18 DIVERSEability Magazine www.diverseabilitymagazine.com

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

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nboarding persons with disabilities may cf!ejggfsfou-!cvu!jut!dfsubjomz!opu!ejgdvmu/! What's more, exactly how different the process is depends more on your issues than the potential employees.' Inclusive onboarding is founded upon on the hiring and management ufbnt!ejtbcjmjuz!dpoefodf/! Jut! dsvdjbm! up! btl! zpvstfmg;! Bt! mfbefst-! managers and hirers, are we disability dpoefou!fopvhi!up!fotvsf!cjbt!jt!opu!qmbzjoh! a part in our hiring process - which, in turn, dramatically affects our onboarding capacity? We all want the right person for the right job, but a diverse workplace without an inclusive culture is like a house without a foundation. Bt! b! ejwfstjuz! fevdbups-! J! pgufo! sfdfjwf! rvfsjft! bcpvu! pocpbsejoh/! Gjstu-! Je! mjlf! up! sfgsbnf! uif! jojujbm! rvftujpo! gspn! ipx! up! onboard-?" to "are we ready to onboard fairly boe!xjuipvu!cjbt@!Bt!bo!pshboj{bujpo-!ep!xf! ibwf! uif! ejtbcjmjuz! dpoefodf! up! fotvsf! uibu!

3 Onboarding Techniques of A Confident Employer

By: Tova Sherman

the talent pool we draw from includes as many ut!gps!uif!qptjujpo!bt!qpttjcmf@! Jg! zpv! dbo! botxfs! uiftf! rvftujpot! xjui! b! resounding yes, you are ready to onboard all new employees into a welcoming, disability dpoefou!xpslqmbdf/ Not so sure? You are certainly not alone. In fact, most business leaders want to be inclusive but do not know where to begin. Here are three "inclusion-isms" focused on onboarding employees with disabilities.

Win, Win, Win

Pocpbsejoh!jt!bcpvu!fotvsjoh!uif!ofx!ijsf! jt!qspwjefe!bmm!uif!uppmt!up!cf!tvddfttgvm/!Bu!uif! tbnf! ujnf-! uif! xpslqmbdf! cfofut! gspn! uifjs! presence. I call this win, win, win. When we on- cpbse!xjui!ejtbcjmjuz!dpoefodf-!uif!fnqmpzff-! the team and the business will be successful in pvs!fwfsdibohjoh!xpslqmbdf/!Uif!stu!svmf!pg! onboarding is to focus on the win, win, win.

People Don't Come with Instructions

Mfut! tbz! zpvsf! csjohjoh! po! b! ofx! ufbn! nfncfs!xip!jt!po!uif!BEIE!tqfdusvn/!Op! nbuufs! xibu! zpv! lopx! bcpvu! BEIE-! zpv! don't necessarily know this new hire. You're opu! tvsf! ipx! uif!BEIE! Tqfdusvn! Ejtpsefs! affects them. Therefore, you must start the accommodation process with an open mind boe! sfbez! up! mfbso/! Vomjlf! JLFB! gvsojuvsf-! people simply do not come with instructions.

Revise, Revisit, Reassess

Xifuifs! ps! opu! zpvs! fnqmpzff! jefoujft! as living with disability, onboarding means creating the most productive environment for the new member of the team. That means oejoh!pvu!ipx!uifz!xpsl!cftu/ Bu! sfbdiBcjmjuz-! xf! sfdfoumz! pocpbsefe! b! ofx!fnqmpzff!xip!tfmg.jefoujfe!xjui!tpnf! bddpnnpebujpo! sfrvjsfnfout/! Tif! xbt! rvjuf! sheepish to discuss her needs, despite her extensive knowledge about our company. Evsjoh! pvs! pocpbsejoh! qspdftt-! xf! sfwjtfe! ifs! xpsltqbdf! up! sffdu! uiptf! offet/! Boz! company can revise the workplace in small xbzt! uibu! vmujnbufmz! cfofu! fwfszpof/! Uijt! employee asked about glare resistant glasses, boe!tppo!uif!foujsf!ufbn!sfrvftufe!up!vtf!uifn/! Uijt!jt!b!mpx.dptu!bddpnnpebujpo!uibu!cfofut! all. By checking back with her on the initial accommodations and allowing her to share the advantages of the glare-reducing glasses, we all cfofufe!gspn!b!Sfwjtju/!Gjobmmz-!uifsf!jt!ofwfs! a good time to stop checking in. Reassessing the accommodation is another way to ensure your new team member is truly the best they can be. Now, that is a true win, win, win. Tova Sherman is an award-winning inclusion leader and CEO of The NGO, reachAbility. Her trail-blazing approach to frvbmj{joh!uif!qmbzjoh!fme!bspvoe!ejtbcjmjuz! at work has led her to be a highly sought-out presenter and consultant to P3 clients across Canada and the U.S.. Her recently released title, Xjo-!Xjo-!Xjo;!Uif!29!Jodmvtjpo.jtnt! Zpv! Offe! up! Cfdpnf! b! Ejtbcjmjuz! Dpoefou! Employer," is only the latest accomplishment from this passionate innovator.

PHOTO CREDIT: THE REACHABILITY STAFF