As a woman, I have had a lot of exposure to the women's career movement. I love reading new articles about the latest influential celebrity or CEO who has spoken in support of some beneficial initiative such as increasing flexibility for working mothers or establishing comprehensive maternity and paternity leave. However, as a person with a disability, I cannot completely relate to the women's career movement, as the challenges I have faced in the workplace have largely centered on the disability facet of my identity. Unfortunately, while discussion for women's workplace rights is rampant, disability employment is still extremely and unjustifiably taboo. This needs to change.
A Tale of Two Demographics
The women's career movement, fostered by a number of high-profile initiatives such as the creation of Lean In, the establishment of women's career websites such as Levo League, the Muse, and Glassbreakers, and even the declaration of feminism by celebrities, has caused quite a stir in the United States. I won't neglect the fact that many of these things are extremely controversial: for example, Lean In is often criticized as being out-of-touch with women who aren't of the extremely privileged socioeconomic status of Sheryl Sandberg, the gender wage gap is challenged by competing statistics, and there is an ongoing debate about the definition and function of feminism in society. However, even controversy fosters discussion and critical thinking, bringing in new perspectives and even fostering new initiatives to address the challenges women face in the workplace.
In contrast, the movement for disability employment equality is seemingly nonexistent, with potentially strong voices again being silenced by the fear that employers will discriminate. There is no career advice website for people with disabilities. Celebrities and influential people don't proudly discuss how they have adapted their careers around their special needs. We have no Lean In-like movement to encourage people with disabilities to take hold of their careers and fight for empowerment.
Of course, there are a number of logical reasons why this is the case. The first one is that people with disabilities are marginalized, so they are underrepresented in the ranks of the influential people who can capture public and media attention. Another reason could be that even lowering the unemployment rate for people with disabilities and addressing basic issues such as homelessness and lack of healthcare access are so effort-consuming that these arguably more frivolous goals of career empowerment receive less attention.
My belief is that attitudes toward disabilities by employers and employees alike also reinforce a taboo: health issues and disability are still considered private and personal, not information that should be discussed in the workplace (even though women's issues such as maternity leave and family flexibility are now frequently discussed within the context of the workplace).
What Needs to Change?
Disability represents the world's largest minority, yet in the United States, disability seems to be one of the least discussed workplace issues. People with disabilities need and deserve a movement revolving around the workplace at all levels, from entry-level, basic employment, to the highest reaches of leadership. For that to happen, we need greater representation in the following four elements:
Conscientious employers: We need employers who are educated on how to properly recruit, retain, promote, and interact with workers with disabilities. While it often feels like employers only begrudgingly hire workers with disabilities to fill demographic quotas, there are some notable companies that are helping to lead the way to a more inclusive workplace. Walgreens is a leader in workplace diversity especially for workers with disabilities, as it designed its training and processes to work inclusively. The company wants over 20 percent of its workforce to be filled by workers with disabilities. Professional service and auditing firm Ernst & Young has been rated DiversityInc's Top Company in 2015 for People with Disabilities. Its website caters heavily to inclusiveness, boasting a number of disability workforce-related awards, detailing the company's active participation in a number of programs related to disability, and offering significant perks such as EY AccessAbilities, a network dedicated to promoting an inclusive workplace and discussing "abilities-related issues."
Though these are just two examples, there are a number of companies recognizing the importance and benefit of diversity and actively engaging the disabled workforce. And while they are a great start, other companies need to follow in their footsteps to promote an inclusive workforce.
Vocal leaders: Just like the women's career movement has a number of women's powerhouses, from executives such as Sallie Krawcheck and Sheryl Sandberg to various celebrities promoting awareness of feminism, the disability movement needs higher-level engagement from voices that can capture the non-disabled public's attention. While it might be more difficult to find disabled CEOs, politicians, celebrities, board members, and other leaders, they certainly do exist. By speaking up about the challenges they have faced on the road to success, obstacles ranging from prejudice to obtaining required accommodations, they can help foster a more public discussion about disability in the workplace. Discussion helps to break down the taboo, makes it easier for others with similar experience to speak up, and engages the non-disabled world in learning and understanding the challenges and triumphs of workers with disabilities.
Mentors on every level: Not only are higher levels of leadership needed, but mentorship on every level is needed to build dialogue and support. By becoming more open about disability, even if the discussion is just with a coworker with a disability, this dialogue can help forge relationships and a support network that can help individual workers overcome their individual challenges.
A vocal base: Of course, the greatest tool in the fight for greater workplace inclusiveness is increased visibility and participation of all persons with disabilities. Unfortunately, there is often an understandable decision to downplay the role of disability in our lives, as we are afraid of receiving negative treatment. This lack of a voice leads to a cycle of suppression, in which employers and the public do not recognize and learn to understand disability. By ignoring the issues and refusing to speak up, we only perpetuate the idea that disability is not okay and that it is something to be hidden.
However, by speaking up, we can work to start a new cycle, one in which a vocal community of people with disabilities make themselves known, creating a network of support from both disabled and non-disabled peers, encouraging awareness among higher-level leaders, and forcing companies to create more inclusive workplaces.
The change won't be easy. There will still be discrimination and prejudice. But if we don't do this, we are forced to accept the status quo, a workforce where disabled workers often face scorn instead of support, where we are forced to hide our needs instead of accommodating them. An inclusive workforce is better for everybody. Employer and employee alike, we all need to strive for it.