Reframing DEI

Today’s society places a strong emphasis on inclusion, which is important to build a cohesive and progressive social structure. But in order to do so, it is imperative to understand its meaning from an informed perspective and for that ideology to account for many voices.

Corporations and other business organizations and companies are adopting policies and principles which recognize the meaning of inclusion to encompass all races and genders but when it comes to that policy or practice being pertinent to individuals who have disabilities; the matter becomes a multilayered one. It is complex because there are numerous gaps which are unaddressed, or individuals aren’t treated equitably, or even considered to be part of the conversation or implementation of principles and policies, or practices.

It has always been true and known that in order to truly execute something authentically it is most important to involve individuals with lived experience. Society develops its understanding of disability from media and other socially acceptable outlets of information and medical sources of authority, and medical professionals along with advances of science allow the definition to progress, but along with that social and attitudinal perspectives, must as well. Generally society knows these facts about Cerebral Palsy as a condition: it is neurological and is the most common condition babies are born with. It is multifactorial meaning that it affects an individual in different ways, i.e., through physical and cognitive motor function, and impacts gait (walking), balance, movement coordination and fluidity, and execution of independent movement and can also impact cognition and speech, but what is important to understand is, that every individual is impacted in unique ways, and the way that one feels can change even within one day, but it is not a progressive condition. 

There are numerous facts and truths about the reality of living with CP that individuals who live with it, would want others to know. Some of these include: 

• Developing and implementing inclusive policies and practices requires the involvement of individuals with a disability like CP, for example. 
• It’s imperative to communicate with individuals who have CP to learn about their personal definitions and perspectives of inclusion, in order to know how to evaluate commonly held perceptions which establish policies 
• Many individuals feel excluded from society because of discrimination, a lack of resources, infrastructural accessibility, and a lack of or systematic gaps in providing them with assistance and support. 
• A fact that is true about many individuals who live with CP, is that they are very intelligent and both academically and professionally qualified and hold positions within lucrative industries or could be assets to many companies. 

When one engages in conversation with individuals who have disabilities, what those individuals want others to understand and apply to how things are done systematically across professional fields and industries, is that any form of disability, including CP, should not be perceived as limiting, but as an asset to an organization, company, corporation, academic and or government institution. If an individual is qualified for a role within a company, they should not be questioned on the basis of their disability on whether they are hired or not. Inclusion is not to be achieved solely to comply with a policy or law, it is a human right and should be approached as such, and integrated into moral and human rights codes and policies authentically considering, accounting for, and balancing many perspectives, needs, ideas and people. To truthfully understand DEI is to uphold these beliefs and actions, evaluating how they influence the progression of policies, governance, and practices.