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Greetings!
I hope you have had a productive summer and
are now ready to begin the fall with energy and
conviction.
We are continuing our series on the topic
of "inclusion." During our last segment we talked
about how inclusion is drawing a lot of attention in our
industry, although from my vantage point, it has been
around for a long time. We noted that there is a huge
gap when it comes to including people with
disabilities into other diversity related activities
regardless of the lip service given to reaching out to
this population. I'm not saying people don't care, they
just don't seem to follow through.
Case in point - in 2002 I was one of three
people with a visible disability at a Linkage Diversity
Conference. This is not to say there aren't people with
invisible disabilities in our mix, but if you attend other
diversity related conferences people with disabilities
are not there. Is it anyone's fault? Well I'm not going
to go there, however what we are going to do is to
create a forum for talking about this matter.
In our last news letter we cited many different
definitions of inclusion from professionals in the field.
We will be working from our definition of inclusion for
the purposes of this series.
Inclusion is:
- the need to belong
- to be a part of
- to not be discounted
Today I am introducing the Five Dimensions of
Inclusion. I think that once we begin to understand the
impact of inclusion, or the lack there of, on our
relationships, we can begin to make some headway
on this dynamic.
Steve
The Five Dimensions of Inclusion
It's the first weekend in March 2007. I
am on the Gallaudet University campus in
Washington D.C. attending the Institute for Inclusion
conference. As I make my way to the breakfast area I
am going through my normal routine of attempting to
figure out where things are - follow the sounds, listen
to the conversations. But on this day I notice there is
very little dialog. Finally someone comes over and
asks if I'm looking for breakfast? I acknowledged that
I am. Her response is "the wait person is aware of
you, but he is hearing impaired so went to find
someone who can help you." I ask if she can help me
through the line and tell me the food choices and she
agrees.
As I make my way through the food
line I am reminded of a similar incident some 50
years previous when I was a student at the California
School for the Blind. I was in the infirmary we shared
with the School for the Deaf during a mumps
epidemic. My roommate was deaf and I was blind
making it virtually impossible for us to communicate.
And now here I am in 2007 on the Gallaudet campus
faced with the same dilemma. Then it hits me - you
can't have inclusion until you have connection. What a
revelation!
From that revelation the Five
Dimensions of Inclusion are born:
1. Connection
Had it not been for the intervention of this woman to
tell me what was going on, I would have never known
that someone was aware of my need to get breakfast.
Even though the wait staff person was aware of me,
the two of us had no language for communicating with
one another.
Could it be that is the struggle we are having in this
country with diversity and inclusion? Because all of us
come from so many different cultures and languages
we are unable to connect. Therefore feelings of
uncaring, anger and animosity surface instead of
working to find common ground for resolution.
2. Inquiry Once
you realize the need for connection you are in a
position to make inquiries of how to relate with one
another (note - we still aren't having inclusion, but the
dialog is beginning). I have had people say to
me, "This is my first time being around someone who
has no sight. Tell me what to do." I love that kind of
dialog for it allows me to go into a teaching mode. I've
also had the opposite happen. Well meaning
assistants in the airport have tried to grab the other
end of my cane and pull me where they want to take
me. This is very offensive and it is one of the few times
I almost lose it instead of trying to teach. The key here
is to ask questions if you are meeting someone for
the first time. When you get their answer, do what they
tell you to do instead of doing what you think you
should do.
3. Awareness At
this point in the conversation a relationship is being
established. You begin to be aware that the world as
you see it is not necessarily the same way as others
see it. Through constant dialog or teaching,
relationships begin to build. You start asking
questions of each other and lights of insight are going
off all over the place.
4. Appreciation
As your world begins to expand and you
become aware of the great diversity surrounding us,
appreciation for those differences should begin to
grow. Those of us with more than one child know that
no two are alike, yet we love and appreciate the
uniqueness of each one.
5. Commonness Although
the world expands as we continue to learn and grow
from others, the world also becomes smaller as we
begin to see the common denominators that bind us
together. All of us know pain, joy, sorrow. We all have
desires to be productive members of society and
through our collective differences we also experience
the oneness of striving for similar goals and
aspirations.
As we work to build inclusion into
our places of work watch out for deterrents such as:
- fear of the unknown
- judgments that are made about us because of
certain groups we belong to
- lack of believability in the individual even though
you care about their welfare
- no points of connection
If we practice the Five Dimensions of
Inclusion, then we will be ready to build and create an
inclusive environment in our respective places of work
as well as within our families.
News Briefs
The summer has allowed me time to
regroup and work on one specific project. Due to
some work cancellations I was able to focus on
training for my annual Hood to Coast Relay (a 197
mile race from Mt. Hood to the beach in Seaside, OR.).
This relay allows me as a person with a disability to
participate in a major event.
The event hosts 1000 running
teams, 500 walking teams from Portland to the coast,
and 40 high school teams who run from Portland to
the coast. This year's event also saw all fifty states
represented as well as runners from forty different
countries. What is so amazing about this experience
is that people from all walks of life and all levels of
capabilities take part. On our team alone we had such
dimensions of diversity as four generations, workers
from all sectors (government, education and
corporate), differences in capability, etc.
This is the time of year when I really
come alive because I am able to bring all of who I am
to the experience. My team mates appreciate me for
who I am (Asian, male, senior citizen, blind).
Regarding the disability they laugh with me and, when
appropriate, laugh at me as well. How great it would
be if our places of work could generate a similar
feeling of inclusion and oneness.
So until next time stay the course and be a
difference maker.
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Steve Hanamura
With over 30 years of experience, Steve Hanamura is
a nationally known speaker, consultant and trainer. He
is widely sought after in the areas of leadership
development, building effective teams, leading
diversity initiatives and managing generational
differences. With a national client list spanning
Fortune 500 companies to regional not-for-profit
institutions, Steve is highly regarded for his unique
perspectives and distinct training techniques.
As president of Hanamura Consulting, Inc. he is
committed to making a difference in the lives of
individuals and organizations. His goal is to assist
organizations to work together to build constructive
relationships by understanding how we must draw
from the past and work in the present so we can plan
and build for the future.
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