สไลด์โชว์ Diversity awards also shine spotlight on disability

[url=http://libn.com/2017/04/27/diversity-awards-also-shine-spotlight-on-disability/]http://libn.com/2017/04/27/diversity-awards-also-shine-spotlight-on-disability/[/url] John Kemp, CEO of The Viscardi Center, arrived at Long Island Business News’ Diversity in Business Awards well dressed and wearing a tie like many others. It’s unlikely that most people would think about diversity as having much to do with how one dresses – although a veil or a turban might come to mind for some. But Kemp, who has prosthetic arms, dresses himself through a process very different than others, handling everything from buttoning his shirt to putting on a tie in a way that itself amounts to addressing a challenge. Diversity awards also shine spotlight on disability

He spoke at Long Island Business News’ Diversity in Business Awards April 25 at the Crest Hollow Country Club after they were expanded to include people with disabilities, following his request to get the publication to recognize those as a minority in their own right. “We do things differently, but there’s the richness of diversity in a microcosm,” Kemp, the keynote speaker at the awards said after describing his own process to do something as simple to others as dressing in the morning. “There are lots of different ways of getting to the same end.” Diversity is strength, he argued and the awards showcased, and companies with a diverse work force, in terms of race, age, sexual orientation, gender and nation of origin typically can proudly point to that fact. The awards ceremony showcased a wide range of success stories, exemplary people from private industry to government. “A diverse workforce can capture a greater share of consumer market,” Kemp said. “Your workforce should mirror your consumers and even your suppliers.” While diversity is often seen as strength, Kemp, however, argued that we need to broaden our definition to include people with other differences, such as disabilities, often highly competent, intelligent and skilled despite prejudices that may ignore those strengths. “You’ve got to think about how to accommodate aging workers,” Kemp said, noting an aging workforce is leading to more disabilities. “They have a lot of experience.” Kemp championed a different, even broader view of diversity than many have, making the point that the disabled are sometimes unfairly defined by their physical differences rather than by their other strengths, perceived sometimes through the twin lenses of pity and prejudice. “Being a member of the disability community has become commonplace and, maybe, even trendy,” he said before joking. “Think of all the people trying to park in our disability parking spaces on a rainy day when we really need it.” Kemp added that as people live longer, disabilities become more common, making the disabled a bigger demographic and more powerful minority – as consumers and workers. “The number of people with disabilities is skyrocketing compared with the growth rate of the general population,” Kemp continued. Diversity awards also shine spotlight on disability