We Are All Disabled . . . On Some of Us It ShowsDisability as a Form of Diversity: A Small Parable

We are all disabled . . . on some of us it shows. This might sound like an odd statement. It is drawn from a phrase that I heard my father use many times as I was growing up. My father had dozens of such sayings and probably like the rest of these axioms it was borrowed, changed, or edited from sources such as Norman Vincent Peale, Reader’s Digest, or Dear Abby. The intellectual and physiological meaning of this reference to disabilities was an enigma to me for most of my childhood. It haunted me because I sensed it had a deeper meaning but I did not know how to respond. Probably like my own children I was only half listening anyway.

For me this was my introduction to disabilities, and I later realized it had become a personal guiding principle. But before the concept caught hold, my first task was to discern its meaning, for I must admit the phrase initially puzzled me. I was raised in a small town defined by neighborhoods and local traditions. The only difference is that my hometown was Northeast Washington, D.C. Some would argue that D.C. is hardly a small town in the traditional sense and I agree wholeheartedly. But in the 1950s and 1960s, Washington was just like most cities across America. We stayed in our communities and spoke a local dialect. We moved within limited circles. Only years later did I realize how insulated I was. In fact, I did not visit the Howard University campus until I was in high school, but more central to this article is that my first visit to the Gallaudet University campus was not until 1995 at the age of forty-four. Both of these major university campuses are located not only in Washington, D.C., but in the very section of the city where I lived!

As this article’s title rattled around in my head all those years I truly wondered about the meaning and the context of the words. Then the dawn slowly began to break. About fifteen years ago I began to decipher its deeper meaning. It was at this point in my career I was asked to assume responsibility for a troubled project within my then company. The project dealt with services that were marketed exclusively to the deaf and hard of hearing community. My company had entered into three state contracts. Each of these contracts had its set of unique technical, financial, and strategic issues. My task was to develop an overarching strategy that somehow tied these disparate contracts together. Each contract provided relay services for the deaf as a means of connecting the deaf/hard of hearing to the hearing world. New technology and the passage of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act now connected these two worlds as never before.

In addition to the challenges of learning about the technology, the regulatory issues, and the profit and loss details, I took on a new team of about ten to fifteen people. I had to stretch to make this new role fit into my already busy schedule. Upon meeting my new team I only then realized that most of these individuals were deaf. I convinced myself that deafness did not matter and after some adjustments to the various styles of communication, I jumped directly into the task with the objective of resolving the problems in record time.

As I charged into this new project, I soon realized there was a whole new world I had yet to discover and understand. I found that there was something centrally missing and without that knowledge and wisdom there could be no meaningful resolution. I struggled with even the simplest issues and was frustrated that the group did not conform to my perspective. I forced timelines and moved with great haste.

In short, I was not listening.

After throwing my highest level of energy into the task, I found that I was not able to grasp the issues and the context of the strategy, much less solve the problem. I was forced to admit that I simply did not understand. That was a great shock to a fast-rising, high-profile MBA executive.

Here was my first great lesson: It is possible to be biased and not know it. As I look back I shudder at the reactions and comments I made. Of course, I was convinced that my new employees did not understand me. I discounted the initial feedback from my staff. I felt they were missing the finer nuances of my business communications. I was more patronizing than patient. I felt I needed to simply repeat myself a few more times and then things would be clearer. Around we went on a variety of business issues and I could not find a consensus—the much-needed strategy and map of the future was not emerging.

Like most people I knew about American Sign Language (ASL) but I soon realized that it only began to address the many ways in which the deaf communicate. Lip reading and “voicing” were tools that many on my new staff relied upon. I soon learned each of these tools brought with it cultural implications and often hidden meanings. Further, I discovered that there were simple communication protocols that had enormous significance and needed to be understood and followed in order to avoid unintentionally offending anyone. For instance, one never talks to the interpreter who is speaking for the deaf client—you always direct your attention to the person who is communicating with you through the interpreter.

My next lesson was that my frustration was rooted in my lack of understanding of the deaf culture. No amount of urgency would permit me to skip this important step. Like it or not, I needed more time to understand the culture of my new employees and this would be the doorway to the deaf customers. The deaf world is one of great complexity. Witness the controversy that in 2006 surrounded the choice of new president of Gallaudet University. My mistake is that I saw the deaf world as a unidimensional community. I felt I could “figure it out” as I went along. In fact, what I discovered is that there are numerous deaf subcultures. The essence of marketing to the deaf was this basic understanding of the motivating forces that drive this community. Over many weeks, my patient staff spent hours with me and oriented me to a world that was previously inaccessible.

My final lesson, with my father’s words ringing in my ears, was: What is a disability? My deaf employees were quick to point out that for most of the deaf community deafness was a heritage to proudly carry on. To be a third- or fourth-generation deaf person is to have a pure lineage and culture that many fight to maintain. What an eye-opener. I realized my disability was my blindness and deafness to the leadership and direction that these employees were anxious to lead me to.

The moral to this small parable is that the solution to my business problem became very obvious after this epiphany. Once this greater understanding was achieved the answers came swiftly and completely. Those three state contracts grew to thirty state-level contracts and dozens of more business opportunities for many new deaf hires each time we won another state contract. This line of business grew to over a quarter of a billion dollars a year and into one of the most profitable in the entire corporate family of products. Somewhere in this transition I moved from the mindset of hiring the best-qualified deaf employee to that of hiring the best.

More exciting to me, however, was the ability to move some of these employees into the broader market and have them support or market other products and services. Each time I promoted another high-potential deaf employee, I was able to watch another new set of people see the advantage of the diverse workforce and the perspective of the unexpected point of view. These employees became a rich source of talent that thrived on teamwork and levels of cooperation that were exemplary.

Employee diversity of all kinds is directly linked to the art and science of innovation. Our ability to see and hear the next solution is a direct function of our ability to listen and see problems from every perspective. The predictable path is shaped by the sameness of the questions and answers. Diversity is no longer merely an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) objective enforced by the federal government. It is a culture in and of itself. It is the opinion of the person who disagrees with you that often matters the most. Build your teams and strategies on the shoulders of the diverse workforce and watch the choices flourish and grow. Always check your definition of diversity to be the most inclusive.

One of the most valuable assets American business has is the manner in which we embrace diversity. This journey is far from over, but we are generations ahead of many countries. Our history and culture are predicated on this principle. By accepting the linkage between innovation and diversity, you guarantee the future of your business and its competitive edge. I invite you to see disabilities as one of the many forms of diversity.