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Inclusive Hiring Practices to Attract People with Disabilities

| Nina Overdorff

Woman at a computer with a form showing on screen

Successful companies know that a variety of diverse perspectives help maintain their competitive edge. Diversity is a popular buzzword among human resources professionals, but people with disabilities are frequently overlooked. Many companies fall short on inclusive hiring of people with disabilities (PWD) because of the misconception that making the required accommodations will be cost-prohibitive. In reality, 60% of accommodations cost nothing, and the rest often cost under $500 per employee with a disability- a small price to pay to hire… Continue Reading Inclusive Hiring Practices to Attract People with Disabilities

7 Ways to Collaborate with Coworkers with Disabilities

| Nina Overdorff

People without disabilities usually mean well when considering their coworkers with disabilities, but even good intentions can go awry or come across as thoughtless. Sometimes not knowing how to relate causes non-disabled workers to unintentionally ignore their disabled counterparts because they’re not sure how to interact without coming across as offensive or awkward. Here are some ways to include coworkers with disabilities professionally and socially in the workplace. 1. Learn their preferred communication method Many disabilities cause people to prefer… Continue Reading 7 Ways to Collaborate with Coworkers with Disabilities

7 Benefits of Disability Employee Resource Groups

| Nina Overdorff

Employee resource group with disabled workers waiting for the elevator.

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) are not new. The idea of like-minded coworkers getting together to discuss their ideas, commonalities, and workplace concerns has been around informally for as long as there have been jobs. Formal ERGs came into existence in response to race-related tension in the 1960s. They have grown to become important networking, retention, and marketing groups that continue to benefit businesses. They serve as valuable focus groups for the company and advocacy groups for their members. These groups… Continue Reading 7 Benefits of Disability Employee Resource Groups

Talking With and About People with Disabilities

| Nina Overdorff

Woman in wheelchair using tablet talking

The New Hire Imagine your company has hired a new employee in your department. Let’s say it’s a woman named Sue. Sue will be in the cubicle adjoining yours, and you will be responsible for showing her the ropes- from how to complete job tasks to how to use the coffee maker. You carefully create and print out a document with all the info Sue will need as a reference guide to make her onboarding smooth and efficient. But when… Continue Reading Talking With and About People with Disabilities

Most Frustrating Digital Accessibility Issues for People with Disabilities

| Tammy Albee

Frustrated man wearing sunglasses and upset over accessibility issues on his smartphone

People with disabilities have a love-hate relationship with digital content.  For many, it is the best way to access information. Reading print for some people with disabilities is difficult or impossible, and for some turning pages is difficult. For many people who are blind, Braille is their preferred medium, but paper Braille can be cumbersome and bulky.  And we would all agree that we like having information at our fingertips through our smartphone. Digital content is portable and easy to access… Continue Reading Most Frustrating Digital Accessibility Issues for People with Disabilities

Going Beyond What’s Possible: Inventors with Disabilities

| Nina Overdorff

Thomas Edison in his lab for inventors

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” -Francis of Assisi Many inventors prove the old cliche that necessity is the mother of invention.  Often, those who need innovative solutions dream up the most useful tools to serve the community.  People who spend much of their time problem solving make some of the best inventors.  They can be the most determined not to let obstacles stand in the way of their success. … Continue Reading Going Beyond What’s Possible: Inventors with Disabilities

3 Reasons to Include PWD on Your Accessibility Team

| Tammy Albee

Putting together the right team determines the success of any project. Be sure to include people with disabilities when putting together your accessibility team.  People with disabilities (sometimes abbreviated to PWD) are the people faced with accessibility barriers on a daily basis.  They have assistive technology experience and skills, and they can often provide solutions that others might not. It’s important to include end-users who can give accurate feedback about your accessibility solutions and usability. It also makes sense to… Continue Reading 3 Reasons to Include PWD on Your Accessibility Team

5 Accessibility Solutions That Help Everyone

| Nina Overdorff

Typewriters, which are solutions for everyone.

The last time you bought groceries, you probably didn’t just push your cart over the edge of a 4 inch curb between the store and parking lot, hoping your eggs didn’t shatter into a gooey mess. You looked for the curb cut instead. When you watched a funny cat video on YouTube in the office, you probably didn’t let the volume blare to catch your boss’s attention. You discretely used captioning.  Maybe instead of heading downstairs to retrieve your phone… Continue Reading 5 Accessibility Solutions That Help Everyone

Nothing About Us Without Us: Input from People With Disabilities

| Nina Overdorff

Woman at doctor's office. Doctor getting input from people with disabilities.

The term, “nothing about us without us,” has been around in concept for hundreds of years, starting as the Latin phrase “Nihil de nobis, sine nobis.” It became a motto people who wanted a say in how they were governed.  The phrase led to “no taxation without representation,” used during the Revolutionary War in the United States. In the 1990s, writer and disability rights activist James Charlton applied the term to the disability rights movement and wrote a book of… Continue Reading Nothing About Us Without Us: Input from People With Disabilities

30 days of Inclusive Water Cooler Chat

| Tammy Albee

Office workers chatting by the water cooler

30 Days of Inclusive Water Cooler Chat  If your organization truly demonstrates inclusive accessibility culture, here are some things you might hear around your water cooler:  “Don’t forget to caption your new product video” “Make sure you include a place where people can request any necessary accommodations in the registration form.” “This is a very detailed report.  Let’s make sure there are headings.” “This graph should have the data table included so people using assistive technology can understand it” “We… Continue Reading 30 days of Inclusive Water Cooler Chat