27: How To Make Disability Accommodation The New Working Norm

Published: Nov. 24, 2020, 1 a.m.

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Join Empovia (formerly Change Catalyst) Founder & CEO Melinda Briana Epler with Victor Calise for strategies on how to make disability accommodation the new norm in the working environment.\\xa0

Victor Calise shares his disability journey and how he turned it into a strength, becoming one of the most innovative advocates for disability. In this rich conversation, we learn about:

  • The forward-thinking work New York City is doing in collaboration with other cities to build inclusive working environments
  • The need for "accommodation" of the disabled community and how COVID-19 has helped accelerate the workplace's transformation
  • The impact of outdated regulations on the community\\xa0
  • How we should not separate disability from the other movement fighting for a more inclusive working environment.

Some of our favorite quotes from the conversation with Victor Calise:

\\u201cPeople with disabilities who didn't have the opportunity to get to work because of their disability didn't allow them to for transportation or immune reasons, whatever that might be, now is the opportunity. It is important because people with disabilities live in poverty and a way to get them up from poverty is through work\\u201d.

"The reality is that people with disabilities aren't really disabled. It is our environments that disable us. If we can fix those environments so we can live our lives there is no such thing as disability."

Additional Resources

[image description: image of Victor Calise\\xa0 (a White man with\\xa0 grey hair, smiling) and Melinda Briana Epler (a White woman with red hair and glasses, smiling), with the text "Episode 27: how to make disability accommodation and inclusion the new working norm" against a black background with red and white text]

\\u2b51\\u2b51If this is helpful, don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like this episode!\\u2b51\\u2b51

Producer: Juliette Roy

Project Manager: Sally Moywaywa

Finance & Operations: Renzo Santos

Diversity & Inclusion Specialist: Antonia Ford

Created by: Melinda Briana Epler


For more about Empovia, and to join us for a live recording, visit changecatalyst.co/allyshipseries

YouTube: youtube.com/@empovia
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