HEARTSIGHT

CHRISTINA LLANES MABALOT

The Roadblock to Inclusive Employment

let's re-educate society that people with special needs is a natural part of human diversity. Re-education is a slow and extensive process, but our approach is as long-term as our vision.

The pandemic is clearly driving a shift in the employment landscape. The special needs community needs to get up to speed with the mainstream workforce. But before we can take the first steps, there are intrinsic issues adversely affecting the state of employment of people with disabilities that need to be addressed.

To uncover the likes of these problems, let's take a tour of the different areas where some community members are deemed productive. The following are real-life situations, but the names are fictitious.

DOUBLE STANDARDS

Rick is an IT expert in an organization that employs people who are blind and visually impaired. He can fix anything that runs on 1's and 0's. You'd wonder if he was born a tech-nerd. But Rick's sighted peers are paid more for the same work.

In his seven years with the organization, Rick has proven his impeccable skills in computer-related jobs. Still, his obvious disability detracts from the value of his work. Perhaps the organization's leaders have a myopic view of what a totally blind tech can do. This institution does not value the production of workers with special needs as much as those without visible disabilities. Like other establishments, this particular organization has double standards.

WORK ACCOMMODATIONS

Annie has a hearing impairment and works in a hospital kitchen. Sometimes she needs to consult managers about job-related issues. However, no one is trained in American Sign Language. Everyone is too busy to converse through mobile devices or uses pen and paper. So Annie has to do without consultation that other workers have access to. Afraid to lose her job, Annie refuses to discuss communication accommodations with leadership.

Accommodations in the workplace means any adjustment necessary to help an employee with disability work or keep a job. It could mean modifying the work environment, adaptive equipment, assistive technology, peer support, breaks, leaves, or whatever is needed for optimum productivity. Often, accommodations don't cost much, and businesses can take advantage of tax credits and other benefits for employing people with disabilities. Unfortunately, several corporations aren't aware of what they're missing. Meantime, most workers with disabilities in mainstream businesses would rather suffer the stress of getting work done while barely passing performance goals.

PITY HANDICRAFT SHOP

Imagine that you're searching for a unique gift for a special someone at a souvenir store. You browse through the handmade art pieces that look beautiful, but don't see one stunning enough for a purchase. You determine to hop to the next shop. But wait, on a row of the handiwork was a label that says, "Made by the special needs community."

Most of us have experienced buying a product made by a person with special needs. It has often been not because it is beautiful or functional, but because we feel the need to help. Apparently, buying a product is considered a noble act, not a dole-out. As a society that encourages such transactions, we're condoning selling disability when craftsmanship should be the selling point. The marketing strategy, in this case, is to appeal to pity. Income will be generated for sure, but would it be sustainable? After all, mainstream business does not operate on charity.

SHELTERED WORKSHOPS

Sally is paid less than half of the state minimum wage to remove labels on bottles before they're recycled. She's been living and working in the center for almost ten years. Occasionally, family members visit and bring her goodies, but her peers in her work circle have become her family.

Sally feels grateful for her job because she believes no one else would employ her. Traditionally, a sheltered workshop is a work setting exclusively for people with disabilities who are paid subminimum wages. The workers are segregated from the mainstream. Are these work centers empowering, or are they a disservice? These work scenarios have evolved from long-standing worldviews of disability and of minority groups.

WORLDVIEWS

For the longest time, society has adopted the medical model, which sees disability as something wrong with a person's body or mind. Fixing the problem prescribes treatments or cures through therapy, surgery, drugs, or other methods. It may include preventing transmission of the disability to future generations. Impairment is the defining aspect of a person who is merely a ward under professionals. A person with impairment can never be equal to society unless the medical problems are treated. Considering that the standard for wellness is those without visible disabilities, people with impairments are regarded as second-class citizens.

As a reaction to the medical model, people with disabilities developed the social model in the 1970s. It was endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2001. This framework posits that physical, sensory, intellectual, and psychological impairments don't necessarily lead to disability. But if a society fails to address systemic barriers to inclusion, people become disabled. Therefore, impairments are differentiated from disabilities. According to the social model, some strategies that address disabilities consist of creating access through accommodations, universal design, and inclusive learning environments. The bottom line is that society, not the individual, is tasked with including all minority and marginalized groups into mainstream life in its entirety. artbeyondsight.org/dic/definition-of-disability-paradigm-change-and-ongoing-conversation Today, despite its deficiency, the social model is an ideal starting point towards an inclusive economy and employment, but people with special needs need to be more accountable and proactive in self-advocacy. As a former social activist, I have sounded like a clanging cymbal confronting public and private institutions about their failure to eliminate barriers that disable the special needs community. Being aggressive and belligerent, I've turned potential partners into enemies. Young and relatively inexperienced, I expected a paradigm shift from a medical to the social model overnight. But five decades later, societies are mostly respecting our rights more than our value, as evidenced in policies and programs based on tokenism. Although no one would admit it, I suspect that some people are still fixed on the old model. Failure as an advocate led me to change my perspective. Addressing symptoms, not the root causes, and finding piecemeal solutions can't sustain equal opportunity. I realized that the sector's deep problems must be addressed and solved through an honest and holistic approach, not merely pointing a blaming finger at society or at people with special needs.

BREAKING BARRIERS: Social models developed in the 1970s and endorsed by the World Health Orgaziation posit that physical, sensory, intellectual, and psychological impairments don't necessarily lead to disability. But if a society fails to address systemic barriers to inclusion, people become disabled.

