More and more companies are investing in disability inclusion—a reality which tremendously excites me! Even amidst this growing support for disability inclusion, however, certain disabilities sometimes experience greater stigma and misunderstanding than others in the workplace, such as health-related and psychiatric disabilities. But for leaders to truly practice disability inclusion and reap the benefits of such throughout their organization, they must strive to accommodate all manners of disability, and today I seek to offer some tips as to how!
This blog will take a straightforward approach to describing possible disability accommodations for health-related and psychiatric disabilities: a What that identifies what the accommodation is, and a How to offer insight into how an organization might begin the process of implementing this accommodation. But before we begin, note that the majority of these disability accommodation examples are sourced from the University of Washington’s Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology group (unless otherwise cited), and I highly recommend checking out their site for additional details!
Health-related and psychiatric disabilities are both umbrella terms that encompass numerous physical and mental experiences. Health-related disabilities include but are not limited to epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, and cancer. Please note how these examples demonstrate the truly broad nature of “health-related disability” as a term, so above all else, trust individuals who have these disabilities about their description of their experiences (remember the old adage about assumptions)! Psychiatric disabilities, in turn, include but are not limited to schizophrenia, PTSD, depression, and bipolar disorder.
Ready to break down some key accommodations? Let’s waste no time!
What: As necessary, provide access to a refrigerator (or even a personal minifridge) for individuals with health-related or psychiatric disabilities to store medication, food supplements, and any other items that need to be kept cold.
How: Work with facility services to install such fridges in an accessible location to the person with a health-related or psychiatric disability.
What: Allow for flexible scheduling to accommodate sporadic in-person attendance (as not all health-related and psychiatric disabilities are chronic/stable).
How: Allow for telecommuting to in-person meetings. Additionally, consider inciting other employees to be note-takers as well as ensure that all relevant printed materials (job assignments, meeting comments, etc.) are available in an electric format (e.g. sent via email).
What: Allow for employees with health-related or psychiatric disabilities to take breaks during the work day (e.g. a person with diabetes might need to stop and have a snack, while a person with chronic fatigue might need to stop simply to let their body rest).
How: Trust employees to know their bodily needs and allow them to take breaks as appropriate (rather than creating a strict schedule for breaks)!
A straightforward starting point, right? I believe that when we accommodate health-related and psychiatric disabilities, we help destigmatize these numerous and varied experiences of disability. And remember: when in doubt, ask employees with disabilities what accommodations they need and provide these accommodations without resistance—our employees know what accommodations will best suit their experiences. Now go forth and embrace the power of accessibility!
Dima Ghawi is the founder of a global talent development company with a primary mission for advancing individuals in leadership. Through keynote speeches, training programs and executive coaching, Dima has empowered thousands of professionals across the globe to expand their leadership potential. In addition, she provides guidance to business executives to develop diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies and to implement a multi-year plan for advancing quality leaders from within the organization. Reach her at DimaGhawi.com and BreakingVases.com.
