Hello everyone, today I would like to raise awareness about how you can make your workplace more inclusive so that people with neuro-physical disabilities have equal access to employment. Unfortunately, the world isn’t built to accommodate the needs of a person with a physical disability.
I hope you will use this article to evaluate if your workplace is accessible to everyone.
As a person who was diagnosed with spasttic quadriplegic cerebral palsy at birth, I have been a full-time wheelchair user since birth, and I, along with so many other people with physical needs, have lived experience. We are the experts on physical accesibility and you need to talk to us.
Nothing about us without us
There are so many different types of physical disabilities. It’s not a one-size-fits-all approach. Every person with a physical disability can pave the way. Our opinions cannot be overlooked. This is about creating an equal society, and the “nothing about us without us” approach is crucial.
Here are some questions I would like every workplace to think about. The following examples are some of the essential accommodations that are required to implement diversity and inclusion, and ensure people with physical disabilities are treated as equal citizens in the workplace.
Can you name every type of neuro-physical disability?
Did you know that a standard wheelchair accessible bathroom doesn’t work for Everyone? Did you know that some people require hoists because they can’t transfer themselves? Did you know that some people in this situation require a manual hoist, but for some people who have powered chairs, a manual hoist is very cumbersome.
Spastric quadriplegic cerebral palsy is a specific type of cerebral palsy which affects all four limbs. Spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy affects my hand control, so I only type with one finger. But did you know there is speech-to-text software to help people with physical disabilities improve productivity?
Have you checked whether your office is inclusive enough? Did you know that some people with physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy cannot speak verbally? Do you know about the technology that ensures people who are non-verbal can share their ideas with the world and make valuable contributions to society? Have you heard of eye gaze technology?
As an employer, it would be a huge benefit to employees if you could explore training courses that might be available. Education for the wider society is so important. I would like to reiterate a very important message that I shared with you in another article – my disability representation in media blog.
You or your condition is never the problem – society needs to wake up and educate more people on how important the built environment is for people with physical disabilities.
Believe in yourself!