RE-EDUCATING SOCIETY

Society isn't unwilling to change; it just doesn't know any better because of the orientation that's been so long engrained. This is a call to re-educate society to unlearn the previous framework and adapt the truth. I'm not talking about merely creating awareness or raising consciousness. People have known our existence since the dark ages and have rejected us. But society doesn't know our colorful personalities, resourcefulness, originality, and courageous heart, characteristics born from our challenge-ridden lives. We need to promote not just tolerance but appreciation for our talents and abilities. They may be different, but they're integral to economic growth.

THE GOVERNMENT SECTOR

Re-educating the government sector is a systemic move. The government can make and implement laws and could be model organizations for equal opportunity. Several policies for people with disabilities, including our so-called benefits, are oriented towards welfare. An example is supplemental income, which could be a bane or a boon. It's a boon for those who can't work, or don't get hired, but how many employable people with special needs choose to receive supplemental income over working? I don't blame them. It makes sense to receive money without grinding, especially if the potential earnings from employment are less than the benefits. However, in some cases, individuals are complacent with receiving their services without improving their status in life. So they opt to not seek employment nor be productive. On the other hand, I admire peers who choose to receive benefits so they can pursue their passion.

Some volunteer their services to different communities, develop their talents, and a few brilliant people source more income from fulfilling undertakings.

Usually lumped with the supplemental income is Medicare. Consider this "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If you are part of the manual labor sector, you tend to weigh your opportunities in light of your welfare dependence. When given a chance to work more hours, do overtime, or even get a promotion, you may not readily jump for better options. You are not only in danger of losing all of your monthly government-issued income benefits but your medical insurance. You may be placed in a position where you can afford to go without the government check, but not afford your own medical insurance even through your employer. So, if you don't have the chance to be promoted or seek a better position elsewhere, the small increases in wages won't be worth it.

PRIVATE BUSINESSES

Profit-oriented establishments often assume that employing people with disabilities would be a financial burden because of the cost of accommodations. This can't be farther from the truth. Businesses will be hiring more people with special needs if they understand that they'll gain a competitive advantage by increasing workplace diversity. As a result, productivity will rise, and so will the bottom line. They will also have higher retention rates and an expanded market. www.forschungsnetzwerk.at/downloadpub/7-benefits-of-hiring-a-person-with-a-disability.pdf

ORGANIZATIONS PROVIDING TRAINING

Employment-related training for people with special needs often does not match the opportunities available in the job market. Currently, the potential of people with special needs are not aptly developed and maximized. A crucial initiative towards economic inclusion is to identify the career paths aligned with those of the workplaces. It is a good idea to partner with potential employers of trainees. Training modules would be designed to develop competencies needed to perform work activities within the required benchmarks in a particular career path. Trainees who fail to meet the competency level requirement for a certain path would undergo career guidance counseling to explore other options. It is logical to employ graduates as trainers if they have the heart to serve their community. This is empowerment at its peak, and the graduate becomes a role model. I would also recommend high-performing trainees to provide peer counseling and receive some form of benefits. Success stories should be published and popularized to keep our community members motivated.

Service institutions could also consider the strengthening and empowering of organizations of people with special needs who will potentially manage and implement training. I believe the community of special needs should be stakeholders of their own sector and not remain mere beneficiaries.

OUR COMMUNITY

Families need to be re-educated as well. Parents, please don't overprotect your children. Remember, we are raising kids that would overcome obstacles that look impossible to the majority. Individuals with disabilities contend with difficult issues before entering the workforce, and even more tumultuous challenges as they pursue employment, develop a career, or become entrepreneurs. First and foremost, they must learn how to go beyond coping with their limitations. This requires accepting one's disability, acquiring life skills to sustain independence, maintaining confidence, and motivation to succeed. A good education partnered with a clear direction towards attainable employment would prepare children to look to economic inclusion versus benefits and supplemental income.

MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS

Looking for a job is daunting. You may be qualified and hard-working. But if you don't have enough confidence or social skills, you may not overcome pre-existing biases that your employer might have. On the other hand, a person without a visible disability needs only to prove he's qualified for the job. As a person with special needs, you must exceed what a regular applicant could offer. Also, the opportunity to work yourself up the proverbial ladder is slim and becomes slimmer the further up you go. You have to prove that you have something more to give despite your physical limitation than someone who may be less capable but doesn't require additional accommodations.

The good news is, I believe that people with disabilities would have a better chance of landing jobs and getting promoted with remote employment. Video interviews somehow cut out much of the fear factor. Also, when in our homes, we could be in our element to perform our best. So let's brush up on our technical skills. After all, today, almost all jobs require some knowledge of technology. In the meantime, let's re-educate society that people with special needs is a natural part of human diversity. Re-education is a slow and extensive process, but our approach is as long-term as our vision. Our narrative needs to change if our community were to be a part of a competitive global economy. Let's transform our employment landscape by re-educating society one person at a time.•

HEARTSIGHT

Christina Llanes Mabalot is physically blind from aniridia, but has a vision. She enjoys touching people's lives to bring out the best in them. "Heartsight" explains her ability to see with her heart. Christina earned her B.A. degree and Masters in Education from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, specializing in Early Intervention for the Blind. She later received Educational Leadership training through the Hilton-Perkins International Program in Massachusetts, then worked as consultant for programs for the VI Helen Keller International. She has championed Inclusive Education, Early Intervention, Capability Building and Disability Sensitivity programs. She was twice a winner in the International Speech contests of the Toastmasters International (District 75) and has been a professional inspirational and motivational speaker. Christina is blissfully married to Silver Mabalot, also physically impaired, her partner in advancing noble causes. Their children are Paulo and Jem, who has aniridia.