an awareness of the differences in others and a willingness to work as a team to accomplish goals and meet deadlines.

Using the Correct Terminology

Words can be as powerful as any weapon. Just one word can degrade someone, insult them, or even imply that you are discriminating against them. It used to be acceptable to refer to a person with a disability by naming their disability. If a woman were blind, one might say, "the blind woman." However, labeling someone by a disability takes away from their abilities and individuality. No-one wants to be labeled by their flaws, people with disabilities do not want their disability to be their identity either. In the early 20th century, the word "handicapped" was popular to describe people with disabilities, regardless of the type of disability they had. People with disabilities do not like this term applied to them. It suggests they have something that holds them back from doing things people without disabilities can do. It sets up a “less than” comparison between the disabled and able-bodied person. It's always best to use first person when referring to, or talking to, anyone.Address the person for who they are, not what you perceive about them. Refer to the person, not their disability, just as you shouldn't refer to the race, economic circumstance, or religion. Whenever possible, refer to a disabled person by their name. If you don'tknowtheirname,use adistinguishing feature, suchasthecoloroftheirshirt,theirlocation(thewoman next to the copier), etc.

Disability Etiquette

Your disabled co-workers and employees are not any different than you, in that they are there to earn a living, advancetheircareer,andbettertheorganizationthrough their contributions. You don't have to "baby" someone with a disability, and you don't have to watch what you say out of fear of offending them. Here is an example:

A colleague has a form of mental illness. One day, you remark to another co- worker that your son is "driving you crazy." Suddenly, you realize the person with a mental illness has heard you, and you quickly apologize.

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Relax! There's no need to worry. If you're worried that you offended someone, ask. Sometimes you won't have to ask. The person will politely tell you they find your words offensive. However, you don't have to tip-toe around people with disabilities. They can use the same slang and jargon that everyone else does.

You'll find that you'll be more relaxed if you just see the person – the individual – instead of seeing them as their disability. Maybe they have a great sense of humor. Perhaps they're a sharp dresser. Maybe they're a hard worker. See them for the things they are. They are not defined by their impairment any more than you are defined by the color of your hair. If you are afraid of them, or uncomfortable around them, because of their disability, then do some research to learn more.

Listed below are some tips for interacting with individuals with disabilities.

• Treat people with disabilities as you would anyone else. Offer your hand as you would any other coworker.

• If someone is deaf, maintain eye contact with them, not an interpreter, when you are communicating.

They are the person you are talking to, not the interpreter.

• If you think someone needs assistance, you can offer it. The person may accept it or not. Either way is okay. Don’t give your assistance without their permission. That is assuming they can’t do something on their own. Let them make that call.

• Sometimespeoplemayhaveimpairmentsthataffect the way they speak. If you are having problems understanding what someone says, ask them to repeat what they said. Be honest. Be polite.

• Ifsomeoneisinawheelchair,youwanttomakesure youconversewiththemateyelevel.Thismaymean pulling up a chair. Don’t bend over, kneel, or lean to talk to them. Also, don’t lean on the wheelchair as support. If you can’t sit down, it’s okay to stand.

Just look them in the eye.

• If someone has a visual disability, identify yourself and anyone else who is with you. If talking to someone else other than the blind person in a group, make it clear who you are speaking to by addressing them by name. • Never pat people in wheelchairs on the head or on the shoulders. That is how you would treat kids or pets.Always treat adults as adults.

• To get the attention of a person who has a hearing disability, tap them on the shoulders. Speak slowly and clearly so the person can read your lips. Don’t block the view of your mouth. Speak in normal tones. Don’t shout.

US Dept of Labor. (2022, June 22). US Department of Labor to Recognize Importance of Disability, Equity in Workforce During National Disability Employment Awareness Month 2022 (Press release). https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/initiatives/ndeam

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