Tom Fox’s guest on this week’s show is DeeJae Durante. DeeJae is a livestream strategist and coach, helping individuals with disabilities get their messages out through marketing tools like podcasts and livestreams. She joins Tom to talk about creating accessibility for disabled individuals in the corporate world, and the true meaning of inclusion.
DeeJae’s Mission
Tom asks DeeJae what started her on the path of disability advocacy. DeeJae gives an anecdote about watching her father navigate life after a traumatic brain injury. It sparked the advocacy within her. She is very passionate about helping businesses realize the importance of providing diversity options for people with disabilities, as well as being open and considerate of everyone.
The True Meaning of Inclusion
There is no inclusion without accessibility. It is impossible to be inclusive or diverse in an organization if there is no consideration for disabled people. DeeJae talks about helping businesses create systems that accommodate disabled people and building different types of accessibility. “That’s why I really focus on accessibility and understanding what that concept is, because that will lead to inclusion,” she tells Tom. Creating different options for individuals within the organization to access information is another key component of accessibility. “Communication is so fundamental, and accessibility to information is communication.”
Accessibility Builds Loyalty
“By having a policy of accessibility and inclusion for disabled employees, you not only create a very loyal workforce, but you can actually make your business better,” Tom remarks. This holds true for every aspect of business. Accessibility builds up social worth in your employees. Taking the initiative to be observant about the processes in your businesses and making sure that they are accessible to everyone is going to enhance your business. There is no excuse anymore, and there is no other option than to be accessible. “It’s something that we really need to implement into our businesses and our processes as soon as possible. The sooner that we do that, the better off we’re going to be and the more beneficial it will be to our business,” DeeJae stresses.
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