Media Storm - How to be a better work ally to people with disabilities

Episode Date: March 31, 2022

After looking at the prevalence of ableism in UK workplaces and the lack of legal recourse for those affected in last week’s episode, Media Storm is handing the mic - for the final instalment of this season - to some of its sources, who share with listeners ways to help. Whether you are an employer or colleague, here are some of dos and do NOTs to help you be a better ally to disabled and chronically ill workers.  The episode is hosted by Mathilda Mallinson (@mathildamall) and Helena Wadia (@helenawadia), with Helena Da Silva Merron and Maria Kalinowska as researchers. Guests (in order of appearance) Roxanne Steel @roxannesteelofficial (IG) Maria Kalinowska @m.a.kamera (IG) Alanna Richards Emma Vogelmann @emma.vogelmann @disabilitylawservice @scopecharity (IG) @emma_vogelmann @DSL_Law @scope (TW)  Izzy Jani-Friend @isabellejanifriend (IG) Get in touch Follow us on Twitter http://twitter.com/mediastormpod or Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mediastormpod or Tiktok https://www.tiktok.com/@mediastormpod like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MediaStormPod send us an email [e-mail] check out our website https://mediastormpodcast.com Music by Samfire @soundofsamfire. Artwork by Simba Baylon @simbalenciaga. Media Storm is brought to you by the house of The Guilty Feminist and is part of the Acast Creator Network. Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/media-storm. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to MediaStorm, a news podcast that starts with the people who are normally asked last. I'm Matilda Mallinson and I'm Helena Wadia. And we're back with some bonus content for our loyal listeners. First of all, I'd like to thank Tilda and the Media Storm platform for giving me this extra space to give you a bit of bonus advice about what you can do as listeners and what I can do. as an individual. Last week, we looked at the Abelism Common in UK workspaces and lack of legal recourse for those affected. So this week, we asked our sources where the listeners could help make it a little bit better.

Dozens of parents have complained to the BBC that a disabled television presenter is scaring their children. No underlying health conditions. Underlying health conditions. Other health conditions. The elderly and people with underlying health conditions. People with genital. disability of facing extinction.

You'll be hearing from a number of people with lived experience, Roxanne Steele, Equity Consultant, Maria Kalanowska, photographer and disability rights activist, Alana Richards, marketing director, Izzy Jani Friend, journalist, and Emma Vogelman, lead policy advisor for the charity's scope. Firstly, to employers, what do you think that employers could do better?

Something that would be really beneficial is regular check-ins about how you're feeling, how you're doing, what can you take on, what do you want, let them know they are still very much valued and they are not a worse employee just because they're ill. That would go a long way, both productivity but also like for mental health and feeling valued as an employee and then therefore wanting to, you know, give more to the company and be loyal to that company because you feel like, you're making difference in the company instead of just being a burden. Employers need to understand what accessibility is. It's more than just the visible, reasonable adjustments or physical disabilities and ailments, like lowering a step for a wheelchair user. Accessibility runs through so many more things.

There's digital accessibility. There's accessibility in terms of mental health. Any system that is in place or any, The body that's put together needs to have disabled people at its core. You need to have disabled people in decision-making positions because we're the experts. No matter what system is put in place, you need to make sure that a disabled person is on that panel or on that board saying, no, actually, this is a really common request that is made. there's this wonderful expression, nothing for us without us.

Not excluding your disabled colleagues, I think that's a big one, just from social situations, but also just like everyday work meetings. Don't assume someone doesn't want to join, doesn't want to do a task because they're disabled. Have that conversation first. People need to realise that measures for disabled people will benefit everybody, will benefit the whole team. Anybody can become disabled at any point.

There might already be staff in your workforce that are disabled, that haven't disclosed it, because they're worried about the repercussions or if the way they'd be treated would change. It will create an environment where they feel accepted. Every single person has accessibility needs. In order for someone who is healthy to walk through a door, it needs a handle for them to open that door, right? That's an accessibility need. But it's needed by everyone, so we don't question it.

Those needs are met by society. Most people need a remote control to turn on their TV instead of standing up, walking over to the TV and turning the television on. Why? It's easier that remote control is there to meet an accessibility need. Yet we all use remote controls. Text messages were invented to meet an accessibility need for people with hearing impairments. We have all learned from the pandemic that it's actually possible to work from home. and it's possible to have flexible working hours. It's not the end of the world.

