Nearly 90 years ago, Helen Keller issued a challenge to Charlotte leaders: Do something to help.
After losing both her sight and hearing to an illness before her second birthday, Keller spent her life navigating the challenges that come with having a disability. Challenges that would likely never cross the mind of a person without one. And she knew that without the support of the community at large, people with disabilities were fighting a losing battle.
“People with disabilities always have to think harder … they always have to think ahead,” says Claire Bingham, a physical therapist and certified athletic trainer with OrthoCarolina.
The things many of us take for granted — eating at a restaurant, reading emails, searching for a job, getting a little exercise — can be a source of stress and frustration for people with disabilities.
The CDC estimates one in three North Carolinians has some kind of disability. That’s more than 2.5 million people who experience difficulty with mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive function and more.
Keller’s challenge to the leaders of the Queen City 88 years ago still rings true. There are so many ways to support our friends, neighbors and fellow community members who have disabilities. Here are five things you can do to help people with disabilities right now:
Think about accessibility
Helping people with disabilities starts with getting them in the door — both literally and figuratively.
“For some people with disabilities, there’s definitely a level of frustration because of the significant effort it takes for them to do what’s simple for others,” Claire says. “For example, a person who uses a wheelchair might feel left out or like they can’t go places because they know it will not be accessible to them.”
The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) has made significant strides for people with mobility and other challenges when it comes to getting around in buildings, parks, sidewalks and other public and private spaces.
“But it’s still not great,” Claire says. “We have a long way to go.”
For people with vision and hearing difficulties, even accessing a website can be a challenge.
“Individuals with vision loss interact with web platforms and documents differently than anyone else,” says Dana Draa, the chief program officer for Metrolina Association for the Blind (MAB), a nonprofit that provides accessible document services like braille, audio CD and large-print PDFs to corporations across the country.
MAB is a direct result of Keller’s challenge to Charlotte city leaders all those years ago. The handful of volunteers who agreed to take action back then has evolved into a multi-platform organization that offers vision rehabilitation services, clinics, events and more. And one of their top goals is increasing accessibility for the more than 16,000 Mecklenburg County residents who have some level of vision loss.
“These are individuals in the community that have important contributions they can’t contribute because we haven’t mastered the ability for them to fully integrate,” Dana says. “And if we can’t integrate them, we’re missing out on being able to understand and experience life from someone else’s perspective.”
Be deliberate with accessibility plans
“If you own a business or restaurant, or are putting on an event, making sure it’s up to and beyond ADA standards is a huge step,” Claire says. “And beyond that, making sure there are no aisles that are narrow and making sure there are open handicapped parking spaces and bathrooms are all important as well.”
Dana says seemingly small considerations, like offering large-print menus at restaurants, can make a real difference to patrons with disabilities.
“Always ask the accessibility question. You may not know the answers, but just ask the question,” Dana says. “If you’re really not sure, find an organization that can help.”
(We’ll list several such organizations at the end of this post.)
Hire people with disabilities
Among the most important ways to help people with disabilities: Hire them.
“The unemployment rate of people with disabilities is incredibly high,” says Beth Butler, executive director of Disability:IN North Carolina. “It ranges anywhere from 69 to 73 percent and is sometimes as high as 80 percent, which is absolutely pathetic when you think of the opportunities we have here.”
Disability:In is the leading national nonprofit resource for businesses and disability inclusion worldwide, and includes a network of more than 400 corporations across the country and world. One of their top priorities right now: getting people with disabilities into the workforce.
“You can’t go into a business right now without seeing a ‘Help Wanted’ sign, and the talent pool among people with disabilities is about 12.4 million working-age Americans. We are really focused on ensuring that companies know this talent pool exists, and that people with disabilities are ready and able to work,” Beth says.
Disability:IN offers resources like job boards for companies and job seekers, events, training and more to help bridge the gap between businesses and potential or current employees with disabilities.
“There’s not a cookie-cutter approach to this and some companies are reluctant to start the journey of disability inclusion for fear of making a mistake. But the reality is, you’re not going to get it right every time. You’ll make mistakes along the way — we all do,” Beth says. “But just begin the journey because the benefits are far greater than the fear.”
Another challenge can be overcoming the stigma once people with disabilities are hired.
“You have people with disabilities working for you today, you just don’t know it,” Beth says. “About 75% of people with disabilities have non-visible disabilities. It could be anything from mental health, diabetes, heart disease, blood pressure or even chronic migraines. Does that mean a person needs an accommodation? Most times, maybe not. If we’re not transforming corporate culture, if we’re not doing the work around stigma … then individuals with disabilities will continue to stay hidden.”
Beth also said employers should understand that COVID-19 might trigger some employees’ formerly hidden disabilities — so they’ll need to be ready to offer support where they can.
“We’re challenging companies to be aware that we’ll have a population of individuals who may have been working for years with well-managed disabilities like anxiety, depression, or autoimmune issues, but because of where we’ve been in the past two years, they may be forced to disclose a disability for the first time,” she says. “We need to have the resources and be ready to engage in open conversations to help guide and retain this talent.”
