35 Amazing Things to Celebrate the ADA!

It’s time for our annual list of amazing things to do to celebrate and recognize the Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The ADA is one of the most important civil rights legislations for people with disabilities. The legislation allows for access to public places like shopping centers, banks, office buildings, and our schools. It requires access to public transportation and has made our cities more accessible for everyone, though there is still more work to be done.

Access for people with disabilities is critical because having access to buildings, transportation and public spaces ensures employment opportunities are available for the 61 Million Americans with disabilities.  To learn more, or to take a deeper dive into the ADA visit Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA.gov

So, let’s jump in.  Similar to last year, this year’s list is again structured into three key categories –  Just Getting Started, Teach Me Something, and Give Me a Challenge – each category has 12 items with the exception of Give Me a Challenge which has 11 – making up this year’s list of 35 things to celebrate the Americans with Disabilities Act. 

We recommend you pick one item from each category.  For example, listen to a Ted Talk, make a list of all the accessibility features you use (e.g. captions, automatic doors etc.), create a disability inclusion suggestion box at your company.

Just Getting Started:

1. Learn the Basics: The CDC maps out a great way to become an A.L.L.Y – Acknowledge differences and the varying abilities of people. Learn about different types of disabilities. Leverage your influence to promote accessibility and inclusion. Downloadable poster and other info on the CDC site.   

   
   

2. Read a book on Disability Inclusion: We love "Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist" by Judy Heumann. Judy was known as the mother of the disability rights movement, and she passed away 2023. A movie by the same name is set to come out next year. Both share the powerful and compelling story of one of the most recognized disability inclusion leaders in the United States.

   
   

3. Take A Disability Webinar: Participate in a disability inclusion webinar or take a class on LinkedIn Learning to get an overview of business trends in disability inclusion to begin framing your ideas on how you can incorporate disability inclusion into your organization.

   
   

4. Listen to a Disability Ted Talk:  There are several on disability inclusion – a few we like and recommend are Tiffany Yu, CEO of DiverseAbility - Tiffany Yu: How to help employees with disabilities thrive | TED Talk.  Or TedX talk from Ruth Rathblott on “Unhiding”.

   
   

5.  Volunteer: Find a disability organization that aligns with your values (perhaps a team member is the parent of a child with a disability, and you want to support them.) Or connect with a disability advocacy organization that your company supports. Find ways to volunteer and engage and share your story. Check out www.yesaccess.org 

   
   

6. Review & Update Your Remote Work Policies: Most organizations have flexible work arrangements – telework, telecommuting, hybrid, remote, flex time, part-time, job sharing, etc. Look for opportunities to be more creative with employees with disabilities and all staff. Remember what is good for people with disabilities is good for everyone.

   
   

7. Join Your Disability Resource Group: Identify key events (ideally quarterly) where you recognize and educate employees about disability, employment and inclusion. Hear directly from your colleagues and learn about new accommodation and accessibility programs.

   
   

8. Know Your Disability Resources: A great place to start is to identify the disability resources that your company offers. Search your company website, what is on the intranet? Do you know how the accommodations process works at your company? Do you know who is leading disability inclusion efforts at your company? What is the hiring process for people with disabilities.

   
   

9. Know Your Accessibility Features: One of the key barriers that people with a variety of disabilities face is accessibility.  If you cannot access a product, a service, or a location you are being eliminated from participating. Learn how you can make your

   products, services, documents, and your meetings more accessible.  Microsoft has some great tools and resources to share. Check it out at www.microsoft.com/accessibility

   
   

10.  Know Your Competitors: You can learn a lot about disability inclusion from what others are doing. You can also learn from businesses that have had a misstep or two. Find three businesses that are leaders in disability inclusion, who also happen to be one of your competitors and identify a few of their practices that you want to emulate and begin to set them in motion.

    
    

11.  Create or Revise Your Disability Inclusion Plan: Check our blog entitled, “What is disability Inclusion it provides tools and resources as well as suggestions.   What is Disability Inclusion?

    
    

12. Become an Ally: Even as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the ADA, accessibility and inclusion practices are under attack. From threats to the ADA itself, to special education, to accommodations and attacks on Medicare and Medicaid. Add your voice especially to with your legislatures 5calls.org.

    
    

Teach Me Something

1. SHRM’s Disability Certificate Program: Pursue a comprehensive educational certificate provided by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) called Employing Abilities at Work Certificate. It is a FREE seven module course that goes through the employment lifecycle and discusses best practices for including people with disabilities at each stage. The training is geared to HR professionals and participants will receive continuing education credits towards their HR certification.

   
   

2. Attend Your Company’s Next ERG/BRG Meeting: Attend your company’s next ERG/BRG meeting/event and see how you can get involved and support the needs of your co-workers with disabilities.

   
   

3. Watch a Movie or Series with Disabled Characters: Try the mini-series on Netflix – “All the Light we Cannot See” an adaptation to the novel of the same name which has won multiple awards. Or “Code of Silence” a story of a Deaf woman who works at the police station and gets pulled into solving crimes because of her lip-reading skills.

   
   

4. Learn How to Handle Disability Disclosure: Let’s admit it disability conversations can be uncomfortable. Check out this article on the Do’s and Don’ts of disability disclosure. https://bit.ly/442JRRG 

   
   

5. Host an ADA Event: Host an event and bring in a speaker who is well versed in disability inclusion. Two notable speakers we love are – Dustin Gianelli who speaks on breaking barriers in our workplaces – you can reach him at www.hearsdustin.com or Ruth Rathblott who is an author and speaker focusing on unhiding. You can reach Ruth at www.ruthrathblott.com 

   
   

6. Watch Drunk History: Yes, it's a thing. Comedy Central has “historians” share stories of historical events while having a few cocktails. Each episode is about eight minutes. It's a fun way to learn about events in history. Comedy Central did an episode on Section 504 legislation. This legislation paved the way for the Americans with Disabilities Act and features disability rights activist Judy Heumann. Disclaimer: The episode has a lot of colorful language, so it is likely better suited for a homework assignment rather than a team viewing party.