It doesn't mean you're going to lose productivity. In fact, I can guarantee that my productivity went up as soon as I was able to work from home because I was able to do things in a way that made me comfortable and that didn't make me have a flare-up. I owned a business. If I realized that I'd made a mistake, I wouldn't get defensive. I would see it as a learning opportunity

and a way to be a better employer. Realising that your little bubble of reality is so small and can be so much bigger if you just open your mind to other people's ways of doing things and wants and needs. Okay, so for fellow employees, your colleagues, what do you think that people could do to make their colleagues with different health needs feel like a valued part of the company

to be accommodating. The biggest one is, I think, amplify the voices of your disabled and chronically ill employees. If you can see that they're being sidelined, say something. I know it's scary, but it's a lot scarier for us than it would be for you. We need able-bodied people to also help advocate for disabled and chronically ill people because at the end of the day, it's exhausting. It's really important that after listening to this podcast, you take time to reflect. Use these stories, share and amplify them.

Think about what you can do to learn, especially with friends in a non-judgmental space. Start discussions around what we think. Do you things like a book club? Find what works for you? Are you a reader? Are you a listener? Are you a doer? Is there something you could do out in the community?

This is just like a blanket thing for colleagues, but also just anyone. Please, if you know someone has a disability and is chronicly, do not ask the question, are you better yet? It's something that I used to get from my colleagues a lot, just the question of like, oh, are you feeling better yet? Like, no, I'm back at work because I need the money. It doesn't mean I'm feeling better. And then it kind of puts you in the corner of having to put on this brave face at work.

Reflect my language around my disability or my pronouns. So do I identify as a disabled person, a person with a disability, or even a spoonie when talking to me or about me. And actually, it's absolutely fine not to know. I don't know everything about stablemen or even my own experiences. Just ask. I think a lot of disabled people and chronically ill people don't feel hard. If you ask questions of how it is like for them and try and understand,

that will also do a really long way on making that person feel included in the workplace and making them feel like the work matters. You've been amazing and thank you in advance for helping to save all people, remove barriers and build a more inclusive society. Thank you for listening and for wrapping up season one of Media Storm with me, Matilda Malinson, and my co-host, Helen Awadier. We'll be back for a new season in the summer. Until then.

Follow MediaStorm wherever you get your podcast so that you can get access to new episodes as soon as they drop. If you like what you hear, share this episode. with someone and leave us a five-star rating and review. It really helps more people discover the podcast and our aim is to have as many people as possible hear these voices. You can also follow us on social media at Matilda Mal, at Helena Wadia, and follow the show via at MediaStorm pod.

Get in touch and let us know what you'd like us to cover and who you'd like us to speak to. Media Storm, a new podcast from the House of the Guilty Feminist is part of the ACAS creator network. It is produced by Tom Silinski and Deborah Francis White. The music is by Sam. Just before you go, make sure you haven't missed any of this season's episodes. Here are some of the highlights. If you tell somebody the whole life that you're no good, what happens is they believe it.

It is disgusting, the way they treat people. He said, and I quote, I was fat. All they tell me is what's wrong with me. I don't know any different. So they wheeled me out in my wheelchair. I was just left there to don't. Become abuse of yourself. Needles were being pushed in like more roughly.

I was being handled more roughly. He said that I got myself into this because I opened my legs. I kicked off like a wild animal because they put me in the shower, six of them, cold shower, washing me, scrubbing me because I was dirty. MRI scanners aren't big enough for overweight people. I've struggled to get officers to speak on the record about what goes on in prison. We're literally not allowed to. Advocates do not need to be a voice for the voiceless.

We are empowered, we are magic. Stop for gamekeeping. Stop censoring people. I would love to know why the media asks the CEOs of a homeless charity. Anything about homelessness? I feel really invisible. Is the media reporting on or creating the crisis? Plot twist. I don't wait for the mainstream media to do anything.

Drug-like criminals. That crazy. The homeless. Hear our stories. We are the ones who have lived this. Our lived experience is leadership. We are the experts. It's really simple. Just present birth size of the story.