#DisabiltyPrideMonth Celebrating ALL Abilities

[JCBrown]

With the month of July being deemed as "Disability pride month" and not much noise really being made about this across different media platforms, we wanted to use the last week of July to really celebrate people of disability.

Our motto during this time is to "Celebrate ALL Abilities".

This week we have an interview with our very own Tony Byng of Mobunti Limited, who is a member of the UKBF community. The interview with Tony will be premiering live on the UKBF Youtube page so stay tuned!

Tony openly shares some of the challenges he faced with his health as a young man starting his business and how facing adversity spurred him on to be where he is today.

Throughout this week we want to hear your thoughts about inclusivity in the workplace and whether this is something that is openly embraced?

Do you yourself have a disability or know someone in business who has a disability, and if so how did that disability affect the business they were running or involved in?

Was it positive or negative?

 

[fisicx]

Whilst I applaud awareness of any sort, disability and ability covers a huge range. Many people may have a condition limiting their ability without being disabled.

And inclusivity is a lot more than just ability or disability, prejudice and attitude plays a large part in how we treat others as many women can attest.

 

[AllUpHere]

I prefer the idea that we are all on a spectrum of ability / disability somewhere ( in very much the same way as autism is thought of as a spectrum). Nobody is totally able, and nobody is totally disabled.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

I disagree with all the pride things as they are actually exclusive not inclusive which in my mind is part of the problem in society

 

[Mark T Jones]

I disagree with all the pride things as they are actually exclusive not inclusive which in my mind is part of the problem in society

I do often ponder on the paradox of creating groups and communities in the name of being inclusive.

Other times I just watch rubbish on telly.

 

[japancool]

Speaking as a disabled person, "disability pride month" neatly lumps all disabled people together, as if we're some kind of monolithic group.

It's like BAME (in which I am also categorised), as if all ethnic people are somehow the same, and need the same kind of special, patronising treatment.

I don't much care to see disability "celebrated". I have one foot and kidney failure. What possible relevance does my experience have to someone with cystic fibrosis or dyslexia?

It's all very well and good talking about celebrating disability, and yet, local councils continue with pedestrianisation schemes and bike schemes, all the while ignoring those people for whom these things cause real difficulties.

 

[Ozzy]

IMHO awareness campaigns such as this, BLM, the Pride marches, and many others are not created by those communities for themselves. They are created to raise awareness of the challenges they face from those who are not aware.
For quite a few years now I have worked as a volunteer on projects related to getting "disabled people" into work, mainly young people and those leaving education usually destined to be unemployed and on benefits for the rest of their lives often in a form of care.
A significant proportion of these people want to work but almost always face, still today, stigma from potential employers with some taking on the notional wheelchair person to tick a box. Many also face challenges from their families obstructing them getting into work, it's not a straight forward issue as the families lose benefits if their disabled child finds work too.

As for the business front; I've experienced a business owner bragging that disabled people are great for cheap labour, others say they can't employ disabled people as their staff will feel awkward around them, can't employ disabled people because they won't be able to work properly, and various other issue comments. Education and awareness is needed to educate these people that these people are very capable, and in some case more capable.

need the same kind of special, patronising treatment

If that's the message being delivered then the person delivering that message has got it all wrong. All I can say is the projects I've been involved in deliver the message that no, although there may be some minor adjustments, they don't need special treatment. I use an example from my own business, a guy here with a disability from birth means he's very short. We just had to buy a £2.50 step for him to reach a door lock.

prejudice and attitude plays a large part in how we treat others as many women can attest.

This is, again IMHO, what awareness campaigns represent. They shouldn't be about drawing attention to the differentiators but actually about drawing attention to the commonalities and positives. It's about awareness afterall.

 

[fisicx]

I agree @Ozzy but it’s not awareness that’s needed. You aren’t going to change people’s attitudes this way.

 

[Ozzy]

I disagree, I believe awareness is what educates. Using the original homosexuality pride movement from many years ago started by bringing awareness by way of celebration. Before then homosexuality had a huge stigma attached to it and people even lost their jobs after "coming out", but the awareness drove support which created a shift in opinion and now homosexuality barely batters an eyelid. Most of society is indifferent about it, which is how I feel it should be.

 

[japancool]

Thing is @Ozzy, it's not just about attitudes. It's about practical measures.

It's not comparable with homosexuality awareness, where a shift in attitude was what was required. As a general rule, one does not, for example, have to make modifications in shops or offices to accommodate gay people. But the number of places where, for example, it is so cramped that I can't move around, or stuff is upstairs and there's no lift, or, as I alluded to above, I can't even get to a shop because pedestrianisation means I can't get a taxi close to the premises is appalling.

