Disability Inclusion as Inclusion for All: Lessons from the Field

The spotlight on disability inclusion needs to be brightened. According to Return on Disability’s research, only 25.7% of the 1283 firms they surveyed indicated an interest in disability inclusion, with only 3.6% of the firms making a measurable effort towards it. This includes pursuing inclusion for their own employees, or as a customer base. It’s a far cry from what can actually be achieved if efforts are put towards actively pursuing disability inclusion.

We’ve derived these lessons from our own engagement with persons with disabilities and disability organizations. Our learnings from action research on a landmark project on empowerment of the deaf in India, and the subtle differences made by the inclusion of the deaf in the research was particularly eye-opening.

Inclusion for all, by all

During the action research, we noticed how far the deaf participants went out of their way to include others, like a set of parents who only spoke Kannada, and didn’t know any sign language. They made sure there was an interpreter who could bridge the gap between Kannada-English-Sign Language, so that the parents could also understand what was being communicated.

‘Why use a difficult word, when simple is enough?’

Let’s talk about the art of simplification. Because of a lack of structured sign language curriculum, deaf students in India have limited knowledge of formal language structures for spoken language. As Islam Ul Haq, a sign language trainer puts it “When we don't hear or speak a language, we don't understand its grammar and syntax. For us, communicating ideas is enough." This leads to the use of Simple English: English without the use of complicated words or unnecessary grammatical additions. 

This use of Simple English is helpful for a wider range of people other than the deaf: including people with limited knowledge of English. As a participant put it during the action research, “Why use a difficult word when a simple one is enough?”. 

Inclusion for disability is inclusion for everyone

Any measure that’s meant to include a person with disability can be helpful for everyone. It’s one of the reasons why disability inclusion is an opportunity, not a chore. When I had a torn ligament in my knee, I was ecstatic to be working for a company that had ensured that the building was up to all accessibility standards: my temporary disability did not exclude me from coming to work. 

Disability inclusion leads to inclusion for all. This does not only benefit employees, but also potential customers. Examples abound of companies that have spearheaded innovations for disability inclusion, only to find their product used by the population at large: Nike’s FlyEase lace-less shoes were inspired by the disability community, but have found fans among many able-bodied customers, and old people alike. Beach ramps are installed to provide accessibility to persons with disabilities, and they are helpful for everybody who’s too tired to walk on the sand. 

This showcases the need to change the discourse on disability inclusion. It’s a practical imperative that benefits the entire population: not a chore, and definitely not charity.