Are we asking or assuming what our mobility diverse colleagues need?

Madori Playford shares her personal story as a compensation professional and a mobility diverse colleague.  

My name is Madori Playford, I am a member of the FutureSense Specialty Compensation team.  But today I am not here to talk about compensation, today I am talking about how Diversity, Equity and Inclusion impacts my personal life. 

I was born with a rare disease called polystotic fibrous dyplasia that causes my bones to break. I have used crutches, and at times a wheelchair, since I was six years old.  In 2021 I became permanently wheelchair bound. 

I entered the workforce in the 1970’s during a time when DEI never occurred to anyone, especially employers. During the 70’s, 80’s and even the 90’s hiring managers and recruiters would dance around the fact that I was mobility diverse (I’m personally not a fan of the terms disabled and handicapped) so I got to the point where I would start the interview by stating that I never let the use of crutches or wheelchairs to slow me down or keep me from doing the work. 

An example of the real need for DEI took place in the 1980’s when I went on a job interview at a large law firm.  I had my brand-new paralegal certificate and had applied for an admin job to work my way into a paralegal position. The hiring manager spent some time going over the position and expectations of the job. I gave my usual assurances that my crutches would not impact the position in any way. However, at the end of the interview the hiring manager told me that I was not right for the position and would not be hired because of my crutches. 

I left that interview feeling hurt and angry, wishing I could sue them for a million dollars, but then reality returned. The fact of the matter is that we are all different and we all have differences, some visible and some that don’t show but still affect us. 

Since the Americans with Disabilities Act went into effect in 1990, my situation has improved greatly. Recruiters and Hiring Managers are more educated, and I have benefited from this.  It hasn’t gone away completely but it is better and continuing to improve. For example, when I was offered my current position at FutureSense my mobility was never addressed. I know part of the reason was the fact that I have known my manager since 2007 and he was aware of my diverse mobility and he didn’t care, he was hiring me for my intellect, performance, and potential.  It also helped that FutureSense is a leader in the world of inclusion and again was more interested in my knowledge, skills, and experience than in how I get from point A to B. 

If you would like to know how to better serve potential and current employees who may navigate the world differently here are a few tips. 

1. If during a job interview, the applicant discloses they have a disability and might need a reasonable accommodation to perform the job duties, ask the applicant to describe what type of accommodation is needed, so you can more easily determine if the candidates can perform the job.  

2. Don’t automatically assume that someone with special needs requires a lot of help.  In my case I do everything on my own and the only time I ask for assistance is when something is too high for me to reach. 

3. Don’t assume, the person that walks, talks and seems like they have no disabilities could have clinical depression, dyslexia, be on the autism spectrum, have a medical condition, or an invisible disability. 

4. I could give another ten tips but at the end of the day if you treat people the same way you want to be treated regardless of their visible or invisible issues then you are doing the right thing. 

By adopting a robust DEI program and providing training and education to all your employees you are leveling the playing field and giving all of your employees a platform to not only succeed but to excel.