Diversity Includes Disability
Fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion benefits everyone.
While companies increasingly recognize the benefits of building and retaining a diverse workforce, they inadvertently neglect “Disability” in their diversity and inclusion practices. What often comes to mind when thinking about diversity in the workplace is gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation; but diversity encompasses the infinite range of individuals’ unique attributes, experiences, and abilities. As such, Disability is a natural part of diversity.
Capital Factory: Diversity and Inclusion Coordinator
Everyone knows that diversity is lacking in the technology and entrepreneurship community but no one seems to have found the silver bullet to address it. It’d be fair to say… while there’s been real progress in the last few years, diversity is still lacking. [Capital Factory isn’t] looking for a silver bullet, we’re looking for someone to invite those players we don’t even yet know . . . who we’ll all benefit from knowing and including.
As part of the Texas Startup Manifesto, you will promote diversity & inclusion all over the state of Texas, with an emphasis on Austin and Dallas. Your primary responsibility will be to organize one summit per month focused on promoting DNI for Women, Blacks, LatinX, LGBTQ+ and Veterans.
I agree with Capital Factory’s statement that diversity is lacking in the technology and entrepreneurship industries and I applaud Capital Factory’s commitment to helping the technology and entrepreneurship communities across the State of Texas better foster a workplace culture of diversity and inclusion. However, I disagree with the proposed action for achieving this diversity and inclusion goal.
Diversity and Inclusion Recommendations
I recommend Capital Factory and other organizations continually incorporate disabled professionals into their employment promotion/hiring activities, summits, events, job fairs, etc.
I encourage Capital Factory to help our technology and entrepreneurship communities build a culture of inclusion by incorporating strategies for outreaching, hiring, retaining and promoting qualified professionals with disabilities into their overall hiring/employment practices.
Good Resources
- An excellent and no-cost resource for helping employers tap the benefits of disability diversity and learn about effective practices for hiring is The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN). EARN is a no-cost resource that educates public and private-sector organizations on ways to build inclusive workplace cultures.
- Another good resource for engaging the disability community is published at Austin Startups — right here on Medium, “10 Ways to Engage the Disability Market and Keep a Competitive Edge — Updated June 16, 2016
Fostering a Culture of Diversity and Inclusion Benefits Everyone
We know fostering a culture of diversity and inclusion benefits everyone, but think how much easier it would be to build an accessible and inclusive Smart City if more engineers with disabilities were actively working across the Smart City technology sector. Engineers with disabilities could bring to work their life-long experience living with disability and their subject matter expertise in accessibility and inclusion. They could leverage and incorporate their diversity of knowledge and unique perspective into the development, design and implementation processes mission critical for building inclusive, sustainable and livable Smart Cities, e.g., accessible ICT, apps, websites, IoT, open data platforms.
A Social and Cultural Paradigm Shift
By incorporating people with disabilities into their diversity and inclusion strategies, the technology and entrepreneurship communities will expand their pool of talent, skills and creative business solutions. Outreaching, hiring, promoting and retaining individuals with different disabilities in the technology sector could result in a social and cultural paradigm shift.
Can you imagine Smart Cities being built for human diversity and social inclusion, ensuring no citizen is left behind or accidentally excluded due to the rapid pace of Smart City innovation and urbanization?
I can and that is a world I would like to live in — how about you?
Darren Bates is internationally recognized as a visionary strategic thought leader in global Diversity and Inclusion and Smart City Human-Centered Urban Innovation. Founder and President of Darren Bates LLC and the Founder and Chief Innovation Officer for the Smart Cities Library.™
Darren Bates LLC
Darren Bates LLC is a boutique global consulting firm that helps private and public organizations diversify their workforce by outreaching, hiring, retaining, and promoting qualified individuals with disabilities.
FMI: www.darrenbatesllc.com
Smart Cities Library™
The Smart Cities Library™ is the premier online resource for building and refining accessible and inclusive, human-centered Smart Cities that ensure no citizen is left behind or accidentally excluded due to the rapid pace of global urbanization and technology innovation.
FMI: www.smartcitieslibrary.com
Trademarks
▪︎ Building a Global Culture of Access and Inclusion™
▪︎A Smart City is a Connected City and a Connected City is an Accessible and Inclusive City™
▪︎ A City Isn’t Smart If It Doesn’t Include Everyone™
▪︎ Building a Culture of Access and Inclusion in the Modern Workplace™