Take airports for example. At the moment, the security and border queues are several HOURS long, with nowhere to sit. I can't stand for 10 minutes, never mind several hours, and if I sit on the floor, it's very difficult for me to stand up again. How are disabled people supposed to cope when officialdom treats them as an afterthought?

The problem is, because the word "disabled" covers such a wide range of different conditions, you can't just put a ramp in and say "I'm not disability friendly", and it doesn't help to treat disabled people as a homogenous block or a single demographic.

 

[Ozzy]

That is very valid @japancool and I don’t proclaim to know the answers myself other than to try.
As someone affected by the issues you mention what would you like to see businesses do to make a difference?

 

[japancool]

I can only speak about physical disability.

The thing is, what benefits people with physical disability benefits everyone. It isn't "special treatment" for disabled people.

Let me compare the UK to Japan.

In Japan, every shop that spans more than 1 floor has a lift. Almost all multistorey buildings also have escalators. The Tokyo Metro underground stations almost all have either a lift, escalators or stairlifts, sometimes all three. I can be confident that I can get anywhere in Tokyo without a problem - on foot. If I'm at a station, there will be a station attendant present who will be more than happy to help me with luggage or directions if I'm lost (although none of them speak English, but that's not an issue for me). If I'm struggling under a weight of shopping, a helpful shop assistant will help me to carry my stuff to the counter.

And as I said, that doesn't just benefit disabled people. All customers and travellers benefit - pregnant mothers, people with children, and so on.

 

[AllUpHere]

I can only speak about physical disability.

The thing is, what benefits people with physical disability benefits everyone. It isn't "special treatment" for disabled people.

Let me compare the UK to Japan.

In Japan, every shop that spans more than 1 floor has a lift. Almost all multistorey buildings also have escalators. The Tokyo Metro underground stations almost all have either a lift, escalators or stairlifts, sometimes all three. I can be confident that I can get anywhere in Tokyo without a problem - on foot. If I'm at a station, there will be a station attendant present who will be more than happy to help me with luggage or directions if I'm lost (although none of them speak English, but that's not an issue for me). If I'm struggling under a weight of shopping, a helpful shop assistant will help me to carry my stuff to the counter.

And as I said, that doesn't just benefit disabled people. All customers and travellers benefit - pregnant mothers, people with children, and so on.

And if anyone has a kidney going spare, that would also be useful.

 

[japancool]

And if anyone has a kidney going spare, that would also be useful.

Goes nicely with fava beans and chianti.

 

[Ozzy]

Let me compare the UK to Japan.

Having worked in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai and Chengdu - I feel there are quite a few things from eastern culture that the west could definitely learn from, and customer service is one of them. A lot of what you mention I would say is quite simply good customer service, as you say will benefit all.

That said I think a lot of the structural things you mention are in buildings today, just not so easily retrofitted to older buildings. I'm think around London in my mind, the modern shopping areas, underground stations, etc. They have the escalators and lifts, but it's the people service that lacks in many places..that is a business problem I feel.

 

[japancool]

In fairness, Tokyo does benefit from a lot of new buildings. Most of the old ones were blown up by American bombs.

 

[Ozzy]

Tokyo does benefit from a lot of new buildings.

That was my thinking reading your comments. Legislation has driven through changes "structurally", but you're absolutely right about the personal element. I remember from my trips east I genuinely felt looked after wherever I ate, shopped, stayed, but when back in the UK I felt that the server was doing me server a favour by running my purchase through the till - heaven forbid putting my purchases in a bag for me .

 

[AllUpHere]

Goes nicely with fava beans and chianti.

Haha. If someone donated a kidney, I think it rather ungrateful for you to eat it.

 

[japancool]

That was my thinking reading your comments. Legislation has driven through changes "structurally", but you're absolutely right about the personal element. I remember from my trips east I genuinely felt looked after wherever I ate, shopped, stayed, but when back in the UK I felt that the server was doing me server a favour by running my purchase through the till - heaven forbid putting my purchases in a bag for me .

Simple example - when going to Tokyo, I normally send my bags from the airport to my hotel, rather than lug them across town. They arrive the same day. Nowadays, i wouldn't be able to lug them. We don't have that kind of service here, and for disabled travellers, it's a godsend.

I usually stay in bog-standard cheapo business hotels. When my bags arrive, reception calls me o let me know they're there, and then brings them up to my room for me. I never really appreciated all of this before I was disabled, but now, I do. You would never get that kind of consideration here, at least at anything short of a 4-5 star hotel.

Fly JAL/ANA then fly British Airways and marvel at the difference.

 

[Ozzy]

You would never get that kind of consideration here, at least at anything short of a 4-5 star hotel.

We're definitely on the same page here, but even at a 4-5 star the "bell boy" expects a sizeable financial reward for doing this (holds hand out for tip expectantly).