Tell Your Own Story

Don’t Let Anyone Else Tell Your Story

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and I am reminded of a powerful message I heard years ago about disabilities. A leader I worked for shared a story at a company-wide meeting about her daughter who had a disability, and how the doctors kept stressing the limitations she would face because of it. Her way of looking at this advice has stuck with me. She said, “Don’t let anyone else tell your story.”

I want to tell you my story about living with a physical disability and how it has shaped my perspective on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.  

My journey began when I was born with a mild form of Cerebral Palsy (CP), which affects my body with muscle tightness and slower movement. As a result, I have always had difficulty walking, I use an electric scooter (wheelchair), and walk with a walker.  

I knew at a young age I wanted to go to college, work, and have a career. Because many people didn’t think my goals were attainable due to my disability, my biggest question growing up was: “Would anyone want to hire me?” The Americans with Disabilities Act wasn’t passed into law until after I graduated from college, so there was even more employment discrimination than there is today. 

Fortunately, due to my own tenacity and the support of many allies, I found my way and became a Human Resources professional and worked in high tech and nonprofit environments. Now I’m living my passion working as a disability ally and advocate, providing training and consulting solutions to companies who are committed to hiring and retaining employees with disabilities. I have the opportunity to positively impact the lives of others with disabilities and transform the conversation about disability in the workplace.

The Challenges of Living With a Disability 

Living with a disability has shaped my perspective on issues of diversity and inclusion. Often, having a disability in the workplace can be isolating and frustrating. There are three overarching reasons for this: stereotypes about people with disabilities, architectural barriers, and time management.  

Stereotypes. 

Many people believe that people with disabilities should be pitied, or that we aren’t as capable and therefore less is expected of us. Most of these beliefs are unconscious biases, which can turn into fear of perceived difference. People are unaware that some things they say and do are offensive and hurtful. When these stereotypes show up, my focus is to change mindsets, even though it can be challenging to find common ground. 

Architectural barriers. 

Architectural barriers and poor design impact me daily. This is especially true of places like restrooms – even when designs meet minimum required building codes. For example, paper towel dispensers are often placed too high on the wall, hand-drying machines can be too far from the sink, and trash cans may have step lids. The result is that legally compliant designs aren’t necessarily accessible. I’m lucky that I can navigate and adapt when designs fail, but not everyone with a disability is physically able to adapt. 

Time management. 

Workplaces are very demanding and move quickly. I have had to learn how to build in and manage my time more efficiently because the simplest things take me longer to do – ten minutes to put on a pair of shoes, five minutes to lock down my scooter in my van before I drive away. When someone schedules an early morning work meeting, imagine how early I need to get up to make sure I arrive on time. 

The Positives of Living With a Disability

Living with a disability is not all bad. Without a doubt, it is my greatest asset and teacher, providing me with a unique lens with which to look at life. I consider myself very privileged. I’m healthy, have a loving and supportive family, great friends, and a great career. 

While I’m still a work in progress, having a disability has taught me to have patience and empathy for myself and others, and to solve problems in innovative ways. I strive to respect and include diversity of thought, experience, and ability at work. I understand the importance of being an ally and advocate for others. 

And I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that I enjoy a few perks outside of work, such as rock star parking when it’s available, and not having to wait in line at amusement parks and music venues. So consider inviting me to come along with you on your next outing – ha!

Takeaways

There are a few things I want to leave you with.  

1. The Americans with Disabilities Act became law 28 years ago, and there is still a lot of work to be done to integrate people with disabilities into the workforce. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is twice that of people without. Unconscious bias, fear, and architectural barriers all play a role in this discrepancy. When accommodations are needed, most cost less than $500, and the majority cost nothing.  
2. Disability runs across all cultures, age groups, and gender. It’s the one club that anyone can join any time. If you live a long life, you are likely to develop a disability.  
3. Learn disability etiquette to prevent unintentionally offending people with your words and actions. 
4. If you are in charge of designing spaces for others, get input on your designs from people with disabilities and an architect who specializes in universal design.  
5. Be an ally at work and in life. Speak up when you see or hear something that doesn’t sound right. Become interested in what people can do, not what they can’t – and find ways to make that possible.  

Finally, people with disabilities want to be treated like everyone else. We don’t want to be pitied or have lower expectations placed on our work, and we don’t want others to decide what we can and can’t do. What we really want is equal access to participate in all that life has to offer, to have careers that allow us to share our unique contributions in the workplace, and to be accepted exactly as we are.  

We want to tell our own story.