Introduction Video
Sonam Tshewang Ura
Royal Thimphu College
In many countries, disability laws and policies require education and workplace settings to be inclusive; that is, made reasonably accessible and for accommodations to be provided to ensure equitable access to education and work. How this looks in each specific country will vary, and there is an absence of unified disability laws and policies in many countries. In general, the principles of accessibility and accommodation promote the following:
Ensuring physical access to buildings and work/learning materials
Promoting the use of accessible and assistive technology
Supporting accessible and alternative communication such as sign language, braille, and other means of communication
Providing flexibility in schedules, curriculum/work tasks, location of work/learning, and other accommodations that modify policies
Differentiated instruction or work tasks
The most common misconception from employers and learning institutions is that providing accessibility and accommodation for persons with disabilities are cost-prohibitive. In fact, nearly all reasonble accommodations cost nothing to implement, or require a small one-time investment (Job Accommodation Network). Also, some of the most common means to provide accessibility and accommodation benefit everyone. While some investments in new infrastructure and technology may be prohibitive in low-resource contexts, the majority of accommodations that can be made are conceptual and involve flexibility, creativity, and design-thinking.
For example, in a study on workplace accommodations in India, the most effective accommodations were work schedule flexibility, supports to improve work efficiency, modifications to the work environment (low cost), modifications in appraisal, more supportive employer policies, and greater integration of services. None of these accommodations were high cost, and most of them cost no money at all.
Accessibility and accommodation are vital strategies to enable persons with disabilities to be successsful in education, training, and employment. The impact of these low-cost and high-impact strategies are clear. According to a study on workplace accommodation in China, "When employees perceive a high level of workplace accommodation in the organization, they are able to participate in most formal and informal organizational activities, and they contribute their talents such as creativity, thereby realize their self-worth in the organization." More directly, workplace accommodation to provide equitable accessibility help employers retain quality employees, eliminate the cost of hiring new employees, increase productivity, increase worker morale, and increase employee attendance (Solovieva & Walls, 2013). In post-secondary education, providing easily-accomplished accommodations such as extra time for tests and assignments, modifying class materials, and assignment accessibility improved student achievement and learning (Kim & Lee, 2015).
We recommend the following steps for ensuring accessibility and successful accommodation in both the workplace as well as in post-secondary education settings:
Plan for inclusion
Make sure that there is awareness of disability rights
Engage and activate 'disability champions'
Develop an inclusion and diversity vision and culture
Assess existing resources and identity areas of need
Make sure that persons with disabilities are key stakerholders in any initiative or plan
Develop person-centered plans (see Module 2) and other types of personal development planning tools
Provide reasonable accommodation
Employ communication strategies that are accessible. Don't assume that 'one-size fits all'.
Provide a variety of different ways to engage in learning materials / work materials and tasks
Critically examine policies and procedures – is there a specific reason why something is the way it is? Or has it just 'always been that way'?
Provide flexibility in assignments, due dates, tests, projects, and other tasks. Ask yourselves, is it more important for this task to be on time, or to be done inclusively and with quality?
Work with persons with disabilities to discover what they need and what works best for them. Chances are, this will also benefits others.
Evaluate how things went and return to step 1.
There are many examples of specific accommodations and accessibility strategies in the online resources below.
Refer to the Inclusion@Work framework below. If you were to prioritize three steps to making a more inclusive workplace at the company or organization named above, what would they be? How would you start doing this?
Source: Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (2021). Inclusion @Work: A framework for building a disability-inclusive organization. Retrieved from: https://askearn.org/training-center/inclusionwork-trainings-webinars/
Training Video: Inclusion@Work, Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN). Find many more resources at https://askearn.org
Featuring Microsoft's work on Disability and Accessibility, an example of good corporate initiatives. Find out more at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility (Note: We do not have a relationship with Microsoft; we are sharing indpendently.)
Indonesian Education for All (INDOEDUC4ALL)
A project that promotes access and participation for students with disabilities in Indonesian higher education institutions.
Their Good Pracice Guide for Disability Management Services in HEIs is located on the right.
WEBCAST: "Requesting and Negotiating Reasonable Accommodations" Job Accommodation Network (JAN), February 2021
https://jan.adobeconnect.com/pc1tcydt6vyq/
There are many more resources from JAN – check them out at https://askjan.org
TOOLKIT: "Tools for Promoting Disability Access and Inclusion" University of Arkansas Partners for Inclusive Communities
Inclusdes toolkits and resources for online learning, workplace access, creating accessible documents, and many more.
TOOLKIT: "Beyond the Blue Book: Exam Accommodations and Strategies" National Center for College Students with Disabilities
http://nccsdtrainingcenter.weebly.com/exams-page-1-intro.html
The NCCSD has a training center dedicated to inclusion and accessibility in post-secondary education – check them out at http://nccsdtrainingcenter.weebly.com
International Labour Organization, 2021
This webpage has information and a video on how to ensure safe working conditions for people working from home. An increasing number of people work from home in the world, both due to the COVID pandemic and new opportunities for telecommuting. Traditional home-based work such as tailoring is also on the rise. ILO provides an overview of work-from-home opportunities and challenges.