If you have a disability, consider disclosing it
For Beth, the journey is personal. Legally blind since birth, she uses assistive technology to be successful at her job.
“If I don’t have the magnification software on my computer, I can’t produce. So I choose to disclose,” she says. “But people will ask me, ‘Should I disclose my disability?’ and I tell them it’s an individual choice.”
Disclosure, however, can help change corporate culture and show people with disabilities they aren’t alone.
“Identify the highest-ranking individual in your organization who has a disability and has chosen to disclose it. That is huge to transform a culture,” Beth says. “We’ve had executives who were willing to talk to organizations about their journey with a learning disability. And when executives can be transparent, that is a huge impact on their workforce visibility.”
Patronize businesses who are doing it right
Beth says one great way to support people with disabilities is by patronizing companies that prioritize disability inclusion.
Grab a coffee at Bitty & Beau’s, a coffee shop founded in Wilmington in 2016 with 19 employees who had developmental and intellectual disabilities. Owners Amy and Ben Wright were inspired by their own children Lillie, Emma Grace, Beau and Bitty. Lillie was born with autism, and Bitty & Beau were born with Down syndrome.
The business grew quickly and now has more than 200 employees in 23 shops across the country, including a new one in the Queen City.
Other QC-based companies who have earned a reputation for inclusivity include Lowe’s, Trane Technologies, EY, Equitable, Allstate, Ally and TIAA.
Lowe’s, for example, has vests, badges and other insignia for deaf associates and associates who know sign language to help deaf customers. And TIAA was named a leading disability employer by the National Organization on Disability.
How can you tell whether a company is disability-inclusive? Do a little research.
“Check out their website,” Beth suggests. “Do they talk about their diversity equity and inclusion strategy and does it include disability? If it does, it should be front and center on the website just like everything else. Is their website accessible? Are there statements about needing an accommodation? Those are all really good ways to kick the tires.”
Volunteer/Donate
As a physical therapist, Claire had been helping patients with disabilities make their lives easier every day during their sessions. Then volunteering with Camp Blue Skies truly helped shape her perspective.
This residential camp for adults with developmental disabilities helps enhance campers’ lives through socialization, recreation and life skills education.
“When you volunteer you’re really getting to know these people and learning skills that can truly help them,” says Claire, who’s also on the Camp Blue Skies board. “(As a physical therapist) I ask patients what activities in their daily lives they are having problems with, and how we can make it easier. And often it’s assistive devices like wheelchairs, walkers or canes. But it’s also how they’re treated.”
Claire says people with disabilities often feel like others talk down to them or don’t treat them like adults.
“They want to be treated with respect, and they want people to see them, not their disability,” she says. “Volunteering alongside them is something that can take away that stigma.”
Find out more about volunteering at Camp Blue Skies here or donate here.
Many people with disabilities experience depression because they can’t participate in activities they once did, like running.
Organizations like Para Guide, which provides support for walking/running, cycling, and swimming for adaptive athletes, can help people do what they once loved (or help them start a new hobby). They’re able to serve blind and visually impaired individuals, Deaf/Blind individuals, and mobility impaired individuals in all three disciplines: walking/running, cycling and swimming.
Donate here and contact Para Guide about volunteer opportunities here.
MAB hosts several disability-inclusive events each year including an accessible art tour where volunteers describe murals for visually impaired attendees. Volunteer here or donate here.
In addition to money, you can also help people with disabilities by donating medical supplies.
Organizations like Assist M.E. accept new or gently used devices like wheelchairs, transfer benches and more to give to people with temporary or permanent disabilities who might not be able to afford them.
“There was a long-term wheelchair user who said he isn’t ‘confined to a wheelchair’ — the wheelchair is what allows him to get out and have hiss freedom,” says Jack Sheehan, executive director of Assist M.E. “People who are either temporarily or permanently disabled will be able to function and have a sense of freedom they wouldn’t have without the equipment.”
What’s more, the proper equipment can keep people with disabilities out of the hospital and safe from injury.
“People who can’t afford equipment sometimes just make do. They might hop on one leg to go to the bathroom. But the problem is that sometime over the course of weeks or months, they fall and end up back in the hospital,” Jack said. “When people get the proper mobility equipment, there’s a 90% reduction in falls and a 90% reduction in readmission.”
Jack says often, donations come in from people who recently lost a family member and who are glad to see the equipment help someone else.
“It’s very gratifying to see the smiles on peoples’ faces,” he says. “They’re so happy and grateful to be able to have this to move around and get through life as close to back to normal as they can be.”
Donate to Assist M.E. here and volunteer here.
Use person-first language
Arguably the simplest way to support people with disabilities is to use person-first language, says Claire.
Simply put, person-first language means saying “person with autism” rather than “autistic person.”
“It’s a way to show that you see the person, not just their disability,” she says. “People with disabilities are just like us. They want to be respected and be included.”
Other ways to help
Volunteer, donate or otherwise support these organizations:
North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association
Know another organization we should include? Please tell us in the comments!
This post was sponsored by OrthoCarolina. OrthoCarolina is committed to improving the lives of all we serve by embracing diversity, fostering a sense of belonging and advancing our community at large.
