By Aaron Kaplan
Recently, the term inclusion has been added to or replaced the dialogue about diversity. Inclusion and diversity are distinct yet related concepts. Diversity focuses on organizational demography, that is, workforce composition, including race, sex, disability, ethnicity, etc., whereas inclusion focuses on the removal of obstacles to the full participation and contribution of employees in organizations. Real inclusion entails bringing people with varied backgrounds, perspectives, and circumstances into the organization and creating a climate where they can thrive, learn, and contribute their capabilities to the organization’s processes and outcomes.
I am writing this as an individual who has been diagnosed with, and is being medically treated for Attention Deficit Hyper-Activity Disorder, a neurological disability that is recognized and protected under The Americans with Disabilities Act. Like many others living with various neurological and/or psychological disabilities, I have attained levels of educational achievement and years of experience that are equivalent to those of non-disabled colleagues, and yet, I have personally faced various challenges and limitations in the workplace that non-disabled workers have not had to work through. So, I would like to briefly highlight some of the under the radar organizational behaviors that many individuals such as myself have experienced in their everyday working lives. Just because your business may be “ADA compliant” doesn’t necessarily mean that one can still participate.
Just like those who do not struggle with a disability, those with disabilities seek out dynamic work environments where they can and are encouraged to develop professionally, to take risks, fail, and learn from their mistakes. Being allowed to take risks is associated with being able to prove one’s self in addition to realizing potential and career progression. Learning means acquiring expertise that showcases one’s abilities which is instrumental when it comes to getting promoted within an organization and opening doors to future professional opportunities. Realizing one’s full potential means having one’s potential recognized in the first place. However, once disability is diagnosed and made known to others, such potential is often ignored.
Based upon my own experience, I have encountered many employers who simply do not understand what it means to make reasonable adjustments; they don’t understand the pressure, the different types of moves, challenges, and changes experienced by those with disabilities, because not all injuries or disabilities are the same. In some cases, there can be increasingly hostile confrontations that can escalate to legal proceedings. A lack of support can also be found at the team level leading to animosity and being defined in terms of one’s condition rather than one’s abilities. In fact, I have experienced the attitude of being regarded as a liability and the necessity for certain reasonable accommodations to be made on my behalf as an indication of possible limited productivity and work quality.
Regardless of equal opportunity policies in place within an organization, disabled professionals are likely to encounter numerous challenges in maintaining their positions. While diversity measures may be enough in some cases, they often fail to support career advancement in the long term. Disabled professionals are sometimes perceived as unanticipated obstacles, and many are often unable to overcome such perceptions. This inability is due to the widespread unwillingness of many human resource personnel, managers, and peers to understand, acknowledge, and accommodate their needs.
Professionals with disabilities need the same encouragement and practical support by inspirational individuals and organizations as professionals without disabilities. Being regarded first and foremost in a professional capacity constitutes an essential step towards facilitating equal opportunities. A willingness and an ability to understand disability and the implementation of effective administrative procedures are both necessary to overcome the barriers disabled professionals face in sustaining and advancing their careers. It is even more important that organizations review their approaches to inclusion and incorporate and address specific requirements for those who may need them the most.
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Aaron Kaplan, Founder/Director of The Kaplan Project LLC, can be reached by phone at 832-831-9451, by email at AKaplan@thekaplanproject.com, or visit his website at www.thekaplanproject.com.
