- by Deb Dagit
I appreciated the candor and forthrightness of Shayn
Anderson's article regarding making sure that people with
disabilities get the information they need to truly
understand what is expected of employees in the business
world. What I would also like to see is some additional
research and/or thoughtful opining about root causes. Here
is my 2 cents…
How is it that given the incidence of disability in the
population and our swelling numbers that we have made so
little progress with respect to employment? The number of
people with disabilities globally is staggering. There are
older workers who are experiencing various conditions that
result in disabilities, more younger workers who have been
mainstreamed into schools, and the incidence of disability
is higher amongst individuals who are members of ethnic
minorities for a variety of reasons. Our population grows,
and our situation stays the same. To Shayn's point,
straight-talk is part of the solution, and here are a few
more thoughts to ponder:
- Why aren't diversity departments including disability
outreach and accommodation in their education and outreach
efforts? We are reaching out to students who represent other
demographics in K-12 and college, but what about students
with disabilities? Do we fund fellowships? Scholarships?
Participate in mentoring or career days? Why aren't we
reaching out to this population and informing their
education choices?
- Where are parents in the equation? Are they part of the
solution or part of the problem? What are they telling their
children with disabilities about their future and how to
prepare for the business world? Are they pushing them to get
good grades and learn "soft skills" through extra-curricular
and classroom participation? Do they hold high aspirations
for their children and communicate this to them often?
- How do we select Vocational Counselors and Job
Developers? Is it based on their knowledge of the labor
market? Their ability to deliver the kinds of messages Shayn
references? Or, are we still selecting people based on their
knowledge of disability-related issues?
- What are teachers doing to influence this situation?
Are they letting students with disabilities slide, or making
sure they work extra hard as they will need to when they get
into the business world? Are students with disabilities
fully included in the classroom and expected to be active
participants in group projects and critical thinking
dialogue, or are they permitted to be individual
contributors and passive listeners?
As a person with a disability who has worked since I was
16 and fought for every job no matter what my resume said I
was capable of, I am well aware of the discrimination that
still exists for people with disabilities. That said, my
experience as a client back in the 70's of Vocational
Rehabilitation Services, as a Job Developer in the 80's, and
as a HR Executive since 1991, tells me that we have found
the enemy and they are us.
People with disabilities as well as their service
providers, families and teachers are not getting the
message. Like anyone else who wants to compete in today's
global job market this is what it takes to be included:
- If you are a student get good grades and study subjects
that have applicability in the job market. Once you are in
college, get internships in the summers.
- If you are disabled while on the job, get re-training
in a profession suited to your interest, aptitude and
abilities.
- If you care about someone with a disability, encourage
them in any way you can to prepare themselves to compete.
I regularly get letters and phone calls from people with
disabilities who want assistance in finding a job. Sadly
their resumes are often completely irrelevant with respect
to the types of jobs we have open. I recently asked a
coalition of service providers to help me find college
students with disabilities for our summer intern programs. I
was informed that they could find very few who had a 3.0 or
better and who were pursuing degrees in science,
engineering, math or accounting. The pump is primed, the
educational and market opportunities exist, the challenge is
getting our people prepared to compete. When you stop and
think about the solution, it is really no different than how
we have addressed issues for women and people of color in
corporations, we just need to raise awareness and expand the
tough love messages to people with disabilities.
Yes, there is a social justice issue when it comes to
hiring people with disabilities. I remember well the day the
ADA was signed on the South Lawn of the White House and the
pride we all felt with this major achievement. We need to
look at was has happened since 1991 when the door was opened
to opportunities. What is holding us back? For us to be
included we have to believe in our ability to compete, or we
cannot bring the unique perspective that Shayn talked about,
and like anyone else who wants to succeed in our society,
that will take hard work and perseverance, things that we
already have demonstrated due to the other challenges we
have conquered in our lives. Perhaps we, like many others in
our society, are plagued by some form of "internalized
oppression" and have consequently come to believe that we
are children of a lesser god as is so often portrayed in
popular culture and various religions. Why is it that our
employment advocacy organizations are still positioning
themselves as charitable organizations in spirit and deed
vs. social justice advocates for what is rightfully ours, a
place at the table? Why are so few people with disabilities
leading these organizations, it is all too often about us,
but without us at the helm.
In summary, I would not be where I am today if not for
relentless parents, pushy teachers, and opportunities to be
mentored by people in various professions who were family
friends and mentors in my first few jobs. It is lonely in
corporate America for people with disabilities, we are proud
to be here, but all too few and far between.
