I am an asset.

A blog about the skillset not everybody acquires. Rostrum theme: Cultural diversity

As I started writing this talk, there were so many threads I could have followed. Cultural Diversity is an all-encompassing topic, especially as I sit here as someone with a permanent disability.

I pulled at one thread though, and chose to roll with it, so today I am going to use these 8 minutes as a form of self-promotion and throw around a statement that, (incorrectly I might add), rarely gets used in relation to a disabled individual –that I am an asset.

I am an asset to my partner, to my family, and to my friends but lastly, and arguably the most contentious of the categories – I am asset to any company.

The aim is this, as I talk about the ways in which my disability has shaped who I am, and how I show up in both the world and the workplace, I want you to challenge your own perspectives and perceptions. No shame and no moral superiority for me, just someone asking you to see her for what she is, a highly employable 31 year old, who has a top tier skillset because of the disability and not in spite of it.

I realise you might know very little about me.

Like everyone, I am many faces and many labels to many people.  Bouncer, Motorbike rider and backpacker. Daughter, Sister, Best friend. More recently, I am the life coach, the adventure seeker and also the girl in the wheelchair. We could go on all day.

We are the sum of our experiences, our mindset and our up-bringing, which means when it comes to life or what I’m going to talk about today – the workplace, there is no other candidate quite like us for the job. No one like me, nor you, or other the stranger sat across from us in the interview waiting room.

Disability is rarely celebrated in the mainstream media, society unfortunately holds outdated and incorrect opinions about both what life looks like with a disability AND what we as individual’s are capable of achieving. Who we are, by nature of handling this beast, is so often ignored.

To be frank and transparent - being disabled, is abit of bitch. The admin, the advocacy, the in-accessibility - it is no easy feat, but because of that, we just might be some of the most capable and competent candidates on the job market today. Here at my  takeaways why…

Resilience

Listed by Forbes as one of the top 10 more desirable skills in 2024. No one brings resilience to the table quite to like someone who once walked to it, and now has to roll there instead.

We folk, own it in abundance.

70% of disabilities are actually acquired during an individuals lifetime, so most people know what was and what now is - a story of two totally different lives - our own sliding door moment. But despite the grief and pain that comes with a different kind of life, we forced our wheels forward, one push at a time and with that, fostered a sense of resilience impossible to build from the books in the self-help section.

Life kept going weather you wanted it to or not, hospital beds were needed and back out into the big wide world we wheeled. A wiser, harder, stronger person than the one that went through those awful emergency doors.

People born with their disability, have a whole different ball game to play, a experience I know nothing about, but the point remains the same, that whether born or by an accident, medical anomaly or common disease, those of us with disabilities live in a world not built for us, and  therefore end up being some of the most resilient beings I’ve met.

When a business is in turmoil and change is a foot – you want someone who can adapt, who’s cheese has been moved and can hold the team through a crisis, an individual unfazed who can remind the other members that battles are nothing more than a mere chance to grow and happiness does exist on the other side.

Problem Solving

Thinking outside the box & problem solving skills should be a pre requisite for becoming disabled, period.

From a young age we are taught to problem solve, to fit shapes inside each other, and solve a math problem that’ll probably prove useless later in life.

Very little though, can actually prepare you for getting off the tube in London and the lift being broken. Or being 7000 miles from home without a life saving prescription. In those moments, creativity is often queen. From my experience, I’ve learn that applying the most obscure and out there solutions is often the one that gets results.

There are two things to know about disabled people.

Number 1 - We can pre-empt and predict a problem WAY before it arises - we are ALWAYS planning 7 steps ahead, for any given situation, and remain prepared for any outcome.

Number 2 - We also know the one thing you don’t plan for, is the one thing that happens, so somehow we still always find ourself fighting fires and solving situations we should never be in to begin with.

Alas, it does mean we can and probably already have, solved a company wide problem or in-efficiency whilst making our morning coffee. Just because we’re built to think different.

And now. The Organisation. The Admin

My number one strength and something I had plenitudes of, pre wheelie already.

But 6 years, a spinal cord injury and several excel spreadsheets later, my levels are unparalleled.

I saw a meme recently, when a prospective employee was asked if they could handle the demands of a  job – their response – I’ve crossed roads in Vietnam, I can handle anything.

It made me laugh, but it also hit home, because this really does relate to disabled individuals. The admin alone just to get a blue badge or your disability allowance means we are well versed in red tape, politics, bureaucracy and how to get shit done with a smile. We are certainly qualified to handle your business demands.

In the 6 years since being disabled I’ve had to learn, successfully might I add, how to navigate the red tape of a system that doesn’t make sense, deal with government incompetencies that might result in basics needs being unmet and self-advocate for my health at both my local GP and in a foreign speaking land.

If you’re looking for a capable candidate who can get the job done, is good with absolutely no guidance and will fight tooth and nail for something she believes in – all whilst remaining composed, demure and organised  – I am your gal.

So here we are, 3 reasons out of 300 why I am absolutely an asset. And more importantly why disabled people like me, should stop being overlooked for jobs and be taken more seriously.

The diverse nature of disability in general, paired with our unique life experiences and the attitude and mindset that got us this far, means we are a one of a kind candidate.

Cultural diversity is about more than about box ticking - it is bringing different ideas, perspectives, capabilities and a shit tonne of soft skills to help a workforce thrive not just survive.

All that matters now, is not what I can bring to the table, but just if I can get to it.