Inclusion & Belonging: July is Disability Pride Month!
July marks the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), landmark legislation, passed on July 26, 1990 that broke down some barriers to inclusion in society. That year, Boston, held the first Disability Pride Day, and the first official celebration of Disability Pride Month occurred in July 2015, which was the 25th
anniversary of the ADA. Since then, other cities across the country have celebrated disability pride month with parades and festivities, celebrating the over-1 billion disabled people worldwide (World Health Organization, 2023).
As human resources professionals, we strive to help our companies and the leaders ensure inclusivity in the workplace. An inclusive workplace is one where employees feel valued, involved, and respected for the viewpoints, ideas, perspectives, and experiences they bring. According to the Center for Disease Control, disability inclusion means understanding the relationship between the way people function and how they participate in society (and at work), and making sure everybody has the same opportunities to participate in every aspect of life to the best of their abilities and desires. This can be challenging because, as noted by Wendi Safstrom, president of the SHRM Foundation, "nearly 80 percent of disabilities are invisible.”
WISHRM’s Accommodate in Place Initiative provides resources to support organizations in their efforts. And, if you would like to learn to become a stronger advocate for disability inclusion, specifically, consider earning the SHRM Foundation’s Employing Abilities at Work Certificate. The no-cost certificate, made possible by an initial investment grant from Kessler Foundation and in partnership with Global Disability Inclusion, aims to educate human resource professionals, people managers and business leaders about the benefits of providing a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace for individuals with disabilities (SHRM Foundation, May 2022).
To conclude with an important, but friendly, reminder, if your company, organization, or non-profit is doing exceptional diversity and inclusion work at their workplace, please nominate them for the 2024 WISHRM diversity, inclusion, and belonging award. Each year the Wisconsin SHRM State Council recognizes an organization for their efforts and accomplishments in the areas of diversity and inclusion presented annually at the WI SHRM State Conference, held in October at the Kalahari Resort and Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. Read about our recent winners Schreiber Foods (2023), Engauge Workforce (2022), and Quartz (2021) here.
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