What It Takes to Be Inclusive

While acknowledging the progress made, Dr. Haskins emphasizes that there's still a journey ahead. As a leader, you play a crucial role in fostering inclusivity within your organization. It's not just about good intentions; it's about the impact of your actions.

Dr. Haskins challenges the common assumptions and biases that may hinder the full integration of diverse individuals, especially those with disabilities and neurodivergence. To drive real change, she encourages you to embark on honest self-assessment and intentional planning.

Throughout the episode, you'll be inspired to conduct thorough audits, seeking insights from diverse perspectives to identify areas for improvement. The conversation revolves around challenging the status quo and being open to making necessary changes.

The ultimate goal is to create a workspace that not only accommodates but also empowers every employee. Recognizing that the journey towards inclusion is ongoing, Dr. Haskins stresses the importance of your continuous effort and dedication. Embracing an open mindset and actively working towards universal inclusion can lead to the development of a diverse, empowered, and thriving workplace.

Transcript

Hi everyone – I am back after a much-needed short break – it’s been a hard few months for the world, and I don’t think it’s getting easier anytime soon. Beyond record-breaking heat waves and seismic decisions impacting diversity rights – there is a lot of energy – and worry when it comes to disability inclusion, diversity rights, and the growth of the neurodiversity movement. Yet for all the battles, there is also so much to celebrate. More people are coming together to work collaboratively on solutions – young and older – more people are advocating to include others appreciate differences, and do what they can to make the world a little better place. 

It's summer, and I know that many people online are taking breaks from the forums and stepping away to spend more time with friends and family – and partly because there is a general feeling of fatigue in the world.

So I want to acknowledge you and others that I know – I know that people are feeling stuck – they are tired. Recent events have raised concerns about the future of diversity initiatives, whether all the efforts made will be dismantled, and whether those that need support will be cared for in the future. As it is now July, which is Disability Inclusion Month, and there is much to celebrate, the truth is that this month serves as yet another reminder of how far we’ve yet to go.

But you need to know that what I'm finding is that the majority of people I talk to are fighting the same fight – the systems I seek to change are the system they are advocating to change – we are sharing are stories of adversity, tenacity, and perseverance more. We need to be open to alternate realities and seek to understand.

Even within the disability and autism communities, there are limitations based on what people know and have personally experienced. Without the understanding of being a business leader, talent management, talent acquisition, it becomes challenging to inform change fully. 

Advocating for equal inclusion and opportunities is essential, but we also need to recognize that limitations exist in the current world, and we may not be realizing neurodiversity today. But we are steps forward to build a world that is more neuro inclusive tomorrow. We cannot allow one moment or one story to deter us from the possibility and potential of the inclusion of diverse individuals.

So it’s obvious there is a lot of need for change. And I talk a lot about diversity and how we need to change. Change the way we work, the way we think, and how we evaluate skills. But one thing we don't often candidly discuss is whether we are truly ready to be inclusive. Initially, you might think, "What do you mean, are we really ready to be inclusive? Either you want to be inclusive, or you don't." If I didn’t want to be inclusive, why would I be listening to your show?  But it’s really not that simple. Before you can honestly say, "Yes, I want to be inclusive," you must first recognize that you said “I want to be inclusive” “not, I am inclusive”.  One means intent, the other is realized. And then we can begin unpacking why you aren't achieving inclusion in the first place.

Certainly, there are prejudiced and bigoted individuals in the world, we’ve all encountered them at one point or another, as well as those with ableist and biased beliefs. People who believe that there are people who can and who can’t do things.  I have met many leaders who are all about increasing disability inclusion but when I turn the topic to their own workplace, many are quick to say that a disabled person wouldn’t be successful on their team. There is usually a litany of reasons that have nothing to do with skills – but beliefs on how people need to work at work. 

And this is a common pitfall – people who agree that disabled people deserve the right to work are the very same people who will tell you that “those people” won’t work out here.  And let’s be clear – I’m talking to leaders of knowledge workers – who believe that their team has requirements to success that a disabled person couldn’t meet. 

And if we are continuously othering accountability and ownership to this problem – that other people should include people with disabilities – but it’s not right for me and my team – nothing will change. If you -right now – don’t think a blind, deaf, or autistic person could be successful in your role –I hate to tell you this - but you are part of the problem.  

Do I recognize that there are some jobs that may have requirements that limit disability inclusion (sure) – but unless your team has physical requirements as part of the job description and skills required – your belief of who can and who can’t be successful is most likely, and unintentionally, ableist and you’re the barrier to employment.  

Leaders, every day, make assumptions about the type of person who belongs and who’s qualified and believes they can make those snap judgments at a glance. We all do it to an extent –But then we need to recognize when that is happening and find ways to unpack those instinctive reactions and decisions. I want to believe the majority of folks are not knowingly making these decisions based on discriminatory factors but just defaulting to their own lived experience of what works and what doesn’t. I want leaders who they say they genuinely believe that hiring individuals with disabilities, women, and people of different races and ethnicities is not only the right thing to do – it’s basic human respect for others. However, despite these intentions and these articulated beliefs, these thoughts about all people deserve opportunities – if you look around, if you look at the data, if you are honest with yourself, our workplaces still lack diversity at all levels, especially disabled and neurodivergent individuals, and we are a part of the continued exclusion. And that’s ok. Accepting the role we play is the first step.

