Ever since I was a young girl, I have sought out disability representation in the media, entertainment, and fashion industries. As a born performer and lover of the creative arts, these industries have always had me in a chokehold of sorts.
But more importantly, they passively inform our entire society about the things they should and should not care about at any given time of the day, month, year, decade, or century.
That might sound rather intense, but it’s 100% true.
As a disabled model, to be asked to walk a runway during London Fashion Week was a dream come true. But as incredible as the experience was, it showed me how much work still needs to be done within the fashion industry to be a truly inclusive space for the disability community.
Last week, I had the opportunity to do something I’ve always wanted to do. On Thursday, April 1st, 2021, I spoke on a Disability Pride Panel for the Disability and Human Development Undergraduate Student Association at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was such an incredible experience and I am very grateful to have been asked to be a part of the event.
Because this Disability Pride Panel was hosted by a student organization at UIC, attendance was not open to the public. Though I was disappointed more people didn’t have access to the wonderful dialogue taking place, the small numbers allowed more time for questions and discussion.
Since this was my first time speaking on a panel, specifically a disability pride panel, I thought it would be fruitful to share my thoughts and feelings on the event. By doing so, I hope other institutions and organizations can learn about the importance of events like this one and hopefully host their own versions in the future.
Without further ado, here are the top 4 things I learned from speaking on UIC’s Disability Pride Panel.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which was only founded in 1990, specifically says the following:
“No qualified individual with a disability shall, on the basis of disability, be subjected to discrimination in employment under any service, program, or activity conducted by a public entity”
Yet, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, “across all educational attainment groups, unemployment rates for persons with a disability were higher than those for persons without a disability.”
Additionally, only 19.3% of the disabled population was employed in 2019 compared with 66.3% of non-disabled people. – BLS
What does this mean for disability representation in the workplace?
It means that, regardless of whether or not companies are being actively discriminatory towards disabled job seekers, there is still a huge divide that needs to be addressed.