By Jonathan Kaufman.
Play the audio file read by Jonathan Kaufman or read the full transcript below.
Full transcript.
I am what they call a man of a certain vintage. Sitting from this perch has given me the benefit of seeing the arc of the disability narrative and the huge changes happening across culture and society. Sandwiched between the Disability Rights Movement of the 1990s and a new generation of advocates, content creators, and entrepreneurs emerging from the innovations of a new digital economy, I have the pleasure of witnessing a revolution happening in real-time that is not only impacting the very identity of the disability community itself but is creating a groundswell that will ultimately change humanity as we know it.
As we look at the calendar, we have various dates that highlight disability, from Disability Pride Month to National Disability Employment Awareness Month and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. While each of these occasions is critically important in amplifying the importance of the world’s largest minority, they also pose a larger question – what is the role of disability in our society’s future?
What has become apparent in today’s world is that Millennials and Gen Zers are tearing down the artifices that separate the disability community from others and embracing the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential elements of everyday life. These generations have an innate understanding that we must look beyond the boundaries of the status quo and see the extraordinary possibilities that radiate from the disabled experience. In fact, I would argue that they have a native understanding of the significance of what it truly means to be living at the intersection.
I have the pleasure of witnessing a revolution happening in real-time that is not only impacting the very identity of the disability community itself but is creating a groundswell that will ultimately change humanity as we know it.
As I see it, the very maxim, “living at the intersection” is central to the character of the modern disability narrative. It represents a new social metric that moves away from traditional ideas, where persons with disabilities are seen as perennial outsiders, and reimagines this community as a key factor in shaping the trends that are defining contemporary society.
As more businesses begin to embrace the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential components of their long-term strategy, knowledge of the lived experience of disability presents an opportunity that may offer lasting value. Disability inhabits a unique place within the fabric of the human experience. It sits at the crossroads of race, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, culture, and beyond. As the only minority anyone can join at any time, it is inclusive by its very nature. Having this distinction, the disability community can ultimately be seen as a bridge across social and cultural terrain, highlighting the power of human variability.
As businesses look toward the future, it is imperative to understand the function that disability can play as a game-changer in the New Economy. In this marketplace of ideas, many organizations are not only beginning to think about and engage with disability as part of their daily practice but also socialize this lived experience as a teaching tool to impact areas from design to the future of work. It is only through this combination of understanding and intention that the true value of the disability perspective will be recognized as an instrument of competitive advantage.
As more businesses begin to embrace the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion as essential components of their long-term strategy, knowledge of the lived experience of disability presents an opportunity that may offer lasting value.
As the winds of change continue to shift, corporate leaders must recognize that we are at an inflection point where the disability narrative offers a fresh understanding of new market opportunities for innovation, creativity, and ways to redefine the future of work as we know it. If businesses are going to survive in a post-pandemic world, they must be aware of their needs and develop the tools to survive and thrive.
The disability narrative has entered a new phase, it has reached a point where it is truly existing at the intersection of business, culture, policy, and everything in between. Representation of disability continues to rise, we are seeing new incarnations of the disability narrative from the fashion runways of New York and London to film, television, and advertising.
The advent of social media and a new generation who are more vocal about issues like diversity, inclusion and mental health are creating the space to have a more open and honest dialogue around disability both on a personal and societal level. This openness provides a way to continue a cross-pollination of ideas and truly re-define perceptions of disability in the 21st Century.
The disability narrative has entered a new phase, it has reached a point where it is truly existing at the intersection of business, culture, policy, and everything in between.
The radical change in the disability narrative in recent years has provoked an awakening that is defining a new era. Changing attitudes toward disability are expanding the definition of our community in a multitude of ways and shaping a new reality that establishes an opportunity for the latest version of the human story to be told.
For businesses to find success in these rapidly changing times they must have an awareness that the disability community is not a monolithic minority, but rather a rich and diverse community that is being radically re-defined by the very intersection it inhabits. Organizations must find ways to develop strategic initiatives that recognize this complexity and develop an effective plan of action for reaching and representing this market.
Savvy business leaders must also identify that the lived experience of disability offers a forward-thinking approach to engaging with market variations and provides a template for the future of organizational culture. By continuing to amplify this narrative of disability, we will begin to see a new horizon where disability can finally define its place in the rich tapestry of humanity.
More about Jonathan Kaufman.
Jonathan is truly a man living at the intersection. Having been born with a right hemiparesis, a form of Cerebral Palsy, his disability has inspired his personal, academic, and professional life in profound ways. As a social scientist, he is a natural explorer. His training in the fields of psychotherapy, anthropology, and public policy has given him a unique vantage point to engage the disability experience in relation to wider society in a multitude of ways from being a former Obama White House policy advisor to consultant and executive coach to Fortune 500 and 1000 companies, government agencies, educational institutions and more through his company J Kaufman Consulting. In his regular Forbes column “Mindset Matters” he continues to travel around the crossroads of business, disability, innovation, leadership, and culture.
