BizLibrary has partnered with Liz Johnson to bring a new Expert Insights series on disability inclusion to the BizLibrary Collection. Liz Johnson is a gold-medal winning Paralympic swimmer for England. She is also the Managing Director and Co-founder of The Ability People, the UK’s first disability-led employment consultancy. Since becoming a three-time Paralympian medal winner, she has earned success as a media commentator, public speaker, mentor, and community ambassador. She has become a champion for people with disabilities to achieve equality and equity in the workplace.
Disability Inclusion with Liz Johnson, the new Expert Insights series by BizLibrary, is a 52-minute course comprising 13 lessons that explore inclusive interactions at work, normalizing differences, and promoting equity in the workplace. The course is designed to familiarize learners with the nuances of language surrounding disability and combatting common misconceptions caused by bias and ableism. For example, there is a difference between “having a disability” and “being disabled.” Liz explains that a disability is a permanent trait, however, being disabled is a dynamic state that can change over time or circumstances. An individual may not have a disability, but they could be temporarily disabled, for example, someone who has broken a bone and requires assistance to walk is temporarily disabled. On the other hand, a person may have a disability, but not be disabled in a particular situation or set of circumstances.
While employment rates for individuals with disabilities have increased in recent years, up 2.2%, it is still nearly four times lower than the rate of employment for people without disabilities. According to a 2022 survey by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 21.3% of people with a disability were employed. This is compared to 65.4% of people without disabilities who were employed.
Another 2022 survey by the Job Accomodation Network found that workplaces that make reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities report substantial benefits such as:
• increased employee retention
• improved productivity and morale
• a reduction in workers’ compensation and training costs, and
• improved company diversity
Additionally, nearly half of workplaces surveyed reported that the accommodations provided cost absolutely nothing to implement. A $0 investment that provided a return on investment of increased employee retention, improved productivity, and more!
Disability Inclusion with Liz Johnson is available in the BizLibrary Collection now. If you’re interested in what else our content library has to offer, browse our library online now or connect with a Sales Representative to learn more!
