Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges
Are you simply too daunted by the difficulties you imagine will follow, to ‘risk’ engaging with a disabled person in or around the workplace? Have you avoided hiring people with disabilities for fear of perhaps disrupting the team dynamic? In our politically correct world, we are sometimes simply too terrified to engage with the unknown and often that includes
interacting with disabled people. Having employed a person with a disability, are you now experiencing frustrations and barriers between your team members – like oil and water, they just won’t mix? Frightened of saying or doing the wrong thing, causing offence or of treating someone differently when you shouldn’t, we often choose to not engage … and in so doing, we limit ourselves and our teams. In order to have a truly successful team, we need to have a fundamental understanding of each other, a respect for each individual’s frame of reference and a lack of fear of engaging. But, all too often, we don’t have the hard conversations, you know the ones that make you squirm and look at your toes. Talking about the ‘hard stuff’ is essential if you want an effective and committed team, so let’s get talking!
