Passion4Social CIC’s Post

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, a day that highlights the importance of supporting the over 1 billion people worldwide with disabilities. Beyond my personal commitment to accessibility, I’ve learned so much serving as the Co-Chair of the Disability:IN CMO & CCO coalition, and I’m so excited that this group of leaders is growing to include 17 member companies (welcome!). These companies have come together to launch a new resource library to help everyone working in marketing and communications advance disability inclusion.    #GAAD serves as a reminder that we have the power to break down barriers and create a more inclusive world. We can help by creating more accessible content for all. Learn more about the coalition and see the resources we've compiled here: https://lnkd.in/dS7my5FG [Image description: The Disability:IN logo is written in blue and green beside the words CMO & CCO Coalition.]

Today is #GlobalAccessibilityAwarenessDay (#GAAD). It’s important to remember that knowing about accessibility issues is just the first step. We need to actually DO something to make our workplaces, platforms, content, services better for everyone, no matter their abilities. Let’s make sure we’re not just talking about change, but making it happen. I love this #CMO and #CCO coalition that Jill Kramer posts about below. 👇 It’s a wonderful example of ACTION. Let’s create a world where everyone is represented and included. #GAAD #Inclusion #Accessibility 💜 Disability:IN Jill Houghton

The social model of Disability is a concept that highlights how barriers in society can disable people, not their impairments or differences. These barriers can be physical, but they can also be caused by people's attitudes towards difference. It's important to remember that a person with a Disability is not differently abled. They are able just the way they are. It's common for people to assume that disabled individuals can't do certain things, like speaking fluently. However, this assumption can be disabling for individuals who have a Stammer or Stutter. They are not differently abled because of their speech patterns. Instead, they are disabled by society when fluency is prioritized over the value of their words and ideas. It's time to change the way we think about disability. Disabled individuals should not be seen as different, less than, or difficult. It's okay to acknowledge someone as having a Disability or a Stammer/Stutter, but it's important to remember that these labels do not make them differently abled. Let's work together to break down the barriers in society that disable individuals and create a more inclusive world for everyone. #disabilityawareness #inclusion #socialmodelofdisability #WeAreBillionStrong #Ableism #DisabilityPride Puneet Singh Singhal

"Use the word disability and don't see it as a bad thing." This is such an important action step that we can take as parents and professionals supporting youth with disabilities. I recently gave a presentation for parents of students on #IEPs focused on promoting #selfawareness and #selfadvocacy in youth with social cognitive disabilities. I used the word "disability" a lot as part of the presentation, sharing what we know from research about the importance of disability awareness, understanding disability-related needs, knowing disability rights related to laws such as ADA, IDEA, and Section 504, and disability disclosure. When I got to the Q&A section of the presentation, a parent asked, "Do we need to use the term 'disability'? What do you think about neurodivergent as a term instead?" Neurodivergent is a great term. And neurodiversity is incredibly important. But, the term disability and neurodivergent are not "apples to apples." When students transition to adulthood, obtaining accommodations on a college campus, or in a work setting, often depend on acknowledging disability and disability-related needs. When we don't talk about "disability" or we try to minimize use of the term, we might be implying that there is something negative or shameful. We are buying into, rather than breaking down, stigma. I am not at all saying that I love the current language or terminology. But, it is what we have, and we need to be able to use the legal language, and to empower youth to use the language in order to get their needs met. Thank you Catarina for posting these 5 action steps we can take to support disability inclusion and especially for pointing out the need to "use the word disability and not see it as a bad thing." #disabilities #disabilityadvocacy #inclusion #specialeducation #transitionplanning #transitionservices

💬 Embracing Disability, Embracing Strength 💬 Moses and I recently discussed a topic that is close to my heart—the acceptance of disability on "Story Garden" YouTube channel and how this journey has navigated me into a self-advocate. In the conversation, I shared my experiences of: 🔸 Accepting my disability and using it as a source of strength 🔸 The importance of self-advocacy for people with disabilities 🔸 How my journey led me to champion inclusivity and accessibility through various initiatives 🔸 Why embracing our challenges can pave the way for growth and independence This conversation was a chance to reflect on how acknowledging who we are, and what makes us different, can become a driving force for creating change. Thank you Moses for this opportunity, and I hope it inspires others to take ownership of their journey and find strength in their unique paths. 👉 Watch the full video here: https://lnkd.in/gAXHRzac #SelfAdvocacy #DisabilityAcceptance #Independence #InclusionMatters #Empowerment #dhanyaravi

