The Corporate Inclusion Learning Curve: Much More Than a Bell

All too often the good intentions of a business desiring to be more inclusive, coupled with the frantic approach to employment for individuals with disabilities, mutes the dire need for corporate inclusion training and preparedness.

I am not talking about the common “sensitivity” training that is often injected into the “inclusion” context. I am talking about the business aspect of training and preparedness. Deep thought and strategy need to be in place prior to the hiring of persons with disabilities, otherwise the employment of these individuals, becomes more of an experiment, than a person-centered plan based on independence and life-long sustainability.


THE INCLUSIVE BUSINESS

Are you entertaining the idea of hiring individuals with disabilities? I hope so! If you answer is yes, you might ask, what next? Simple; Get educated, trained, implement strategy and engage a corporate-wide discussion on disabilities now! Let’s break down each on of these and see how you can begin.

Inclusion Education

Inclusion Education needs to be more than just a talk about what’s offensive to persons with disabilities, how to ‘refer’ to them using person-centered language. There is a saying I once heard that goes: The whole world is concerned about how to refer to someone with disabilities, except those with disabilities. Persons with disabilities care much less about using ‘person-centered’ language and care much more about receiving the dignified treatment and respect you would show to anyone, with or without disabilities. Inclusion Education must be about how to create support systems that build emotional connections between employees, create foundational interaction that allows your current employees to learn more about disabilities from a person with disabilities, than from a training usually given by someone without a disability. Ironic, I must say.

What Inclusion must be.

Inclusion must be about demystifying public perception about one’s abilities. It must be about reinforcing the value-proposition persons with disabilities already bring to the workforce. It must be about establishing the fact that persons with disabilities are no less capable, and no less willing to work. It must be about getting an entire corporation to ALWAYS ASSUME COMPETENCY, and understand the risk when you assume otherwise. Often we find that through real-life case-studies, documentaries, and books, entire corporations shift their perception about disabilities, and most importantly, their reaction to persons with disabilities.

Inclusion Training

What is the different between education and training? The word “Training” is closely connected to works like ‘action’ & ‘exercise.’ Thus inclusion training cannot be a lecture-based experience, instead it must include group activities, innovation opportunities and most importantly, role-playing. It is via these methods that employees are able to absorb the enormity of the undertaking, yet appreciate the part they can play in the lives of the special individuals. We find that activity-based learning (ABL) using our trademark “Teaching Vowels” method, allows the education to sink in, and humanity to emerge.

Inclusion Implementation

Now that everyone has been enlightened through educated and motivated in training, now it’s time to implement a strategy and integrate it into your current operational procedures. How does that happen? Well, many companies think that being flexible is good enough. Now, flexible is an absolute necessity, but it is not the key to a productive and sustainable employment experience for you and the person alike. What is needed is an operational framework; a corporate culture and human resource policies that encourage independence increase employee accountability & moreover, celebrate inclusion. Implementation is neither easy nor painless, but it is worth the experience and is without a doubt a life-changing course. Historically, companies and industries innovate the most when cultures merge for common goals, and work-life balance is increased within a workforce. All this can be accomplished by simply injecting humanity into how a business operates and promote a human resource policy that not only focuses on regulation, but also allows room for creativity.

Talk about Disabilities!

The more you persons with disabilities you know, the sooner you will realize that talking about disabilities with them, is not a precarious conversation. So, if persons with disabilities have an easy time talking about their disabilities, why not have them take part in the on-going education and training for your employees? We even suggest that you create peer group for corporate discussions about disabilities in the workplace. This will assist your place of business not only meet the status quo, but better yet, be a community leader in employing persons with disabilities. Get your managers involved, your employees involved and even your corporate partners and clients involved, and what you will see is an amazing transformation of your employees’ and most importantly, the overall business’ performance. Now that is a good reason for any business to be inclusive!