What Does Your Office Say About Who Belongs There?
Every 3rd of December, workplaces mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities with purple logos, panel discussions and pledge walls. On the 4th, the office looks exactly as it did before.
IDPD is a day to ask an honest question. This year, we invite every organisation to ask this one:
What does our office say about who belongs here?
LOOK AT THE EVERYDAY
“We have a ramp” is not the answer
A ramp matters, but it only gets someone to the door. Belonging is decided by everything after it. Walk through your office and notice what it assumes about the person using it.
Meeting rooms
Are captions on in hybrid calls? Is a sign language interpreter arranged when a Deaf colleague is in the room? Can a wheelchair user reach the table?
Elevators
Are there Braille buttons and audio announcements? Is there a plan for when the lift is out of service?
Websites and tools
Can your website and HR portal be used with a keyboard and a screen reader? Do images have alternative text?
Recruitment forms
Does the form time out? Can the PDF be read aloud? Do you ask candidates, “Do you need any accommodation for this interview?”
Cafeterias
Can everyone reach the counter, read the menu and move between tables? Being left out of lunch means being left out of much more.
Emergency systems
Do alarms flash as well as sound? Is there a practised evacuation plan for people who cannot use the stairs?
Culture
Is asking for an accommodation easy, or does it feel like asking for a favour? Do managers assume what someone can't do, or ask what they need?
None of these messages are intended. All of them are received.
The shift IDPD asks of us
FROM
“What is wrong with the person?”
TO
“What barrier have we left in their way?”
A wheelchair user is not held back by the wheelchair. The step is the barrier. Seen this way, accessibility is not a favour for a few people. It is good design, and it helps everyone.
TURN INTENTION INTO ACTION
Five commitments for this 3rd of December
- Audit beyond the building: digital, communication and processes too.
- Ask employees with disabilities what the barriers are, and act on it.
- Make accommodation requests simple.
- Train managers and teams. Most exclusion comes from not knowing.
- Check accessibility before launch, not after.
MAKE IT MORE THAN A DAY
IDPD is one day.
Inclusion is what your office says on the other 364.
At GiftAbled, we help organisations get there through accessibility audits, disability sensitisation, and inclusive hiring and workplace practices.
This IDPD, let's go beyond ramps.
Get in touch with GiftAbled to begin.
