Why I Self-Identified: Building a 503 Culture

Would you ever tell me that I should be ashamed of my disability?

I come to work every day knowing that there is no hiding the fact that I am Deaf. I’m inevitably going to miss 85 percent of the “hello!” and “have a good day” pleasantries that get passed on to me every day. It’s a reality that everyone notices at least once during their encounters with me.

I’m often asked about the impact of having a disability in the workplace and I tell them what I tell everyone, “the only difference my disability has, depends on you.”

My ability to fill a role has never been a challenge. My most common obstacles are other employees. There’s a false sense of comfort zones that exists across companies, we often feel that the best thing to do is avoid the scenario when the ironic reality is that those who take the bold step of asking me about my disability are the ones who gain immediate respect.

During these conversations, a silent majority of our employees reveal that they carry what we refer to as an “invisible disability”. These are the disabilities one can easily conceal; and because they can be concealed, they often are. When I take the liberty of asking these colleagues if they would ever voluntarily disclose their disability, their response is predictable yet somewhat surprising,

“Absolutely not!”

I don’t have the luxury of a choice. My disability cannot be dressed under the veil of perfection. But I have no desire to hide it. My disability is a part of who I am. It is because I embrace my disability that I often find myself discouraged by the impact of these words on me.

What does this say about the typical workplace culture? Have we created a culture where it is encouraged to hide our identity? The ramifications of this thinking creates ripple effects that translate into the dangerous thinking that individuals like me who cannot hide their disability should strive to minimize it as much as they can. 

Our eagerness to hide our disability implies that we have a culture where people like myself will suffer repercussions and a plethora of career-related challenges along the way.

Some will argue that disclosing our disability is a breach of our privacy rights and creates obstacles for ourselves. But the reality is that we are our own obstacles. As long as we continue to perpetuate the mindset that our journey would somehow be a better one if we hid our disability, we create barriers within our company culture.

Our company is constantly transforming, in the last few months we have seen the LGBT landscape transform. Whatever your feelings may be on the subject, it is clear that they have been able to successfully create a comfort zone within our society that is greater than the sum of its individuals. The future for people with disabilities is not far behind.

Everyone has their flaws, the idea that one would be reprimanded for their flaws is a myth created by antiquated systems. Today’s limitations are not implemented by our company, but by ourselves.

The perpetuation of a culture that embraces individuality starts with us. We must take it upon ourselves to create an environment where it is perfectly acceptable to have a disability. Only then can we embrace a culture that proudly fosters inclusion in its fullest form.

Embracing our disabilities is a bold step, but it’s a very important one to take. If you asked me today if I would disclose my disability, my response would be:

"Would you ever tell me that I should be ashamed of my disability?"

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed in this article are of the author and do not reflect the opinions of the author's employer.