How are you celebrating Disability Pride?
"I am different, but not less." ― Dr. Temple Grandin
How Do We Celebrate Disability Pride
Happy Disability Pride Month, everyone! I love the quote above and how it pushes us to look at disability from a lense of strength, pride, and worthiness. Do you know why we celebrate Disability Pride Month every year during the month of July? We are celebrating the passage of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. Today in our country, one in four people are living with a disability. It is time for us to acknowledge and embrace the fact that disability impacts us all, either directly or indirectly through our family, friends, or colleagues.
What are some ways to recognize and celebrate Disability Pride Month at work? Here are my top three tips:
Focus on Accessibility.
How can we help everyone to have the tools they need in order to thrive? When was the last time you did an accessibility audit? Does your workplace provide physical accomodations like ramps, accessible bathrooms, parking spots? Do folks have access to braille, screen-readers, flexible work policies, alt-text, keyboard navigation and more? When we are talking accessibility, it also goes much further beyond these physical adjustments. We are working towards building a safer workplace where all of us feel valued and supported.
Inclusion. Inclusion. Inclusion.
What do your co-workers need in order to have equity of access? Is your recruitment process accessible for individuals with disabilties? The goal here is to make sure everyone, regardless of their ability status, has access to the same opportunities, experiences, and promotions, and can truly see themselves succeeding within our organization. We can do this by evaluating, identifying, and addressing the barriers that currently exist for people with disabilities in our workplace. Develop supportive and inclusive policies and hiring practices to ensure a diverse workforce.
Celebrate. Honor. Recognize.
Show your Pride! Start an Employee Resource Group for folks with disabilities. Have a speaker come in to deepen your team's understanding. Implement disability training and education for all employees. Host a Pride event. Go to an event! Share stories. Volunteer your time. Embrace and value unique abilities. Advocate for additional accessibility. Celebrate the achievements of your co-workers. Stand up against discrimination and stereotypes. Amplify voices. Be an ally.
Fostering work environments that value accessibility, inclusion, and disability pride ensures that each one of us has the opportunity to tap into our full potential and succeed. So, get out there and start recognizing and learning from the unique perspectives that our friends, colleagues, and neighbors with disabilties bring into our lives. Because we all deserve to live with dignity and to thrive.
Happy Disability Pride!
Do the work
This week, I commit to celebrating Disability Pride Month by taking a deeper look into my own biases when it comes to disability, while also acknowledging and celebrating the many contributions and unique perspectives of individuals living with disabilities.
Spread the word
If you want to keep going
Bias Interrupters for Interviews and Evaluations
Now that you have started your unconscious bias journey, it's time to enter the next phase - diving into the hiring and evaluation biases that arise throughout the recruitment, onboarding, and evaluation processes. Join me for a one-of-a-kind program where you will be challenged to reflect on how you recruit new employees, your checklists for interviewing, what considerations you should have before during and after each conversation, and how we can effectively and fairly advocate for whom we want to bring into our organizations.
