I Wanted To Hug Her And Shake Her

The book starts off with the author pondering whether she should have really chosen to wear 6 inch Versace heels on The Daily Show.

I wanted to gag.

Yet, at the same time, as I continued listening to the memoir, Unseen by Molly Burke, the words "exploited" and "token" also rang out, and my heart swelled with compassion.

I didn't know who Molly Burke was until my friend and colleague Yasser Tamer Atef mentioned her to me, as we started planning a workshop on disability awareness in the workplace. (Stay tuned...)

If you don't know Molly Burke, she's a disability advocate, model, speaker, and YouTuber, who is also legally blind, having suffered from a genetic disorder that stole her eyesight.

Did you know that I started volunteering and working with children with disabilities even before I could drive?

I worked as a tutor, job coach, Special Olympics coach, babysitter, and teacher for people with Tourette's, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, and Autism.

Yet, when I left traditional education, I also left much of that work behind.

It has only been in recent years, while working with Equity Unbound and people like Yasser, that I have re-connected to my social justice roots, and been more connected to the disabled community.

Molly Burke has a massive platform to share her story and struggles as a person with a disability.

Yet, you probably know and work with someone with a disability.

And each one of us will become temporarily, or permanently, disabled at some point in our lives.

Disability doesn't discriminate.

Whether you choose to listen to Unseen read the work of Temple Grandin, or a memoir of someone else, I highly encourage you to take some time to learn more about the range of disabilities people face in our world together.

If you saw Molly Burke on camera, you might never know she was blind.
If you saw her on the street with her guide dog and her cane, you would.

It's the same for those you work with and encounter every day.

Not every disability can be seen with the naked eye.

Able-ism and accessibility keep 80% of disabled people out of the workplace (in the Western world). Even if they wanted to contribute, they couldn't.

People with disabilities need our acknowledgement and support, not our pity.

Do your part and learn more, making the unseen visible.

Originally posted on LinkedIn with comments.

Read Deeper Not Faster