Getting Started with Disability Inclusion!

By Ryan Letts

In our journey to strive toward inclusion and equity for all, we find that disabled folks are often missing from the conversation. Accessibility is an essential piece of the DEI puzzle, one in which organizations often miss the mark. There is a popular disability justice framework “Nothing about us without us” (a phrase that disability activist James Charlton credits to South African disability activists Michael Masutha and William Rowland) that we can apply to center the needs of all historically and systematically-excluded groups. But because of its origin in disability justice, we can use it to center disabled voices.

Disability is complicated: What is the most inclusive language when speaking about the disabled community, how do we provide accommodations, etc.? The disability community is incredibly broad and expansive; it encompasses the largest minority group in the world, coming in at about ~1 billion people. As organizations continue on their journey to make their workplaces more accessible and human-centric, what steps can you take to make sure your disabled employees have the support they need?

Here are a few protips to upgrade your approach to disability inclusion: 

UPGRADE #1: INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE WITH THE DISABILITY COMMUNITY

One question we often hear is: What is the most inclusive language? Specifically, when do we use identity-first vs. person-first language (i.e. disabled person vs person with a disability)? 

Unfortunately, there is no “one size fits all” answer because disabled folks are not a monolith. Many disability activists are moving more towards using “identity-first language,” i.e. saying “autistic person,” instead of person-first language (person with autism). However, there is no blanket best practice approach to share. At ReadySet, we typically recommend that organizations center the needs of the individual disabled person and go by their preference. If a disabled person is gracious enough to disclose a disability to you (keep in mind confidentiality), you can ask them, “How do you prefer to be identified? Are you okay with autistic, or do you prefer person with autism?” 

From my experience working in the Deaf community (although I am not Deaf), identifying as Deaf/hard-of-hearing is almost always an identity-first label. Saying “a person with deafness” doesn’t encompass or properly frame the experience of Deaf folks. Contrastingly, as someone who has generalized anxiety, I don’t know of anyone that would be comfortable being labeled as an “anxious person” (and the same applies to many individuals with mental health diagnoses). Moral of the story: Use your best judgment, and when in doubt, ask the person. 

UPGRADE #2: REFRAMING OUR PERSPECTIVE ON ACCOMMODATIONS  

While there are legal requirements in the workplace around engaging in the interactive accommodations process (please see the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990), the conversations around what these accommodations look like in practice can still be complicated. We could have an entire website dedicated to just this topic. However, for the purposes of this article, we will start with a potential reframe.

When talking about accommodations, the focus is often on money and the financial burden of a specific accommodation. A common refrain I heard working with an interpreting agency for American Sign Language was “How much does that cost? REALLY?? We can’t afford to pay for that…” While the Americans with Disabilities Act does dictate that it’s the employer’s obligation to pay for accommodations, it’s important to note that most accommodations cost nothing (except imagination, time, education, and centering the needs of the disabled person) and a vast majority cost less than $500. Here is a great resource that puts this into practice from Ultranauts, an organization with a large population of autistic employees.

Society has already achieved shifting the stigma attached to accommodations in certain areas, specifically the ubiquitousness of prescription eyeglasses and curb cuts in sidewalks. Eyeglasses are (mostly) the norm, and sidewalk curb cuts were initially constructed to benefit veterans after World War II, but ended up benefitting a number of other folks, including parents with strollers, all wheelchair users, the elderly, etc. 

Far too often, organizations lead with the question "This feels risky and might be too expensive" when contemplating hiring disabled folks. Our reframe is this: consider instead “What valuable perspectives and voices are we missing? What is at risk if we don’t have disabled people’s perspectives?” One place to start is in people processes, like in hiring, creating equity for all by providing transparency around accommodations in the workplace from the beginning.

UPGRADE #3: SHIFTING FROM THE MEDICAL MODEL TO THE SOCIAL MODEL OF DISABILITY

Our last upgrade involves another mindset shift: Moving from the medical model to the social model of disability. The medical model pathologizes disabled people and dictates that in order for disabled people to achieve equality and access, their specific disability needs to be cured or treated. This mentality can breed stigma and exclusion, insinuating that the very nature of who the disabled person is needs to be fixed. Most of us are familiar with this model in how it manifests in media, through examples of “inspiration porn” (a term coined by disability activist Stella Young). This can be something as seemingly innocuous as a Deaf child having their cochlear implant turned on (you can learn more about the cochlear implant debate here). 

We encourage people to leave the medical model behind and move to the social model of disability, which focuses on shifting society’s attitudes about disability and reducing barriers to access. This model invites us to construct a society that is proactively universally accessible to all. 

I do find it necessary to add that there are many disabled people that would love alleviation from their pain or disability. We still recommend adopting the social model of disability by providing accommodations to all disabled folks. This includes (but isn’t limited to) access to robust and affordable healthcare, flexible working hours, ample sick time, and support from managers/staff.

A great place to start to ensure universal access and accommodations is asking your employees “Do you have all of the tools and accommodations that you need to succeed here? Are there any physical or technological barriers?” and then working with them to ensure they are supported.

If you are yearning for a place to discuss these topics more in-depth or learn how to bring these into the workplace more practically, please check out our Disability Inclusion at Work workshop.