Advocate Matthew Shapiro Joins for October Better Together Webinar: ‘I want to see a world that is more accessible to all people”

October is Disability Awareness Month and PlanRVA is back with an important conversation with Matthew Shapiro for our Better Together webinar series on Thursday, Oct. 27 at noon. Shapiro is the founder and CEO of 6 Wheels Consulting, a company that helps organizations find inclusive, commonsense and cost-effective solutions to help better support individuals with disabilities.

PlanRVA caught up with Shapiro for a preview of the upcoming webinar. Read our Q&A below and register today.

October is Disability Awareness Month. How can we talk about disability, inclusivity and all abilities year-round? 

The first thing is to think of people with disabilities as valued members of our communities. I believe society often thinks people with disabilities aren't capable of being employees or partners. They look at the community, and they look at people like me as somebody that they need to care for and they need to fix, and while there is some of that (I do need some support), I also want people with disabilities to be seen as talented individuals who can work, start businesses, get married, have children and do all of the things. If society worked alongside us, to help make our lives a little bit easier and set up a world that is more accepting of people with disabilities, I think we would feel so much more accepted.

As organizations begin their journey to make their spaces more accessible to everyone, where do they start?

There are a lot of places to start.

First of all, I give businesses who want to start kudos. Because they recognize the value of people with disabilities, and they want to do the best things for them to allow them to participate in spaces. Some of the things that they can first do is review your diversity statement. Does it reference disability? Typically, when we have diversity statements, we're only talking about race, gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation. More frequently you're seeing disability, but it's not a permanent thing that's included in the conversation.

You need to make sure that people with disabilities are seen within your organization. Are people with disabilities on your website, marketing materials and other collateral? Images should include authentic people with disabilities and not stock photos.

Ensure that you have an office structure that allows for people to easily navigate the space and have accessible furniture. People with disabilities should test the accessibility in your office.

When you're recruiting people, be very specific that you’re looking for people with disabilities to apply. Have alternative forms of interview styles because somebody with certain types of disabilities may not be able to do a traditional interview setting. For example, some people with autism and other sensory disabilities don't do well in an interview style where they're being peppered with questions. What other kind of interview strategies can you implement to allow people to show their talents? It could be an experiential interview where they show you how they would perform the job.

Work with experts and consultants to help you understand and navigate challenges you might not know about. Make sure people with disabilities are at the table to help inform disability related decisions.

You have a passion to make the world more accessible, what inspires you to continue this work?

It's multilayered. I’m impacted by it and I want to help others.

I’m tired. I'm tired of having the challenges that we have, and I want to see a world that is more accessible to all people because one of the things I always say is disability is the only minority group any of us can join in the blink of an eye. It's the only minority group that we're all going to eventually join as we age and need different accommodations and supports. Why are we not as a whole society doing more to support and provide a safe and fully inclusive space for people with disabilities to live, work, play and navigate?

That’s what keeps me motivated every day. I want to be that change. Can I do it alone? Absolutely not. It's a community wide thing, but if I connect with great organizations like PlanRVA and other groups, hopefully I’m making a dent in the conversation and creating change.

Disability changes can support and can impact everyone. Everyone loves a curb cut. If you have a rolling piece of luggage when trying to get into a hotel, a curb cut is great. If you have a stroller with an infant in it, a curb cut is great. A lot of these things that we view as things that are solely for the disability community end up helping everyone else. This work helps everybody.

What can people expect for your upcoming Better Together webinar?

I’ll share some basics of disability and inclusive language.

I’ll talk about why I started my business, who some of my previous clients have been, how other organizations can get involved, and try to really have a conversation about the importance of disability in the workplace.

Anytime you can have conversations with people just to expand their understanding of different cultures and disability culture, I think it's important.

I'm hoping that people come with questions. It will be a safe space and there’s no such thing as a stupid question. I would rather you ask me a stupid question where I can comfortably answer it for you than if you engage with somebody with a disability out in the community and you say something incorrect or what may be perceived as insensitive.

Thank you, Matthew! We look forward to learning more from you on Oct. 27 at noon. Click here to register to attend!