Increasing Awareness for Employees with Disabilities

Several of Aires’ employees have recently formed an Employee Resource Group (ERG) named “Able.” The ERG’s aim is to bring awareness to individuals with disabilities and ways that our workplace practices can be improved to increase inclusivity for all of us. Read on for their insights on disability awareness below.

“Workplaces welcoming of the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, are a critical part of our efforts to build an inclusive community and strong economy.” – NDEAM via U.S. Department of Labor

When it comes to consideration for people with disabilities, there is a lot of focus on the negative – what a person is limited to or unable to achieve compared to society’s standard of normal. The truth is, there is a whole world of people with disabilities offering diverse talents and valuable contributions to society, and the Aires ERG, Able, is looking forward to shining a light on all the ways we can come together to succeed with the various advantages we have been given. We have put together some information on disability awareness below.

There are approximately one billion people in the world experiencing some form of disability, which means that it is very likely that we interact with someone with a disability on a regular basis. There are many types of disabilities including physical, sensory, intellectual, and mental. Disabilities can be visible or invisible. People with disabilities can also experience a wide spectrum within their own diagnoses, presenting unique perspectives and opportunities for our society to learn and understand that there is no blanket diagnosis for any particular person.

Many people with disabilities have made, and continue to make, key contributions to our society. We have listed a few (of the many) below.

• Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, was almost entirely deaf in both ears
• Albert Einstein, creator of the Theory of Relativity, likely had Asperger’s syndrome
• Farida Bedwei, diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age one, invented a cloud software platform that is used by hundreds of micro-finance companies across Ghana
• Temple Grandin, an author/educator with autism, has created countless innovative animal care treatments and was named one of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People of 2010
• Geerat J. Vermeij, a blind evolutionary biologist, prompted new thinking in paleobiology and has received the MacArthur Fellowship

With disability awareness, it’s what you can do that matters. There is a wide range of people with disabilities, all offering diverse talents and valuable contributions to society. Instead of focusing on any perceived disadvantages, we should focus on ways to make workplaces more accessible for all. Unsure of where to begin? The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has comprehensive information on developing accessible practices in the workplace.