I had a realisation yesterday: when I talk to people about disability access and inclusion, I am almost always referring to an organisation's staff and their clients. Because disability knows no bounds. Disabled people work in organisations too, we aren't just clients. This is a bit of a mind shift for some folks, especially those who work in service provision or policy and have fallen into the habit of assuming their colleagues and clients are completely separate demographic groups, or that people with physical disabilities don't also have sensory or cognitive disabilities too. It's never that predictable. Remember that a disability is never best way to understand a person's accessibility needs. It comes down to each individual's lived experience, knowledge, skills and personal preferences. Getting to know your colleagues and clients on that level is how you improve access and inclusion in your organisation. #cookiecutterapproachwontcutit #accessibility #inclusion #disabilityaccessconsulting

Ding ding! Kelley nails it again. I get this question when I do presentations, and I explain that I don't see disability as a negative word. And it's a really important one. From the introduction to my book on preparing students with disabilities for successful college transition - "This book uses the word 'disability' because this is the word used in the laws. Use of the word is not meant to offend those who see students as having differences." Students have to have a *disability* to be eligible for accommodations. There are ways to explain to students that you are using the word "disability" because of the law while also emphasizing their strengths. Refusing to use the word can deprive students of crucial knowledge they need to self-advocate. Also from my book (Step 6) - in a research study on why students registered in their first, second, or third term in college, one student said, 'No one ever used the term ‘learning disability’ to me, ever, in high school, so I certainly never discussed how my learning disability would affect me in college.'”* In this study, the later they registered, the lower their GPA and the number of credits they had earned. Unfortunately, there will be students who feel stigmatized no matter what. But if we don't explain to them why they're receiving accommodations (which is that they have a weakness that affects them substantially), how can we expect them to advocate for what they need as they move through life? *Lightner, K. l., Kipps-Vaughan, D., Schulte, T., & Trice, A. D. (2012). Reasons university students with a learning disability wait to seek disability services. Journal of Postsecondary Education, 25(2), 159–177. https://lnkd.in/e25Bxcj5

This video shows a woman with forearm crutches carrying her baby in a front baby carrier, while a young child holds onto the bottom of her crutches and they dance together. Disabilities don’t hold people back. They can do everything others can do, often in their own unique and fulfilling ways. If anything, having a disability leads to people becoming more creative, as individuals are continuously pushed to discover new ways to do the things they love. We received approval to post this video with the aim of raising awareness about the creator and the important topics they discuss. Video Credit: @smevens/IG Ablr is a full-service disability inclusion organization, and our mission is to remove barriers for all people with disabilities. We do this by eliminating the digital divide, changing the mindsets of people and organizations, and creating pathways to employment. #Accessibility #Innovation #AssistiveTechnology #Inclusivity

Dan Harris FRSA made a post on Saturday about the new (?) train seats with ‘not all disabilities are visible’ printed on them. This is amazing progress in acknowledging that it’s not only physical disability that cause physical symptoms or pain. I fear that disabled people will still face discrimination and scrutiny because of ingrained, outdated belief that ‘if your disability was that bad, you would see it’. I know firsthand that this simply isn’t true. have experienced this stigma many times, as I wrote in my book ‘ because my disability is invisible, this fortunately means that I am not treated differently in public, as some people with physical disabilities are. This has both its up and down sides it means that you’re not exposed to the abuse that some people experience in their lives. but it also means that you can struggle to receive the help you need and risk becoming at target for abuse when you genuinely need assistance’. This is one of the reasons why i’m so passionate about advocacy and the deeper understanding for those of us with invisible conditions. Despite a lot of progress being made, invisible disability is still very misunderstood, and needs to be discussed and accommodated more openly for this to continue. Have you been targeted for wearing a sunflower lanyard in public or using disabled services? Let me know. #InvisibleDisability #Neurodiversity #SunflowerLanyard #Equality

Disabled? Person with Disability? Differently-abled? As a person with a disability, I have noticed that the term used to describe disability has changed significantly over the years. However, there seems no fixed term that everyone agrees upon or it's short-lived, which has led to confusion and disagreement. Until a consensus is reached on an all-encompassing term, it will be challenging for society to accurately understand and address the needs of the disabled community hindering progress in this area. This is not just happening within the disability community but in many other areas as well. We need to find a term that we can all agree on so that we can focus on making real change. Me personally? Call me what you like, it's all about the intention and impact for me. #disability #inclusion #positiveimpact #intent #change