Work is ableist

The New Way We Work

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 61 million adults in the United States have at least one disability, and for nearly half that population, the disability is invisible or at least not apparent. These conditions often don’t manifest in ways that are immediately evident to others—such as chronic pain, diabetes, autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, arthritis, and more. And although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990 to protect against discrimination, many employees or job candidates are reluctant or scared to disclose a disability for fear they wouldn’t be treated fairly or even get hired in the first place. And it seems many employers are clueless about what they’re doing wrong. So how can we make advocacy easier, open up opportunities, and build a world of work that works for everyone? Ludmila Praslova, a professor of psychology at Vanguard University, recently wrote about how her autism affected her onboarding experience at a new job. In her new book, ‘The Canary Code: A Guide to Neurodiversity, Dignity, and Intersectional Belonging at Work,’ Praslova delves into the challenges of self-advocacy, disclosing a disability, and what employers need to change to create neuro-inclusive environments.