Diversity Exchange

Craving Simon Cowell’s Ridicule

Anyone who’s watched American Idol knows just how sharp Simon Cowell’s tongue is. Hard to imagine volunteering to go on stage and risk his ridicule. Why then, when the rest of the world cried foul, did Special Olympics International send him a letter thanking him for ribbing a mentally disabled contestant about his weight?

Answer:  Because it meant Simon was treating him the same way he treated any other candidate.

In this case, it felt good to be treated bad, when bad is the way Simon treated everyone else. And that’s exactly how the growing population of people with disabilities wants to be treated—like everyone else.

51 million Americans—or 18% of the population—suffer from disabilities. That’s the largest minority in the US. At 15%, it’s also the largest in Europe. That means that more of us than ever before are likely to work with or know someone with a disability. If you’re uncertain whether to look them in the eyes, shake their artificial hand, or pet their seeing eye dog, remember that the disability is part of the person. It doesn’t define who they are. For additional insight, take a look at Diversity Inc’s list of 10 Do’s and Don’t for working with people with disabilities:

10 Do's and Don'ts

1. Do shake hands with a person even if he or she has limited hand use or artificial limbs.
2. Do ask a person if he or she needs assistance before actually helping.  For example, a person in a wheelchair may not need you to help push their chair.
3. Do speak directly to the person with a disability rather than to a companion or sign-language interpreter.
4. Do encourage other employees to learn more about how to communicate best with a person with hearing disabilities, possibly offering sign-language courses.
5. Do give appropriate compliments, but avoid excessive praise when a person with a disability accomplishes a task.

1. Don't pet a guide or companion dog while it's working.
2. Don't be embarrassed to use common expressions such as "I've got to run now," "See you later," or "Have you heard about" even if the person doesn't run, see or hear well.  People with disabilities use these phrases all the time.
3. Don't shout or speak in the person's ear.  Your facial expressions, gestures and body movements help in understanding.
4. Don't assume that a person does not have a disability  just because you cannot see one.  many people have hidden disabilities ranging from psychological disabilities to chronic illnesses.
5. Don't marvel at a person's ability to perform simple life functions. --by Won Kim

Corbette Doyle
Chief Diversity Officer

Navigating the Workplace

I recently had surgery which left me temporarily disabled, with my mobility limited to that provided by a device called a “roll-a-bout.”  This fantastic invention enables me to get from Point A to Point B much more quickly, and I can mostly avoid crutches.  Prior to my surgery, I was more aware of disability issues because a family member is confined to a wheelchair.  However, it did not prepare me for how difficult it would be to navigate our modern office tower.

I am fortunate that my manager lives in my neighborhood and kindly offered to drive me to work.  Having called the parking facility in advance, I learned that the handicapped parking spots are located in the doldrums of Aon Center, level 5.  There are approximately 4 handicapped spots for the whole facility, and 5 is the *only* level with no steps.  Unfortunately, I also learned later that the parking valets routinely park non-handicapped vehicles in those spots as well as the “lined-out” spots surrounding the handicapped spots: making entry and exit nearly impossible.  One day, when I had driven myself in, I went to go home and found that I was blocked in by not only cars, but also orange construction cones.  Unable to navigate around these obstacles, I called out for assistance - no response.  I beeped my horn - again, no response.  Finally, I held down the horn until the valet washing a vehicle informed me that it was not his job to help me.  He signaled for another gentleman to slowly mosey over to move the obstacles out of my way.  Considering my mobility was limited in only one leg, I can't image the difficulty that someone in a wheelchair would have!

Going from the parking garage to my desk would be simpler, I thought, as I had previously noticed handicapped signs on the building.  I discovered that to get to the office elevators from the parking elevators, one can choose to either go a short distance to the South Security desk (by exiting the building temporarily) or circumnavigate all of Aon Center to get to the North Security Desk.  Both options led me out of my way, making my trip longer and more difficult.  After successfully navigating security (only one entrance / exit slot for the disabled), it was straightforward to get to an odd floor number via the Lower Level elevator entries.  However, if I needed an even floor number, I realized that those of us unable to reach the Upper Level via the escalator have the pleasure of riding the freight elevators, alongside tools, mail carts, and garbage bags. 

I was relieved once I was able to reach my desk and get to work.  My group was so helpful in ensuring my area was set up to accommodate my injury.  They went out of their way to get me lunch, water refills, anything that I needed: they were there to help.  Once I traveled around the floor, however, more issues arose.  First, I was fascinated to find that perfectly capable individuals will enter a bathroom with 5 empty stalls and will choose to use the *only* handicapped accessible stall (having discussed this, I understand that the “normal” stalls are too small for many people anyway). 

More troubling, I was surprised at the number of people who will let a door close on your face.  There were *many* more people who went out of their way to hold the door open, but still a number too significant not to mention who were too busy or ignorant to help.  But those individuals are also the people who go out of their way to ask you all about your disability in the elevator, hallway, or cafeteria.  “What happened?”  “Isn't that device hard to use?” “That looks terrible!” and other statements seem to flow freely when you are disabled.  Many people have a new found interest in my personal business.

My temporary disability has been an eye-opening experience for me and the people with whom I work.  My colleagues have been supportive in accommodating my temporary challenges and we have all come away from this experience with a new found respect for the individuals who struggle with a disability on a temporary or permanent basis.

Allison Windon, ARM
Manager, Aon Global Professional Services
Chicago, IL