Cawthon’s Expertise in Inclusive Management Styles Featured in Tips for Leaders
When the careers platform, In Her Sight, sought to share best practices for creating inclusive and supportive environments for disabled employees, they interviewed Dr. Stephanie W. Cawthon, a world-renowned expert on disability and accessibility.
The result is Disability Awareness: 5 Tips for Making Your Management Style More Inclusive, published on April 24, 2023.
In the article, Dr. Cawthon advises managers and leaders:
The importance of recognizing that many disabilities aren’t immediately visible, which is particularly true for neurodivergent individuals.
Disabilities are often undisclosed by employees due to concerns about facing prejudice and professional limitations. The World Health Organization reports that 1 in 6 people globally live with some sort of disability that impacts their daily life.
Separate the cost of access from the hiring process.
Make a conscious effort to eliminate ableist language and attitudes.
Actively and genuinely get to know people. In a popular recent LinkedIn post, she advised, “If you’ve met one person with a disability, you know a little bit about ‘one’ person with a disability. That’s it. You are not an expert on all things disability.”