July 2024
You have to understand and address deep-seated human resistors.
Whilst most colleagues are supportive of the principle of disability equity, our connections with thousands of disability ERG/Network leaders tells us that they encounter many common and deep-seated human resistors to creating meaningful change.
These can be as varied as low expectation, fear, awkwardness, stereotypes, stigma, lack of direct experience with disability or feelings of pity.
As one disability ERG/Network leader put it at a recent Peer Leadership Roundtable, ‘I’m trying to get colleagues excited about a topic that makes them have to confront their own mortality!’.
Addressing these resistors requires disability ERG leaders to build their ‘human’ leadership skills and develop their understanding of the political, economic, cultural and social phycological aspects of living with disability.
This month we invite you to consider:
- How does your ERG address negative attitudes toward disability inclusion when they are held by otherwise well-meaning colleagues?
- How do you combat the bombardment of negative information about the lives of disabled employees?
- How do you support your community of employees with disabilities to respond with confidence when others may not understand their experience or know the right things to say.
Peer Leadership Roundtables
One of the most valuable aspects of PurpleSpace membership is the opportunity to build your leadership capacity via quality conversation with other disability ERG/Network leaders.
Each month we convene groups of disability ERG/Network leaders to stimulate discussion on the monthly leadership lesson.
Connect with your peers during these interactive one-hour sessions. These sessions are a great way to share good practice and challenges, swap ideas and build your ERG/Network leadership capacity.
We have two sessions to choose from in July to explore how to address the deep-seated human resistors to disability inclusion:
Strategic Forum
The Purple Confidence Strategic Forum is Chaired by PurpleSpace Ambassador and Workplace adjustments and accessibility director at GSK, Andy Garrett.
The Forum exists to help organisations to develop the confidence of every employee with a disability and to inform PurpleSpace content upstream for downstream delivery.
The Purple Confidence Strategic Forum meets on 16th July 2024 at 16:00 (BST)/ 11:00 (EDT).
Contact Kirstie@purplespace.org for more information.
PurpleSpace and External Useful Resources
Tap into our Networkology know-how and check out some of the external learning that links to this month’s leadership lesson:
- Positively Purple: Build an Inclusive World Where People with Disabilities Can Flourish’ by Kate Nash OBE. Each member organisation will receive a copy of Kate’s book. Please let your Member Coach know if there has been a change in your ERG/Network leadership and we will arrange a new copy to be sent.
- The ‘Confident Conversations’ series is one part of the Purple Confidence Foundation Learning tools that help employees build inner confidence and personal resilience.
- Vlog: Creating a positive narrative means tackling mis-dis-information.