Striving to foster a genuinely inclusive workplace? If so, you may not know about one group who could be struggling silently: those with invisible or non-apparent disabilities. In this episode of Transform Your Workplace, Brandon Laws discusses the pressing yet largely unaddressed issue of invisible disability with guest Jill Griffin, career strategist, and executive coach. Learn how to recognize and advocate for those with invisible disabilities when working toward comprehensive inclusivity in the workplace.
GUEST AT A GLANCE
Jill Griffin is an executive coach and strategist with over twenty years of experience working with well-known brands such as Coca-Cola, Microsoft, Samsung, and Hilton Hotels. She is passionate about helping executive leaders address the “deeper problems” holding them back from success.
A QUICK GLIMPSE INTO OUR PODCAST
🔊 Podcast: Transform Your Workplace, sponsored by Xenium HR
🎙️ Host: Brandon Laws
📋 In his own words: “The Transform Your Workplace podcast is your go-to source for the latest workplace trends, big ideas, and time-tested methods straight from the mouths of industry experts and respected thought-leaders.”
WHAT IS AN INVISIBLE DISABILITY?
An invisible disability is also known as a non-apparent disability. According to recent guest Jill Griffin, it’s all too common for people to “assume [that] if you look a certain way, you’re able-bodied, or if you don’t, you’re not able-bodied.” These assumptions are a hindrance to creating a truly inclusive workplace environment.
Jill went on to say that “it becomes challenging because, if you are the person with the invisible disability, it means that you have to constantly advocate for yourself.” Those with invisible disabilities may need additional accommodations to perform their duties effectively. Creating awareness about and taking steps toward tackling this issue is essential if we want to foster full-scale inclusivity.
PODCAST EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Disability Inclusivity
“Less than 10% of the inclusion dollars go against disabilities. So we know that we have racism, we have ageism, and we have sexism — they are real, they are structures. And if we all agreed on how to fix them, we would’ve fixed them. But ableism is often not discussed as part of the ‘isms’ that are keeping people in positions and actions and attitudes that really create trying scenarios. Something like 25% of the US population is visibly disabled, but the stats on non-apparent disabilities are invisible. It varies because, again, it’s not disclosed.”
Opening Our Eyes
“As more and more are returning to work, the accommodations aren’t there, and it just becomes really hard. […] And because you have to constantly advocate for yourself, you start to feel like you’re a burden, right? […] And there are simple ways that we can make this much more accessible for more people while not just assuming that everybody is able-bodied.”
The Pros and Cons of Disclosing
“If I was to be hired with an organization, I don’t know that I would disclose again. There are pluses and minuses to disclosing. So if I don’t have an episode, I don’t have to disclose, and I don’t have to let you know that there’s a problem, and I don’t have to be ‘othered.’ I don’t have to be labeled, and I don’t have to be noticed as a burden. But by not disclosing, there’s the challenge where I don’t create a capacity for you to help me, and we don’t build that mutual loyalty and trust.”
Engendering Loyalty
“Being able to change your ways as a company creates a level of loyalty. […] People claim that when they are working side by side with people with visible and non-apparent disabilities, they feel better about the social construct of the company […]. So it creates this understanding that they work for a company that is really diverse and takes care of people, so even the able-bodied people feel better about themselves.”
Creating Awareness Among Leadership
“I would make sure that your leadership […] is educated on non-apparent and invisible disabilities. I would also make sure that you’ve updated your employee handbooks and that you have language. […] If up to 20% of people in America have a non-apparent disability, they already work for you, and they are potentially suffering right in front of you.”
LEARN MORE
Interested in finding out more about Jill Griffin and how she can help your executive team? Check out her website or follow her on Instagram.