Easterseals MORC’s Post

So, what is it really like to have a disability? For Disability Pride Month and the anniversary of the ADA, NPR wants to hear from you. Share your stories about your experiences as a person with a disability. #ShareYourStory #DisabilityInclusion #DisabledAndCapable

It pays to be kind, educate ourselves and do not pass judgement on others. While many are able to wear their invisible scars/ life ( health) circumstances well, this is no excuse for lack of emotional intelligence from the onlooker. Do not assume you know what is best for the individual, you could severly hinder or set them back! Many are willing to receive the help and are having to patiently wait for the appropraite support systems of doctors, therapist, coaches and employement to build and maintain a life specifally curated to thier specific needs and way of living. This process is so slow and gruelling at times with the many many hickups from incorrect treatments, diagnois and interference from individuals who have or who are currently manipulating others circumstances! Tough pill to swallow right? Well then lets practice some self reflection: Have you intentionally inflicted or contributed to someones suffering, leading to lossing hope, substance abuse, trauma responses and even suicide, yeah that part! #enough #timetolisten #bekind #walkinlove #advocate #serve

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Learn what you and your organization can do to celebrate NDEAM...because having a disability does not mean there is a lack of ability >> https://lnkd.in/eQsUZ9U #SDCB #NDEAM #DisabilityEmploymentAwareness

It's true that many disabilities are imperceptible to others. Others are visible but not registered by most as a disability. Think: impaired vision corrected with eyeglasses. When we consider the difference in the way we interact with disabilities we *register* as disabilities and those we don't, it can help us understand the importance of the social model of disability. For context, the social model stands in contrast to the medical model, which historically told us that there is a standard sort of person in which everything functions "right," and then there are people with inherent impairments, because they are measured against that standard. They are just disabled, regardless of context. The social model of disability says people are often and largely disabled by their environments. Barriers are in place that limit mobility or pace, for instance, and we can remove those barriers or reinforce them. A wheelchair user who cannot get to a conference room on the second floor because the elevator is out of service is disabled by the staircase being the only access point to the second floor. I am a glasses-wearer, and have been effectively EN-abled by the investment our society has made in making sure that eyeglasses and contacts are readily available and accounted for. If my glasses were to break, I could likely acquire a new pair within a few hours anywhere I am likely to be. As a deeper example, this year I went kayaking in Spain and was handed a special lanyard to attach to my glasses so that I would not lose them—the kayaking company had thought about and invested in this proactively for everyone with glasses. Do I have impaired eyesight? Yes. Is that a disability? Yes. Does the way we have invested in our environment to remove barriers for those with impaired vision impact the ways I move in the world? Immeasurably. How might we look at, think about, or treat other disabilities if we made the investments to remove comparable barriers as a norm? How would the resulting lives disabled folks could live impact the way we see them vs. how we may perceive them now? Credit to Imani Barbarin for reminding me that glasses-wearers are disabled in a recent talk of hers. I recommend checking out her work. © Compassionate Accountability LLC

Over 1/4 of Canadian adults—about 8 million people—live with at least one disability. This is a significant increase from 2017, reflecting both a growing awareness of disabilities and an actual rise in cases, particularly related to mental health. While many disabilities are readily apparent, a substantial number are hidden or invisible. Conditions like mental health challenges, chronic pain, and learning disabilities are common yet often go unnoticed. In fact, over 10% of Canadians reported experiencing mental health-related disabilities in 2022 alone. It's clear that a large portion of the millions of Canadians with disabilities live with conditions that are not immediately visible.

I have long been a supporter of Cisco's DEI efforts and hope that wherever my future takes me, I can commit to more of my job helping advance under-represented communities and be an active ally and accomplice to all things Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion. "Happy Disability Pride Month"? Maybe... but let's make it an "INTENTIONAL & ACTIVE Disability Pride Month"! Let us all do our best to help remove the stigma by empowering PWD (People With Disabilities) and normalize ourselves with their needs and being a champion where we are able! #NotAllDisabiliesAreVisible #Neurodiversity #Neurodivergent #PTSD #Depression #Anxiety (Interested in schooling yourself up a little? Check the list in the comments.)

Society very good at expediently ignoring others who on first impressions don't meet their perceptions of disability. Especially the 50% more children presenting with visual disruptions in the 21st Digital Century with symptoms of eye-strain and binocular vision stress debilitating reasonably fluent access to text excluding them from fully participating in learning and leaving education as functionally and digitally illiterate as they arrived. Nothing new as, "School Myopia" has been around ever since our Industrial Model Education system was launched nevertheless, in the 21st Digital Century eye-strain and/or binocular vision due to near indoor life-styles and close-up over exposure to sub-optimally calibrated display screen devices causing . https://lnkd.in/dJw4iSB History of School Myopia and potential visual functional visual difficulties when "binocular vision stress" has not be diagnosed and nor has convergence and accommodation remediated appropriate 3D vision rehabilitative treatment. https://lnkd.in/epcN9CGr https://lnkd.in/d_upyydp #PublicHealth #DigitalEyeHealth #DiversityAndExclusion #Visionloss #MyopiaManagement #AsthenopiaControl

How can you help by sharing your stories and experiences?

Hearing loss is an invisible disability...yet not everyone with this condition identifies as having a disability or chooses to disclose it on the job. If you're a professional with #hearingloss, what's your experience in the workplace? Do you request and receive #accessibility accommodations? Has ableism and/or discrimination ever been an issue? Let us know via comment or DM. #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityInclusion #ADA

This transformative journey has not only expanded my knowledge but has also deepened my understanding of the diverse perspectives within the disability community. #DisabilityInclusion #DisabilityRights #DiversityandInclusion