National Disability Employment Awareness Month is observed every October to recognize the contributions of employees with disabilities as well as the importance of inclusive employment policies.
While diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility, and belonging (DEIAB) groups and committees are increasingly standard in US organizations, their focus is often on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Disability is usually left out of the conversation. A report from the Return on Disability Group found that while 90% of companies stated they prioritize diversity, only 4% considered disability in their DEI programs. Yet 1.3 billion people in the world are disabled, representing 1 in 6 of us.
This October, World Animal Protection US is reflecting on how we can be better allies to the disability community, support disabled employees, and explore the connections between disability justice and animal rights movements. Join us by checking out the below resources.
1. Learn How to Speak and Write About Disability
Ableism (the system of oppression that disadvantages people with disabilities and advantages people who currently do not have disabilities) is deeply embedded in our beliefs and language. It’s easy to fall into ableist tropes (such as “inspirational” narratives, flattening the disabled experience, and viewing disability through a medical lens).
These resources provide guidance on speaking and writing about disability:
- How to Talk About Disability Sensitively and Avoid Ableist Tropes (NPR)
- Disability Language Style Guide (National Center On Disability and Journalism)
- Glossary of Ableist Phrases (Lydia X. Z. Brown)
- Becoming Disabled (New York Times)
2. Research Inclusive Policies
These resources outline inclusive policies that organizations and workplaces can implement, such as not using ableist language and making online content accessible:
- Intro to Disability Justice (GLSEN)
- Disability and Access (Showing Up for Racial Justice)
- How To…Digital Accessibility (Princeton)
- Create Accessible Content (Princeton)
3. The Connection Between Disability Rights and Animal Rights
Scholar and artist Sunaura Taylor “works at the intersection of disability studies, environmental humanities, animal studies, environmental justice, feminist science studies, and art practice.” She published Beasts of Burden: Animal and Disability Liberation in 2017 which explores divisions between humans and animals, and the disabled and nondisabled, and a process she calls “cripping animal ethics,” which refers to “claim[ing] the animal and the vulnerable in ourselves.” Read “Are Disability Rights and Animal Rights Connected? The Provocative Thinker Sunaura Taylor Speaks Out Against the Tyranny of Ableism” from the New Yorker to learn more.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is observed every October to recognize the contributions of employees with disabilities as well as the importance of inclusive employment policies.