Fall 2023 Accessibility Learning Series

Creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture 

This is the second year of the Accessibility Fall Learning Series. The theme this year, creating a welcoming and inclusive workplace culture, was developed as part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which occurs in October and is an opportunity to highlight important issues facing people with disabilities in the workplace. People with disabilities are severely underemployed and often face an uphill climb to getting employed. The goal of this series is to create an awareness about the strengths and gifts of people with disabilities and to develop strategies to transform workplace culture to be more welcoming and inclusive for all.

Who should attend: This three-part series is created for anyone who is interested in how they can be better allies to people with disabilities and improving internal practices of recruiting, hiring, and advancing people with disabilities in the workplace.

What you will get: Sessions are intended to be engaging and interactive. You’ll get worksheets, pre-work, PowerPoint slides, and a recording. You will meet people from all across the nation who are working on accessibility within their organization.

Elizabeth Ralston, MPH, Accessibility Consultant, will lead you through thought-provoking exercises and discussions designed to help transform how you think about including people with disabilities as employees, board members, and volunteers in your organization. Elizabeth has more than 25 years of public health, nonprofit, program development, and strategic communications experience. She is passionate about advocating for accessibility and uses her lived experience as a person with hearing loss to demonstrate tangible evidence of the benefits of accessibility. See Elizabeth Ralston Consulting for more information.

You are encouraged to register for the full series to experience the full collection of knowledge and tools; you may register for just one of the sessions if you prefer.

Session Descriptions:

Session 1:  Integrating Accessibility into DEI Initiatives

October 11: 9 am-10:30 am PST/12-1:30 pm EST

Description:

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives often do not take into account the importance of accessibility for people with disabilities. If you want to make programs, spaces, and events more inclusive and equitable for those participating, accessibility must be top of mind. This presentation will set the stage for understanding why this is critical to building an inclusive and welcoming culture within an organization- for employees, volunteers, board, donors, and community partners. We will explore our biases, discuss terminology, and learn about what it takes to create an access culture in your organization.

------------

Session 2: Strategies for accommodating neurodiverse employees

October 25: 9 am-10:30 am PST/12-1:30 pm EST

Description:

More and more people are identifying as neurodiverse and are asking for specific accommodations or flexibility in work schedules. We will learn what it means to be neurodiverse and the strengths that manifest as employees. We will explore strategies to ensure in-person events and online meetings are more welcoming and inclusive to those who identify as neurodiverse.

------------

Session 3: Disability Etiquette and how to be an Ally

November 8: 9 am-10:30 am PST/12-1:30 pm EST

Description:

People with disabilities deserve to be treated in a respectful way, as a staff member, volunteer, community member, artist, or program participant. We will explore what allyship looks like. You will learn some specific do’s and dont’s when interacting and communicating with people with disabilities. There will be opportunities to problem solve solutions for different scenarios.