♿️ It's National Disability Employment Awareness Month! ♿️

October is chock full of observances, awareness efforts, and holiday hype. But one observance that I care greatly about is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and Spina Bifida Awareness Month - which both fall in the month of October.

Excitingly, we are starting to experience a shift in the workplace. And not just with HR teams. Entire organizations are making a conscious effort to be more thoughtful about their DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs. We're moving past a footnote on a job posting. There are committees, programs, and even meet-ups at global conferences to tackle the important work of DEI. It's all great work that we should continue to make room for in our 9-5 (and our lives in general).

I recently attended the 2021 INBOUND conference, hosted by Hubspot. I was thrilled to see Judith Heumann, an international disability rights advocate, at the event. One key takeaway from her session was that "disability is a normal part of life." At some point in our lives, whether temporarily or permanently, we will all face disability. So why are we tiptoeing around the topic?

"Disability is a normal part of life."

-Judith Heumann, INBOUND 2021

According to an article in Harvard Business Review, Accenture’s recent global survey on the topic of people with disabilities in the workforce found that 67% of nearly 1,750 business executive respondents said they believe their companies support employees with disabilities, including having the right technologies in place to do so and the right environment. On the flip side, despite this clear progress, the survey also found that only 20% of the 5,870 employees who had a disability agreed that their workplace culture is fully committed to helping them thrive and succeed. Meanwhile, 76% of employees with disabilities in the survey report not fully disclosing their disabilities at work (e.g., to HR, colleagues, supervisors/managers). And 80% of C-suite executives and their direct reports who have disabilities are also not disclosing them.

Only 20% of employees who have a disability agreed that their workplace culture is fully committed to helping them thrive and succeed.

-Accenture survey

Up until recently, disclosing my own disability in the workforce was not an option. People could see it from the minute I stepped into the interview. Thankfully, I've worked with some amazing people who saw my credentials, work ethic, and passion for all things marketing and communications. Sadly, though, this is not the case for many.

When I accepted my newest role, I did not need to disclose my disability because the entire interview process was done over Zoom. Isn't it interesting to see how the pandemic has changed the game for employees with disabilities? Working from home - an accessible home - is becoming the norm for many employees whose companies are transitioning to a 100% remote working environment.

Did you know that 1 out of every 4 people has a disability? (It's ok, neither did I.)

While this is a vulnerable post for me to share, it was a Forbes article that really encouraged me to talk about disability in the workplace so publicly on LinkedIn. Global Disability Inclusion in partnership with Mercer did their own survey and one of the recommendations as a result of their research really spoke to me. "We need leaders with disabilities to stand up, speak up, and share your stories. Whether you are a leader who uses a wheelchair or has epilepsy, MS, or dyslexia, we need your voice to help educate others that disability does not mean inability."

We need leaders with disabilities to stand up, speak up and share your stories. Whether you are a leader who uses a wheelchair or has epilepsy, MS, or dyslexia, we need your voice to help educate others that disability does not mean inability.

-Meg O'Connell, CEO Global Disability Inclusion

So, there you have it. If I stay silent on a topic that personally impacts me and that I am passionate about, I'm doing a disservice to myself, my team, and others with disabilities. Our differences are what make us great. We need to celebrate them and consider how our beautifully unique viewpoints can move teams, companies, and colleagues in a better, stronger direction. This is the kind of work that transforms teams and companies.

So here's my story...

I was born with Spina Bifida. I've been disabled my whole life. I have a degree in Professional Writing and my dream has always been to combine my love of writing with my passion for helping people. My complex healthcare experiences have given me the power to understand the true meaning of "patient experience," which is essential when it comes to healthcare and clinical research (which happens to be where I've spent the majority of my career).

Patient centricity is more than a buzzword. It's a real concept that needs to be at the heart of everything we do as an industry.

My personal experiences combined with my degree and marketing background have landed me several positions where I was able to make my dream come true. This is why it's so important to have DEI at the center of hiring decisions. It opens up doors for talented individuals that bring more than just their resume to the table. And that's a beautiful thing.

If you want to connect on this topic, please reach out! I would love to meet more leaders with disabilities (because there are many of us!).

Happy National Disability Employment Awareness Month! #NDEAM

Jackie