INCIGHT has been shifting perspectives and unlocking potential and possibilities for people experiencing disabilities for over 20 years. We are officially celebrating this milestone
in 2024, as it’s the 20-year mark—it’s been two decades since we were granted our official status as a non-profit!
Our journey has been a metamorphosis from a single student scholarship awarded in year one to a range of programs—education, employment and independence. Centered initially on the needs of students transitioning from high school to the next phase of their lives, INCIGHT has since evolved to focusing on something bigger than simply our individual
clients. Helping people leverage the obstacles they face is an important aspect of this. We must prepare and provide the tools and resources those with disabilities need to complete their education, secure a job, be independent, and ultimately live out their dreams in a self-reliant, self-determined way.
We have progressed away from a focus purely on the individual, taking on a broader scope of helping society change perspectives about disability. Taking more than just a single-client view, we believe a maxim for our next twenty years is: “Shift perspectives, and be a champion of leveraging obstacles.” Change takes all of us working together.
This “champion” lens is important for our work of changing hearts and minds so that we can bring about a shift in the inclusion culture for people with disabilities. We must create greater awareness through offering new perspectives and creating forums for having conversations. The subject of leveraging obstacles provides such an approach, an opportunity to gently nudge everyone to realize we all have obstacles in our lives. Some obstacles may be more visible than others, but the heart of the matter is: we are all working through the struggles and barriers that keep us from unlocking even greater potential in our lives.
We see this play out in workshops INCIGHT has been hosting with OnPoint Credit Union and Goodwill Industries. Participants are all approaching these learning opportunities from different experiences and perspectives. Our simple mission is to meet people where they are at and share a new perspective so that they are able to see things from a different angle.
Workshop sessions are an invitation for companies and organizations to opt in as they chart their path toward establishing greater inclusion in their workforce. Our view is that groups don’t necessarily need to have conversations filled with "dos" and "don'ts" or "what to say" and "what not to say" for interactions with people with disabilities. Rather, the answer is simpler: it’s about human connection and the resilience to keep engaging, a phenomenon so clearly shown in the drama miniseries All the Light We Cannot See.
Interacting with those who are different from us is about reading the situation, getting to know each person and, in a service-oriented setting, asking, "how can I help you?" It seems straightforward, but the approach is quite profound.
One participant shared, “My biggest takeaway was that focusing on strengths and overcoming obstacles don't have to be two separate things. The goal doesn't have to be hiding your weaknesses with your strengths, but to use them as leverage instead. I really appreciated Scott's story about the downtown office door [a story about leveraging an obstacle], and it really helped me see that using your strengths to overcome obstacles is possible.”
How do you create an inclusion culture within your organization? It can vary from one organization to the next, depending on the existing organizational culture. Greater inclusion
starts with setting workplace expectations and entails creating opportunities for education through awareness-building and group interactions. It involves flexibility and open dialogue through multiple organizational communication channels and regular check-ins. It’s also about promoting accessibility through adopted policies and procedures and regular accommodation reviews. And, at the end of the day, it’s leading by example. These are just a few of the many steps to building and perfecting your organization’s inclusion culture.
These workshops are relevant to so many types of groups—from educators and business leaders in all sectors, to parents and family supporters, to individuals themselves. We plan to roll out Leveraging Obstacles Workshops for students and jobseekers with disabilities and their families. It’s a key piece missing from our program delivery model at INCIGHT. We cannot create a more inclusive society and culture if we aren't preparing our young people with disabilities to step up to the plate when opportunities open up. The workshops for those with disabilities will mix mentoring and training content with workforce pathways, including tools, resources and guidance.
As a person with a disability, I believe I too can contribute to developing an inclusion culture just by being my friendly self, answering questions and helping people navigate awkward interactions. I call this “being an open book.” I am no stranger to awkward interactions with people; it goes with the territory and stems from discomfort and uncertainty around unfamiliar experiences. Just because we become adults doesn’t mean we don't still have childlike curiosity and questions. The challenge for me is to help people embrace the awkwardness of the moment. There are ways to satisfy curiosity and help people gain awareness without giving too much leeway to over-the-line questions. Discomfort is reduced when we make time to talk with people we encounter and help them gain understanding. We are all charged with cultivating an environment and culture where everyone feels they can belong and find their place.
There is so much we have accomplished in our first 20 years at INCIGHT, and as we embark on our next 20, we firmly contend that it begins with shifting perspectives to a greater degree and thriving through a “Leveraging Obstacles” mindset. Becoming a champion of using obstacles to gain opportunities and awaken potential is not just for your own life, it is for helping society too as we shift toward a more inclusive future.
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