The Rebuttal

Did you know that people with disabilities are mythical creatures? They are awesome. In fact they are so good employers should employ them, cuz they are the absolute best. Yup, research shows employing people with a disability is the bees knees, and I am quoting here from an article Five Good Reasons to Hire Someone with a Disability: (My comments are in italics.)

1)      They can be counted on! – Yes siree … One study found that people with disabilities are actually nearly 40% less likely to take sick leave or time off compared to other workers! Not only that, employees with disabilities often stay with a company longer.  

Yup, stoic– That’s us! Loyal! (Mind you we often stay in the same baseline jobs for many years while our able bodied colleagues get promoted.) 

2)      They see things differently – Many employers also find that workers with disabilities are among their most productive, and bring something extra to the table too – whether it’s a different perspective, a lateral approach to problem solving, or a different set of life experiences.

Apparently, we are super adaptable cuz, well when you live in a society that designs itself for everyone except people with a disability, that’s what happens!

3)      They can give you an insight into your customers – After all, how can you hope to understand and respond to the needs of diverse Australians, if you don’t have any of these people working for you? It would be like having a workforce with no women, or no ethnic diversity – limited, and really just plain wrong.

We are worldly you see. We know everything about every experience of every person with a disability, so don’t forget us!

4)      They make your company more likeable – According to a recent study, a massive 87% of people say they’d prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with a disability.

Cuz we are super cute and friendly and everything. And, GOLLY, how good must an employer be for employing us, they gotta be lovely!

5)      Their good work ethic tends to rub off –  It’s been shown that having people with a disability in the workplace improves staff morale, team work, and the quality and speed of work that other staff produce.

I feel all warm n’ fuzzy now. I’m just absolutely super, My mere presence makes a workplace HAPPY! Makes them more cooperative and they even work faster. I got bloody superpowers!!!

Ok, I realise my cynicism is dripping. It is absolutely pouring off of me. Now, I will confess that I absolutely hate disability being promoted like this. Now people will bite me, unfriend me, call me cruel or disown me, but its time to put the record straight!

People with a disability are not all the same. We are not this breed of humans with superpowers that magically make a workplace better.  Many of us don’t have frigging clue how other people wth a disability experience life. Some of us care less! Some of us are great workers. Some of us are just crap!  Many of us are motivated and committed, just as many are not. We people with a disability are a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get. That’s because people with a disability are humans and flawed, just like the rest of the population. You employ a person with a disability, there is a risk that they are not all that you want them to be. – Just like anyone else.

And DISABILITY is not this mythical creature. A knight in shining armour or an angel who will magically make the workplace fantastic. A workplace is fantastic because of the people that make it up. Diversity is great because it promotes acceptance and inclusion. YES, diversity makes for a good workplace because it brings with it a diverse set of life experiences, skills and ideas. That doesn’t happen just cuz we employ a person with a disability. It happens by developing a good culture and valuing each and every one of the people in a workplace, whatever their background!

So, as a person with a disability I cringe when I see me marketed in a way that makes me out to be a mythical and incredible human being. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty good, innovative, creative, friendly and I provide brilliant customer service. I’m modest too. That’s not because I am disabled, it’s because I have been exposed to good role models, positive values and my overall life experience has made me who I am. Sure, being disabled has made me stoic, but it’s also, as you can see, made me very cynical. Who can blame me when I have to put up with this stereotypical rubbish about disability everyday.

Please, the marketers of the world – By all means, try as hard as possible to promote people with a disability as valuable employers. But market them as:

1)      A group of individuals who are diverse, with different skillsets, with different qualification who bring with them their own life experience that could be of value to a workplace.

2)      By all means promote the different ways we do our jobs. Promote how simple adjustments make us as productive as any one. Promote the technology we use that allows us to do the job as productively as anyone else. Promote the funding and support that is provided by Job Access and the Employment Assistance Fund so that employers know that if there is an additional cost for adjustments, there is help for that.

3)      MOSTLY, I ask that marketers focus on the diversity of people with a disability and the diverse range of attributes that they can bring to the workplace. Not because they are disabled, but because they are are individuals who are bloody skilled, experienced and good at what they do!

Look, I get it that there are many people with a disability that need more intensive support to be able to function in a workplace. They have every right to work too. Some of these people need an employer that will go an extra mile and be really flexible. It is not all plain sailing. These people should not be forgotten. 

BUT in Australia there are 1 in 5 people with disability. They are not all the same. They are not mythical creatures that will magically transform a workplace into a happy and productive one. They are just a group of individuals of which some are very talented and who have a wealth of experience, skills and attributes. Each of them is unique and they may or may not fit into the workplace.

All I can say is that the unemployment rate for people with a disability has remained around 53% for decades now. May be its cuz we have stopped valuing people with a disability as unique individuals and have stereotyped disability for too long. It’s time to rethink cuz what is happening now is not working!!!

With respect!