Disability Inclusion

This intermediate-level program equips learners to confidently and respectfully include disabled colleagues and clients and to consider access in workplace practices. It explains core concepts, challenges ableist mindsets, and offers practical inclusion and belonging strategies. The program is shaped by the contributions of Ingrid Palmer, a visually impaired disability advocate, award-winning speaker, bestselling author, and the IDEAL-2B Chief Officer at Realize Canada. It reflects her intersectional approach to disability advocacy and her commitment to challenging disability stereotypes.

TOPIC: BELONGING

LEVEL: Intermediate

Core Skills & Behaviours

Apply an intersectional disability lens: Understand disability as a complex spectrum (physical, psychological, episodic, or overlapping) and consider how intersecting identities influence individual experiences.
Respect personal agency: Believe individuals as experts on their own disability, use their preferred language, and apply an “ask, listen, clarify” framework rather than assuming assistance is needed.
Respond appropriately to disability disclosures: Receive disclosures without surprise, pity, or minimization, and apologize clearly and effectively when accidental microaggressions occur.
Differentiate access from accommodations: Implement proactive, universal accessibility within workplace systems rather than relying solely on reactive accommodation requests, Consider non-apparent impacts like the “disability tax” and “spoon theory.”
Challenge disability stereotypes and media tropes: Detect ableist tropes, stigma, and misrepresentation in media and workplace culture. Advocate for accurate, nuanced, and humanizing portrayals of disabled people.

	Snippet Title	Topic Covered
1	A Long Silence	Explores respectful customer service for clients with disabilities. Encourages speaking directly to the person, respecting personal space, and avoiding assumptions or invasive questions and comments.
2	The Parking Spot	Introduces the concept of “gatekeeping” disability. Encourages learners to view disability as a broad spectrum of experience and to believe people about their needs.
3	It’s Not Fair	Introduces the concepts of “disability tax” and “spoon theory” to explain how disability affects the management of time and energy. Suggests planning, flexibility, and normalizing boundaries with colleagues.
4	The Key Fob	Highlights the consequences of assuming the assistance needs of a person with an apparent disability. Advocates for an “ask the person” strategy that supports autonomy.
5	A Double Request	Introduces the concept of intersectionality and shows how a person’s disability experience is shaped by other facets of identity. Recommends avoiding assumptions and adopting a broader definition of “access.”
6	The Press Release	Explains the difference between person-first and identity-first language and emphasizes asking the person for guidance on respectful language.
7	A Surprise Disclosure	Explores the concept of “microinvalidations” and highlights the ableist assumptions embedded in many common responses to disclosures of neurodivergence and non-apparent disability.
8	So Resilient	Explains common but harmful disability tropes in media portrayals of disabled people, including focus on resilience or inspiration, or on inclusion as a heroic act. Encourages learners to detect tropes and educate others.
9	The Work Toy	Presents the concept of ableist microaggression and suggests simple steps for apologizing if one is committed.
10	Sliding Scale	Advocates for universal design and “process-free” access, such as building supports into the workflow before they are requested.

Disability Inclusion

TOPIC: BELONGING

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