DEI Corner: October – National Disability Employment Awareness Month

By Angie Mogensen

“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Anyone else sing this as a child? Although the intention was meant for good, this sing-song proverb which dates back to the 1800’s, dismisses the power of words.

I grew up south of Seattle in a town, before it became a city, called Federal Way. I am the daughter of a retired public high school special education teacher and coach. I’ve been in a classroom most my life. My first vivid memories of interacting with students that were different from me was in junior high. Sacagawea Junior High had the M Building. It was located at the tail end of the school and bus loop. I don’t recall seeing kids enter or exit but I do remember sharing a PE class with Mike; he was from the M Building. He was ‘different’. He was unkempt, a loner, not well spoken or gifted with athletic prowess. But you could tell he wanted to be included. In the 80’s we called those kinds of students ‘retarded’. That word never sat well with me.

You see, words have a denotation (dictionary definition) and connotation (feeling or idea behind the word). Before the word became a tool to cut someone down, it meant “slow or limited mental development”. It was a descriptor to help identify those that needed more assistance. Following my dad’s footsteps, I was the influencer in a middle school classroom. I had access to over 100+ kids a day and decided to use that space to learn about the power of words, and how to use that power to build up rather than tear down. I would often use my personal experiences as a teaching tool; I am an aunt of a nephew with Autism. If you saw Cody you would know that he is ‘different’. You could try to engage him in conversation, but your efforts may be futile, yet his work ethic is incredible. Often, it’s out of ignorance that we use some of the words we do to label others. When choosing to be intentional with our words, it’s not that we must always be ‘politically correct’ but maybe we do it out of sensitivity and inclusivity of others. Everyone has something to offer.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Disability: another word that can render a negative connotation. Would it surprise you to know that 1 in 4 (26%) of adults in the United States live with some type of disability? But not all disabilities affect people the same way, and some are not visible with the eyes. In a 2017 study of the US workers with disabilities, 34% of them classified as ambulatory, 31% hearing, 29% cognitive, 21% vision, 16% independent living and 7% self-care. So, what can we do to be more mindful and inclusive of our colleagues that may be among the 26%? First, if they are open, take some time to know your colleagues by taking a genuine interest in them. Once you have become more attuned, you will be able to ‘hear’ when an accommodation is being requested. Some examples of reasonable employer accommodations are changing presentation/training materials, facility accessibility, acquiring or modifying equipment, and others.

Because we are a family of companies that value their employees, we understand that a more diverse workforce results in a more engaging environment. Our hand in the supply chain reaches far and wide and we want to reflect the customers and communities that we serve.