   
   

7. Understand Your Company’s Accessibility Features: Do you know the accessibility features of your organization?  Identify 5 features and understand where they are and how to use them, and know how to refer others to the resources.

   
   

8. Rate Businesses for Their Accessibility: A new app www.wheelchariot.io lets you rate a business’s accessibility – from entrances, to restrooms, to signage and materials in alternative format.  Help others know about accessibility before going to a business, restaurant, bank or wherever!

   
   

9. Make A List of All the Accessibility Features You Use in Your Daily Life: Accessibility is mainstream – many of the products and tools we use today were invented for people with disabilities. Use captions while watching a movie? – thank a deaf person. Do you use curb cuts or automatic doors? These were created for those who use wheelchairs for mobility. Make a list of all the accessibility features and tools you use. Bottom line accessibility is necessary for some but benefits everyone.  So, if you create a more accessible workplace, you will create a better workplace for everyone.

   
   

10. Make a List of Accessible Restaurants, Hotels and Venues Near Your Office/Home: Ensure there are no surprises when going out for team events or welcoming family and friends. Providing a list of accessible venues near your locations will also be valuable for visiting customers, clients and candidates. This should also include accessible transportation.

    
    

11. Get Smart on Digital Accessibility: This is a hot topic and one that is critically important for your digital footprint and interactions with employees, customers and potential candidates.  Check out this blog from our friend and partner Hiram Kuykendall Getting Smart on Digital Accessibility: 5 things You need to know. https://bit.ly/3NhiCsd 

    
    

12. Pick A Topic: Learn about a disability or accessibility topic that can help you, a family member or a friend. For example, learn about how and why people with disabilities are the early adopters of new technologies? Or how people with disabilities are leading the way in AI use. Or learn how to make documents accessible.

    
    

Give Me A Challenge:

1. Survey Your Employees to get feedback on your Disability Inclusive policies, programs and procedures: Take the award winning Amplify Survey that asks employees with disabilities about their workplace experiences. Learn what they think about accommodations, self-id, disclosure, leadership, opportunities for advancement and more. For more info contact info@globaldisabilityinclusion.com for more information about the survey.

   
   

2. Conduct a Disability Assessment of Your Workplace: Have an expert review your disability policies, programs and procedures – as well as your digital accessibility and physical accessibility.  This will give you a solid plan of action to fix areas where you may have gaps. Oh, and we can help with this!

   
   

3. Make accessibility a standard practice: Make it a standard practice when scheduling team meetings to ask team members prior to the meeting if they need an accommodation. Different meeting formats may prompt different needs, so don’t assume because no one asked last time one is not needed. It also will help convey your intent to always be inclusive.

   
   

4. Include Disability Inclusion Milestones for your employees: Add competencies for all employees to develop and be rated against related to disability employment and inclusion. Make disability inclusion a goal for everyone.

   
   

5. Create a Disability Inclusion Suggestion Box: Allow a place for anonymous disability suggestions. The box can be present at ERG meetings and members can offer suggestions to the company. ERG leadership can then review and bring the five most suggested items to HR and assist with an action plan to address any access or inclusion needs.

   
   

6. Create a Quiet Room: Mothers’ rooms have been a common practice for decades. But we are seeing this expand to “Wellness Rooms” – rooms where employees can take up to 30 minutes to address their wellness needs. These rooms create a space for employees to give themselves an insulin shot, or sit quietly when a migraine happens, or a place to meditate and check your mental health during a stressful day.

   
   

7. Improve Customer Service Training for those with Disabilities: Most businesses provide some type of product or service. People with disabilities have $13 Trillion in discretionary spending. So, does your customer service team know how to interact with people with varying disabilities? Do they know how to interact with someone who is blind, deaf, uses a wheelchair, or is on the Autism Spectrum? If the answer is no, get them trained.

   
   

8. Create a Leadership Forum for Leaders to Talk About Their Disabilities: Celebrities often share their disability stories – this helps educate others about disability and eliminate stigma. We need more business leaders coming forward and discussing disability in the workplace to help normalize disability inclusion and accommodations.

   
   

9. Establish a Peer-to-Peer Mentoring Program: It is a common practice for new or junior employees to seek out mentors to help them with career navigation and professional development. Identify leaders who are willing to share disability status and become a mentor to new or existing employees with a disability.

   
   

10. Disability Inclusion is Everyone’s Responsibility: Often people believe access and inclusion is an IT or Facilities management issue. But everyone has a role to play in accessibility. Set clear expectations for internal and external documents on accessibility – educate your team on the basics – like making PowerPoints accessible, or how to make a PDF accessible. Who will be in charge of implementing accessible meetings and standards?  Set clear expectations and give your team members responsibility for executing inclusive practices.

     

11. Create/ Revitalize Disability Self-ID & Disclosure Campaigns: Self-Id & Disclosure campaigns are a great way to have disability inclusion conversations. Run a campaign to encourage employees to share disability status and be prepared to share how your company will support them.

    
    

    Well, that's a wrap of our annual list of amazing things you can do to celebrate the Anniversary of the ADA, during the month of July or on the anniversary itself, July 26th. We recommend you choose at least one item from each list - getting started, learn something new and challenge yourself or your organization.

     

     If you would like to discuss your ideas or need help crafting an event, reach out for a free 30-minute consultation.  #ADA35  #DisabilityInclusion #DisabledAndCapable #YesAccess