There is far more to this anniversary than simply a feel-good acceptance of people’s uniqueness or what they have overcome… only direct action will create positive change.

July is Disability Pride Month

From supporting caregivers to reviewing business practices, there are quite a few things that your our business community can do to keep the spirit of Disability pride month alive all year long. 

By  Carrie Collins — Originally published in the Phoenix Business Journal in July of 2023

July is Disability Pride Month, when people living with a disability are celebrated as an integral part of the community and workforce.  The importance of this month cannot be understated. We must support these individuals in reclaiming public visibility while also taking personal accountability with direct action.

A great place to start is by reviewing our business practices. Do an honest assessment to determine how much action you are taking to support your workers with disabilities. This includes anything from recruiting candidates with disabilities to managing and promoting team members. When you view your workforce through the lens of rejecting ableism, empowering all your workers is the natural consequence.

July was chosen as Disability Pride Month because it commemorates the anniversary of President George H. W. Bush’s July 26, 1990, signing of the historic Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This landmark Civil Rights legislation was passed after years of work by disability advocates. This law prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including the workforce, schools, transportation, and virtually all public spaces like parks and plazas.

Disability Pride Month has been celebrated for over 30 years, yet it doesn’t hold the same place on people’s calendars as other memorializing holidays like President’s Day or Memorial Day. But it should. There is far more to this anniversary than simply a feel-good acceptance of people’s uniqueness or what they have overcome. This movement requires much more than a meme or corporate logo from businesses; only direct action will create positive change.

Fortunately, the actions that can be taken are fairly easy and, as an added bonus, tend to benefit the employers who take those actions. Hiring employees with disabilities has statistically proven success rates, whether in product and service development or higher employee retention rates.  A talent pool that includes those with diversity in life experience and ability often leads to process innovations that propel companies to grow and add more value quickly. 

Additionally, wider representation in the workforce is key to any business gaining a clearer understanding of how diverse its customer base truly is, no matter what industry. People with disabilities use cleaning products, stream videos, cook, and use technology. It makes no sense to disregard their valuable input as consumers and even less sense to ignore what insights they can offer as employees.

Disability Pride Month gives the general population an opportunity to gain a more full and nuanced understanding of what living as a person with a disability means.

But there are several actions leaders, specifically, can take right now to create a more effective, inclusive and happier workplace:

• Comply without complaint. Though they may seem tedious or onerous when viewed from an ableist perspective, ADA laws are rooted in facts and the experiences of people with disabilities. If you don’t have Human Resource professionals on staff who are utilizing Society of Human Resources Management (SHRM) tools, get to know your local ADA Center. They provide technical assistance to help you comply with the ADA in employee and event requests.
  • That said, the ADA Center can also help protect your organization from spurious or unwanted lawsuits. An example of this side of the coin is when my organization recently benefited from this phenomenal organization’s resources. A conference attendee asked me for thirty breakout sessions of a conference to be recorded as an accommodation, which simply was beyond our logistical and financial capability. The Pacific ADA Center was able to quickly provide me with backup documentation on why that was outside the realm of a reasonable ADA request.
• Check in with your customers who are caregivers or actively engaged in the disability community. This will help you to understand how they are using your products and solicit ideas for innovations that remove barriers – and potentially add a new customer base to your business as well.
• Critically analyze all aspects of your recruitment and hiring processes to ensure they are welcoming to those with a disability. This will allow you to hire and retain better talent. Unemployment among people with disabilities is twice as high as those without.
• Don’t forget the caregivers! Unpaid family and friend caregivers are the invisible buttresses that hold up the commercial healthcare system. Employees who are juggling temporary or permanent caregiving duties for a loved one or friend with a disability may need time off or accommodation to tend to their physical or medical needs for regular or crisis care. Make sure that you openly communicate what is and is not possible in your business.
• Help caregivers to identify themselves. In the veterans’ community, “battle buddies,” friends who served in the military together, can check in on or spend time with a veteran. Although this is informal, these veterans are an integral part of the caregiving team, although they may not be self-identified as caregivers. Similarly, many of your employees may be caregivers but don’t embrace the label or understand that they are.
• Embrace different styles of learning for employees and actively solicit feedback. Create and hold teams accountable for processes that ensure equal participation. For example, distribute meeting materials to participants one week in advance. This ensures those with vision or cognitive processing challenges who rely on adaptive devices for reading can fully review all materials and participate equally.  Once you start implementing “accommodation” practices, you’ll see they are beneficial structural practices for everyone, regardless of ability.
• Understand disability culture. This includes expanding your awareness beyond people with obvious physical disabilities. Learn how living with a disability encompasses mental illness, non-visible or cognitive injuries like TBI and PTSD, neurodiversity, and physical disabilities. Avoid cringe-inducing words, like “suffer,” when describing someone living with disabilities that are more subtle, such as low vision or sensory issues.
• Recognize what “Inspiration Porn” is and avoid it at all costs. Inspiration porn is the portrayal of people with disabilities as being inspirational to able-bodied people based on their life circumstances. Stella Young gifted the world with an amazing Ted Talk on the topic that is well worth your time.

This may seem like a lot, but being actively engaged with the disability community is not actually all that difficult. When in doubt, ask questions and check in with employees.  Make it a standard practice to speak with employees returning to work after an accident, illness, or injury.  If you make new accommodations for them, such as a flex schedule or work from home, ensure those additions are enshrined in policy and equally available to all to avoid future headaches.

And finally, sometimes words matter as much as actions. Invest some time in understanding “person-first” language. When you train yourself to say, “Kurt is a survivor of brain injury” instead of “Kurt is a brain injury survivor” or “Maria uses a wheelchair for mobility,” you are part of the momentum that will create a better world. Make your company more welcoming by eliminating language or promotional images that may be sending an unintended exclusionary message.

ABOUT BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF ARIZONA

The Brain Injury Association of Arizona (BIAAZ) is the only statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with all types of brain injuries through prevention, advocacy, awareness and education. BIAAZ also houses the Arizona Brain Health Resource Center, a collection of educational information and neuro-specific resources for brain injury survivors, caregivers, family members and professionals.

What began in 1983 as a grassroots effort has grown into a strong statewide presence, providing valuable life-long resources and community support for individuals with all types of brain trauma at no charge.