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October 18, 2005
Beyond Being an Easy Mark
My first taste of the world of business happened when I was 12 during Halloween week back in 1955. It was perhaps a less abrasive time 50 years ago, but the barriers for individuals with disabilities were just as real as they are today, if not more entrenched.
See my Halloween story, "First Payment for Doubt's Benefit."
I was crushed for days after I had let down my "house brother." I knew I had failed to prevent someone from taking advantage of me, and I wondered if that was to be my real affliction in life: to always be the "easy mark" for others.
But I gradually learned an important lesson from that experience. As I grew up, I leaned to trust but verify – even in the most innocent of circumstances.
There are many stories among eSight members, I’m sure, about learning how to live well in a rough and tumble world with a sense of personal integrity.
So, here is the discussion question this week on eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" blog:
What’s the best way to handle a work situation in which a person is taking advantage of you due to your apparent vulnerability?
Posted by Jim at 06:52 PM | Comments (5)
October 03, 2005
Summary for September: Creative Survivors - Who We Are, Why We’re Needed
Those of us with disabilities can be valuable employees because we bring a creativity to the workplace based on what we've learned in solving problems which stem from our personal vulnerabilities.
And, although we may need help occasionally, we have most likely learned to be self sufficient on a mature, adult level. We’re "survivors" because we’ve managed to use our creativity to overcome or sidestep barriers to thrive in the mainstream.
Many of us have learned that first-hand. But I hadn’t really thought about it much until the September 2005 discussion eSight members had on this "Swimming in the Mainstream" (SiM) blog about how to survive mainstream employment when you have a disability.
I thank all of you who contributed your thoughts about this issue. Your insight opened my eyes – and I’m sure will be helpful for employers.
I’ve summarized your discussion from an employer standpoint in a new eSight article "Creative Survivors Add Elasticity to Your Workforce."
It’s featured this week in eSight’s Employer Resources section, and we’ll distribute it widely to employers through eSight’s extensive outreach mailing list -– all made possible by a grant from the American Express Foundation.
If you have further thoughts to add to the discussion capped by "Creative Survivors Add Elasticity to Your Workforce," please do so here.
Posted by Jim at 06:52 PM | Comments (0)
October 02, 2005
Your Special Rules for Survival
We, as human beings, are quite fragile. Unlike the penguin, we don’t do well in cold weather. Unlike the elephant, we can’t detect an upcoming tsunami.
We may be vulnerable, but we are adaptive and solution-oriented. We wear insulated clothing. We use technology to track storms.
We also adapt technology to compensate for visual impairment, a disability which makes some of us vulnerable. But using adaptive technology to compensate for our human frailty can make that vulnerability irrelevant.
In fact, our individual vulnerabilities are valuable -- to our society as well as individual organizations and companies -- because they stretch our ability to be adaptable as human beings.
In the competitive business world, that kind of reasoning is often lost. An all able-bodied workforce can become flabby in terms of creativity and problem-solving, precisely because it lacks diversity and does not include individuals who look at opportunities just a little bit differently.
Individuals with disabilities can be valuable employees because they bring a creativity to the workplace based on what they’ve learned in solving problems which stem from their personal vulnerabilities.
So, keep that in mind the next time you go through an apparently embarrassing situation at work. Not-so-cool happenings come with the territory.
For an account of an embarrassing situation I’ll never forget, see "Go to Plan B."
Reply to this week’s discussion question on eSight’s "Swimming in the Mainstream" blog:
What special rules for survival have you, as a person living with a disability, created for yourself at work?
Posted by Jim at 04:24 PM | Comments (6)