The Empathy Edge Julie Harris: Why Disability Accommodations Are Smart Business
Your organization may be missing out on the talent, innovation, and productivity of your workforce because of your own actions! I'm talking about accommodating disability. When we fail to invest in mindset and policy shifts, we fail to optimize the people within our organizations.
After experiencing complete memory loss due to a brain injury, my guest, Julie Harris, defied expectations as she found success in education and the corporate world. Today, we bond over our brain injury stories and discuss the definition of disability, how stigma impairs human performance, and how you may be hindering innovation and productivity. We also discuss why accommodation is not special treatment and why many fail to realize we all expect accommodations daily. Julie shares practical advice for what leaders can do to unleash the potential of disabled workers and achieve their business goals.
To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at TheEmpathyEdge.com
Key Takeaways:
- Not everybody’s disability looks the same or requires the same things, even if they are in the same category of disability.
- Disable and unable are not the same thing. The term disability is an accurate and correct description because it's something externally acting upon your body to make it not able.
- When the brain is under stress, we are only concerned with survival, which impairs your employee’s ability to do the work, impacting the bottom line.
"We accommodate people all the time at work and in everyday life, yet when it comes to disability, it had to be a legal right granted because those accommodations were so frequently denied. Just because one person needs a different thing doesn't mean it's preferential treatment. We're giving them exactly what they need to do their job." — Julie Harris
References:
- The Empathy Edge podcasts:
- Michael Bach: What Exclusion is Costing Your Company
- Minette Norman: Psychological Safety
- Disclo: disclo.com
From Our Partner:
SparkEffect partners with organizations to unlock the full potential of their greatest asset: their people. Through their tailored assessments and expert coaching at every level, SparkEffect helps organizations manage change, sustain growth, and chart a path to a brighter future.
Go to sparkeffect.com/edge now and download your complimentary Professional and Organizational Alignment Review today.
About Julie Harris, CEO/Founder, Access My Ability. Author of Boldly Belong:
After experiencing complete memory loss due to a brain injury, Julie quickly defied doctors’ expectations as she found success in secondary education and the corporate world. Drawing from personal study and formal education in neuroscience, process improvement, and disability inclusion, she consults with individuals and organizations around the globe. Despite having less than 16 years’ worth of memory and knowledge, Julie is now CEO and Founder of Access My Ability and author of Boldly Belong: The Power of Being You in a Disabling Society. Her expertise has been sought after by numerous Fortune 500 companies, where she has delivered compelling speeches and invaluable consultation on disability inclusion, workplace rights, and reasonable accommodation process improvement. Julie’s goal is to demonstrate that success can be achieved through unconventional paths that defy rules and expectations.
Connect with Julie:
Access My Ability: accessmyability.org
LinkedIn: Julie Harris
Book: Boldly Belong: The Power of Being You in a Disabling Society
Connect with Maria:
Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com
Learn more about Maria and her work: Red-Slice.com
Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross
Take my LinkedIn Learning Course! Leading with Empathy
LinkedIn: Maria Ross
Instagram: @redslicemaria
X: @redslice
Facebook: Red Slice
Threads: @redslicemaria
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