Your current circle of friends and colleagues will tell you how much work you need to do too. 

When you look at the make-up of your friends, your coworkers, your workplace, how much diversity is present – how much diversity are you aware of?  Are differences in race, gender, ethnicity present? If so, that’s great. How about disabled individuals? Are there openly disabled people in your office? Is your technology designed to be accessible to those with low vision, no vision, and hearing impairments? If not, perhaps you are lacking access to the physical disability domain and that explains their absence. 

And then we need to think through what gaps might exist for those with invisible disabilities, neurodivergence, learning disabilities, and illness. If we don’t have physical access for those with mobility, sight, or hearing impairments, what would make us assume that our working environment can effectively support those with neurodivergence too?

It's OK if, as you hear this – you realize that maybe your workplace is not as accessible as you thought – because it’s accessible to you. It is normal for us to assess our environments from our perspective – and it’s hard to appreciate barriers that don’t impact ourselves or people we know. 

But if I asked you to spend a day navigating your workplace in a wheelchair, and then asked you to determine how an employee would access your company and content without sound and then without sight, you would begin to find the cracks in your system. And then we would spend a day navigating your workplace from an autistic perspective and then ADHD, and so on. And you would see that the systems that work for you may be preventing others from being fully included from day 1. .

And it’s important that we assess these gaps before we actively recruit new talent to come in. It would be like inviting a guest over to your home unprepared. And concluding that planning ahead takes forethought – to ensure the guest feels welcome and cared for – is what most of us would naturally do to sustain a relationship – to make it work.  

So, once you determine who is missing from your inclusion equation – you can then determine why it is happening. 

I believe many people sincerely want to hire individuals with autism, for instance but have never met an autistic person. 

And this is problematic because a common solution is to review and redesign the work system in collaboration with impacted persons.  But how do you collaboratively design if you don’t have access to such employees today? And this is where intentional planning and the real work begins. Because in this case – you will need to proactively seek resources, information to assess your workplace, and processes from other perspectives – because it is impossible to know what you don’t know.  

And I want to be clear that if your workspace is not inherently inclusive today, there is a reason behind that exclusion, whether it’s intentional or not. You also want to be aware that sometimes well-intentioned actions lead to unintended outcomes. For instance, when applying the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or Equal Employment Opportunities, most people try to force inclusivity without addressing the barriers that result in exclusion. This results in entry programs and poor outcomes, usually performance issues and low retention. Because merely opening the door for diverse people to be included in your organization is not enough if the inner workings of your company are not ready to effectively support disabled and neurodivergent workers. You need to clean the house – you need to do the work. You need to be prepared for access and accommodations – before your diverse employees arrive.

When disabled people and advocates demand inclusion, it's essential to recognize that they are fighting for their right to work and to be part of your organization. You need to acknowledge where you can make changes now so that more people can be included and not try and use the current state to justify why a person shouldn't be there. And if there are significant gaps – put in action plans to address them – making a commitment to change. You need to analyze your management processes, performance criteria, skill-assessments, and recruiting processes that might be preventing entry and take steps to rectify it. If retention is the problem – what is driving the attrition? Ensuring an inclusive environment may require some adjustments and preparation, but it's crucial to avoid causing harm in the process of pursuing equity. The most vulnerable are often the ones who need opportunities the most.

And don’t just lean on employees to advocate for themselves. It is not a welcoming environment if you must ask for basic accommodations to be successful every step of the way. When possible, incorporate common accommodations as standard structures and universal practices, much like ramps and lifts are expected features in buildings today. The more we meet employees where they are, disability or not, the more they will sense they belong and sign-up to be part of your team. If you create the path of entry, they will enter and provide value – just as you provide them with opportunity.  Work needs to be mutually beneficial  -where the employer supports their employees and the employee produces for the employer. When we work together, we balance the equation and improve outcomes for both sides – it’s a benefit for all. And the more accessible and inclusive our organizations are – the more diversity will increase – we won’t need to focus on targeted outreach programs because our leadership and company makeup will reflect those attributes – and our approaches due to the diverse leadership of thought and ability will be the result of accessible and universally designed constructs. It is a circle that will become stronger with each round – with iterative changes made to accommodate more differences as standard practice, less accommodation, and more universal inclusion as standard.

But is all starts with being honest with ourselves. We need to be aware of where who you are excluding and where we may be overcompensating  – slowly finding a balance in how we can achieve our overall goals. 

So look around – are you in a department of all men or women? Are you racially diverse? Do you work differently? Do you dress the same or go to the same type of places? Diversity isn’t just in demographics – it’s in how you work- how you think – and so on. Extroversion, introversion, thinkers, ideators, planners, collaborators.  And if you all have the same hobbies – same friend groups – - same preferences and so on, then you may not be as diverse as you think – even your team appears diverse on paper. 

So take a mirror -then take a look below the surface – - assess how your team works – and how much diversity you have or lack.

And above all, we need to stop making assumptions about what individuals can or cannot do – it's not your role to determine that – it is your job to give people an opportunity to show you, their skills. Being genuinely inclusive involves being open-minded and willing to create a workspace that benefits everyone, and that begins with being honest about how well we work and include people different than ourselves today.