integration

Inclusiveness

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Researching the Rules

Researching the Rules

The deeper we go into Administration #45 and the more situations similar to the Philadelphia incident are revealed, the more I recall my first, in-your-face experience with racism. It was at my first Chamber of Commerce mixer.

I went home and allowed myself to be physically ill. Then I called my neighbor, a White real estate agent from Arkansas. We were friends; he was accepting of people. I demanded that he tell me precisely what I was facing by being seen as a Black woman who was a block buster in an (essentially) all White community.

While I don’t talk about that experience nor the cavalcade of other situations that reinforce and validate (not part of my imagination nor sensitive feelings) that experience, racism exists and endures in many forms.

Examples of the “madness” are documented in many ways. Fortunately, our civil rights cases regarding freedom of speech and association, the separate but equal decisions exist to show what types of illogical exclusion is part of our history. It wasn’t that long ago that women broke the barriers and became accepted cadets at The Citadel and

It is not unconscious bias. It is lack of education, and therefore awareness, and the inability to see things from the other side of the picture. It is about not being able to see people of another race or ethnicity as human beings, individuals who have humanity and deserve respect.

Even in the Deep South, Southern hospitality was predicated on being respectful of others, no matter what their race or station. Unfortunately, it also meant certain members of the population were simply not allowed to partake of the American Pie in the same types of bites as others. To do so was considered a sin against society, violating community standards.

Fortunately, not all Whites held that belief nor practiced it. There were many who strove to cause positive change and more inclusion through their being part of various organizations and associations where their words could be heard and persuade others to see a different, better course from having inclusiveness. It sometimes takes being on the inside to be able to cause a shift in attitudes and positive changes.

Having these experiences has reinforced my belief and conviction that all people are created equal. Each of us deserves the right to reach the greatest possible potential. Therefore, in this matter, I am on the right path. I proclaim my status as an expert in the area of diversity, especially with regard to Title VII diversity. I will continue to develop knowledge and awareness of the issues as well as the case law and statutes that support the right to access. Thus saying, it is also important to be vigilant about the threats to those forms of access and rights to existence. Those rights are embodied in our Constitution and are considered civil rights.

Each specialist, each expert is one based on their particular slice of the picture. There are those who are lawyers and judges. There are also those who are arbitrators and mediators. Let us not overlook the administrative law judges of the EEOC and other governing bodies. And there are the advocates and consultants who focus in discrete issues where they have carved out their own specialties.

Contrary to the belief of some, this expertise is not predicated on mere opinion. In some instances it is developed via first-hand experiences, either witnessing the issue visited on others or having it inflicted on their own selves because of the deficiencies of the abusers.

As to a sampling of the content that has shaped these words, please consider these resources:

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Disabled Sheltered Workshops in Peril

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not impossible

Breaking down the barriers

Some of the news from Disability Scoop talks about “sheltered workshops.” Congress Passes Bill Limiting Sheltered Workshop Eligibility, by  (July 10, 2014).

You may be asking yourself, “What is a ‘sheltered workshop?'” It relates to workforce training and internship for the disabled that is segregated from others who do not have some form of disability. Here’s an explanation from Wikipedia.

Why is this news important? Because those who comprise the disabled population struggle against various types of employment and access discrimination and even voting rights, under certain conditions. They are also paid sub-minimum wage (the minimum wage being, in and of itself, is not even close to a livable wage). If the projections of the IEP are correct, there may be justification for paying minimum, or even sub-minimum, wages to students who graduate with lowered educational attainments.

So we begin to see a picture of certain forces determined to create a population of those who are needy and dependent on government subsidies in order to survive. Even though we see general monthly improvements in our unemployment figures and numbers of jobs created, such is not the case for those in the disabled population. Job Market Rough For People With Disabilities, by  (July 8, 2014)

In actuality, many in the disabled population, even those with intellectual challenges, are capable of being part of the cog works of industry at all levels and deserve to be compensated  accordingly. We would be wise to not think of becoming disabled or categorized as a senior in terms of a person who is no longer an individual capable of adding value to our society. We err when we classify them as relics who spend their days engaged in hobbies and few to any activities that don’t involve mental, or even physical, challenges that keep one in tune.

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