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Disability Awareness Month isn't just about recognizing the hardships that come with having a disability – it's also about recognizing the work of people with disabilities and highlighting how we can make physical spaces, policies and practices in the workplace more accessible.
I live with spinal muscular atrophy, but for over two decades I have never allowed it to impact my position at work and have seen firsthand what true inclusion can mean to an organization.
Related: How to revolutionize your organization through the power of inclusive leadership
Here are three meaningful ways companies can celebrate Disability Awareness Month and create lasting change:
1. Organisation of educational workshops and training courses
Team building trainings and workshops are the best way to celebrate Disability Awareness Month. Workshops can dispel myths and misconceptions about people with disabilities and educate employees on appropriate etiquette and awareness when dealing with people with disabilities. This includes appropriate and inappropriate behavior and language, accessibility considerations, and more. Workshops and trainings can serve as a foundation for creating a welcoming environment that promotes inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace.
- Invite guest speakers: Invite experts, advocates or a person with a disability to share their insights and experiences. Real-world stories can help employees better understand the struggles and successes faced by people with disabilities. These events are also an opportunity for employees with disabilities to be guest speakers, further fostering dialogue and building a sense of community and belonging.
- Awareness workshops: Conduct a workshop to train employees on how to interact with people with disabilities and how to use the correct terminology. The workshop should also create a safe environment for people to learn more about people with disabilities.
Employees develop a better understanding of the situation of disability, which can lead to more sensitive and supportive employment policies and better workplace accommodation practices and policies.
2. Increase accessibility and accommodation options
In honor of Disability Awareness Month, take a closer look at the current accessibility and accommodation practices in your organization. Ensuring that your work environment is universally accessible to everyone from a physical perspective will lay the foundation for creating an inclusive environment. Accommodation policies are designed to create an accessible environment where people with disabilities can access employment, public services and facilities as independently as possible.
Accessible workplaces are not just about meeting minimum legal requirements; they also ensure that all employees can perform to their full potential without unnecessary barriers.
- Accessibility audit: Have accessibility experts assess the physical and electronic workplace to identify areas where accessibility may be lacking, whether it's ramps and signs or websites and internal platforms that are more user-friendly for people with visual or hearing impairments.
- Update your accommodation policies: Review your policies regularly to ensure they are fully implemented across the workforce. Requests to update accommodation policies should not be met with friction – don't automatically deny an accommodation request and don't have an inflexible policy that doesn't allow exceptions. Implement a simple and straightforward process for employees to submit a request for accommodations through a dedicated portal with step-by-step instructions so they feel heard and supported. This will help curb potential aggression or harassment and create a more inclusive and supportive work environment. This can also lead to a great opportunity for empathy training for HR and upper management.
- Invest in assistive technologies: All employees should be equipped with tools and gadgets that increase their productivity, such as screen readers, speech recognition technologies and ergonomic office supplies.
Employers who make their workplaces accessible to all consider this to be a good inclusion policy. Such measures would benefit not only the aforementioned employees with disabilities but all employees, as diversity is an aspect of mutual respect among employees and leads to higher morale and productivity.
Related topics: How to integrate people with disabilities into your company: A disability advocate explains
3. Recognize and value the contribution of people with disabilities
Another effective strategy for observing Disability Awareness Month is to recognize employees with disabilities. Recognition and appreciation can be expressed in a variety of ways, such as honors, awards, and talent development.
Recognition illuminates and reinforces the self-esteem that comes with a disability.
- Spotlight stories: Feature stories of employees with disabilities in company newsletters, social media and internal communication channels. Share their stories, successes and contributions as they will leave the team feeling inspired and educated.
- Awards and Recognition: Incorporate awards specifically dedicated to recognizing the hard work and achievements of all employees, including employees with disabilities.
- Talent show: Organize an event where employees have a platform to showcase their talents and skills (for example, in the areas of art, music, writing or other artistic activities) and thus recognize the diversity of talent in the company.
Celebrating and recognizing the contributions of all employees boosts their morale and makes them feel part of the team. It's also an excellent opportunity to value all forms of diversity in the workplace.
Diploma
Disability Awareness Month provides the perfect opportunity for companies to increase inclusion and support for their employees with various disabilities. This can be achieved through things like educational workshops, improving accessibility in the office and recognizing the contributions of people with disabilities.
This would not only benefit employees with disabilities, but also improve the company culture by making them more robust and cohesive. Embracing all of these factors leads to a real life change where every employee feels valued and can do their best. Having experienced the challenges and successes of having a disability in the corporate world, I can attest to the enormous difference that true inclusion makes.
This month is not just about raising awareness, but also about taking concrete actions that improve the lives of employees with disabilities. Together, we can create workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
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