What living with disability has taught me about being a C-suite executive

Through my lived experience and roles throughout various organisations emphasising disability, I have identified three key themes that ring true when it comes to creating inclusivity in the workplace, writes Dane Cross.

In 2001, my life took an unexpected turn. After an accident that fractured my C5 vertebrae resulted in me living with quadriplegia, I suddenly found myself navigating a world that was not designed with my needs in mind. Simple tasks became monumental challenges, and I was faced with barriers at every turn.

While devastating at the time, I have been able to change my trajectory and change the path of others I work alongside by advocating for accessibility in the workplace throughout my career, particularly now as a chief operating officer.

In my new role as chief operating officer (COO) at Sporting Wheelies, it’s consolidated even more that change begins from the top-down, and inclusivity is led by the top-down as well. Through my lived experience and roles throughout various organisations emphasising disability, I’ve found three key themes that ring true when it comes to creating inclusivity in the workplace.

1. Opening doors to accessibility

When you have a disability, accessibility is a very real challenge in everyday life. Inclusivity begins in the form of ensuring physical accessibility to the workplace. Quite often, it can be incredibly easy to take navigating the workplace for granted, and the simple staples of office engagements and socialising. Nipping out for a quick coffee, having your pick of various rooms to hold meetings in, or even just going to a colleague’s desk.

But living with disability, sadly, means that there can be barriers in the way of participating in these activities, resulting in feelings of isolation or loneliness.

Equipping buildings with ramps or elevators, reducing narrow doorways and corridors between desks, lowering high counters, and accessible bathrooms are just a few examples of eliminating the physical barriers that wheelchair users face on a regular basis, in turn, creating a physically inclusive environment for all.

Inclusivity, however, extends beyond that of the physical environment. When inclusion is embedded as an attitude, that is when a truly inclusive environment is achieved.

2. Changing the hiring landscape

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Australians with a disability have double the chance of being unemployed as those without a disability and are more likely to face longer periods of unemployment.

The fact that such a significant proportion of those living with disability are not being hired and their hiring is being placed in the “too hard” basket is extremely troubling.

Creating inclusive policies and actioning them when it comes to hiring can be essential to ensure that those living with disability have a strong opportunity to put forward their skills and demonstrate the uniqueness they bring to different roles.

Not only is hiring those with disabilities what’s needed in the workplace, but for businesses, it taps into a hidden pool for recruitment as well as customer bases, new ways of innovation and increased learning opportunities – all of which are key factors to consider to become overarchingly more inclusive.

3. Empowering employees with flexibility

Going about a workday with physical disabilities demands meticulous planning and a dose of patience. Tasks that others may take for granted, such as arriving at a destination or carrying certain items, can often need additional planning and preparation.

Creating a high morale environment of flexibility can go a long way in the workplace, such as allowing extra time for preparation, planning, and arriving at offsite meetings.

This extra care makes sure that the needs of those living with disability are met and that the workplace is actively working with their best interests at heart and are invested in their success.

Change comes from the top-down

Meaningful change in the workplace ultimately comes from the top-down. It is up to leaders within an organisation to set the tone for inclusivity and to create a culture where people with disabilities are valued and respected. When disability is embedded within an organisation’s staffing body and within its day-to-day operations, it becomes the “norm”, and that is when true inclusion in the workplace is achieved.

It is up to leaders to set practices of inclusivity in every workplace, and then it comes down to the individuals to work together to create a world where everyone, regardless of ability, can excel in whatever they are passionate about.

Dane Cross is the chief operating officer at Sporting Wheelies.