How To Include People with Disabilities
In light of all of these findings, you are probably asking, “How do I make this better?” Others have asked that too and there are several peer organizations in the social sector making monumental strides to include people with disabilities. The Ford Foundation, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, MacArthur Foundation and others have made great strides on journey to fully include people with disabilities. Each of these organizations is stronger and more successful in their work because of these efforts, and in working with them and others, RespectAbility has developed a proven roadmap.
Inclusion is not like a light switch that simply gets turned on or off. It is more like a dimmer switch that you push forward into the light with intentionality, focus, and performance metrics. It is a journey, not a simple checklist.
To help our social sector colleagues, we humbly offer these suggestions in response to some of the more challenging findings from the study.
4.1. Changing Our Culture and Priorities
While 72 percent of organizations represented by survey respondents have made DEI a priority, only 68 percent of those groups have mentioned disability as an area of focus or concern. In comparison, 93 percent mention [...]