[On October 9th, 2020, I was on a panel at a Wells Fargo meeting commemorating the 30th anniversary of the ADA. The answers I gave are representative of where I was at the time.]
Before we start, I want to thank David Chan for inviting me to speak today. Some people who may know me may be wondering why I am not talking by myself. Shortly before retiring from Wells Fargo, my spine began compressing. I now need attendants for all my activities of daily living, including verbalizing. I cannot understand a damn word that I say!
Tell me about how your personal experiences of having a disability have changed over the years, especially before/after the ADA passing in 1990.
Since 1990, the physical environment has significantly changed. I am thrilled to see all the ramps, the curb cuts, the audio traffic lights, and public bathrooms. I still smile every time I see a wheelchair symbol on a storefront or a bus. When I moved to California, Berkeley was the only city that I regularly saw people with disabilities roaming the streets. It is now common to see that in almost every city in the U.S. Best of all, I love listening to students with disabilities describe their college experiences and career aspirations. All these things are attributable to the ADA.
How did attending Camp Jened and other advocacy work that you took part in impacted your life’s trajectory, particularly concerning your career?
The three main things I got from attending Camp Jened and my advocacy work were:
Take responsibility for questioning authority and fighting to change what is wrong.
Instead of agonizing over becoming ‘normal,’ work towards changing the world to accept and value everyone.
Enjoy oneself, including one’s body
Many of the staff members at Camp Jened were long-haired, pot-smoking hippies, and conscientious of the Vietnam War. We would spend endless hours talking about the injustices found throughout the country and what to do about them. My advocacy that centered mainly around improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities always reinforced the notion that we can change the world. Believing that it is easier to change the system from within the system than being outside of it motivated me to excel in my career.
Much of my childhood was spent receiving speech, occupational, physical therapy, and exercising. The overarching message was that I had to overcome my handicaps and be ‘normal.’ My disabilities were handicaps because of all the architectural barriers and the attitudes that people will never accept anyone that looked or sounded like me. I believed that surviving without my mother’s assistance meant that I had to do everything by myself. Being at Camp Jened and being part of the Disability Movement taught me that I was OK the way I am. Society should remove architectural barriers, attitudes can change, and Independent Living Services should be available. These realizations enhanced my career by focusing my time and energy on improving my strengths instead of slightly improving my weaknesses. There are always ways to achieve one’s goals and objectives. Learning that it is OK to ask people for assistance and relying on others to accomplish tasks also enhanced my career.
As a child with disabilities, I attended recreations and camps for children with disabilities. These programs were staffed by lovely and friendly people who wanted to help us have fun staffed these programs. Throughout my childhood, my body usually a source of pain and anguish. The Camp Jened staff were different. Most of them were there fun with us. We were equals. Camp Jened was also where I learned that my body could bring joy to me and others. To find out how, please watch the movie called Crip Camp. Feeling good about myself enhanced every aspect of my life, including my career.
Tell us about how/if you access a computer & mobile devices and what tools and assistive technology you might use on those platforms. Tell us about some of your favorite websites and technology devices and your least favorites.
I use a Windows 10 desktop for about 11 hours per day. I type with one finger. An app named ActiveWords enables me to create shortcuts for words, paragraphs, opening and closing files, maneuvering around the internet, and many other functions. Google Voice is my phone. When I’m not home, I use an IPAD. Undoubtedly, Google and Gmail are the sites I use most often. My Wells Fargo Visa card is a great assistive technology. I’m amazed at how much better store clerks understand me when I show them my card. Perhaps the most important piece of assistive technology is the drinking straw. Seriously, the main things that differentiate assistive technology from other technologies are their high-costs, low reliability, and narrow marketing. I’ve often been asked my opinion regarding a new app or a new gadget that someone is developing for people with disabilities. My first question is, “how can the general public use it?” People with disabilities are much more likely to know about a new app or gadget marketed and used by the mass market.
What kinds of employment options existed for you and others with disabilities when you first joined the workforce/before the ADA? Are there more options now?
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities has remained remarkably constant throughout my lifetime. Laws can change things that are regulated and monitored by government agencies. However, mandated rules often have unforeseen consequences. The removal of architectural barriers and better access to good education and public transportation has increased our employment opportunities. Some laws that the Disability Movement has fought for and successfully seen implemented have caused too many people with disabilities and their families to fear getting good jobs and losing the medical care and services they need to survive. Some laws seem to have removed our sense of personal responsibility to help others feel comfortable being with us and knowing how to get what we need.
Tell us what it’s been like for you working at Wells Fargo (or when you did) with a disability. What changes have you noticed over the years that have made for a more inclusive environment?
Ever since I started working at Wells Fargo, I have said that the business community is ready to include people with disabilities. People with disabilities should know what skills they have to offer, what needs they have that will best enable them to be productive, and whether they need someone to advocate for them. I always found that it doesn’t matter what a team member looks like, or sounds like, or their skin color as long as they work hard and do a good job.
As a Wells Fargo manager, I found that almost every team member with or without disabilities asks for reasonable accommodations. These include time off, a different work area, a new gadget, a new app, etc. For valuable team members who explain how their request will benefit their productivity, there is usually a way to fulfill the need. My favorite example of this happened near the beginning of my career before there was online computing. The system crashed at 1 AM. My van was in the shop, and trains in the Bay Area don’t run all night. Wells Fargo sent an armored van to transport me and my 300 pounds powered wheelchair to the data center.
My disabilities, especially my speech and the way I sit, are very obvious. I expect some people will be uncomfortable with my presence. I assume it is my responsibility to enable people to want to include me. Taking this responsibility gives me the power to do something about it. Quite often at Wells Fargo, I loved rolling into meetings where people did not know me. The tension in the room was so thick you could cut it with a knife. At first, no one would make eye contact, but as the meeting gained momentum, there was a great sense of relief when the team began to focus on my ideas rather than my disability. At times, people struggled to understand my speech, but there was always someone in the group who could help interpret and communicate for me. Inevitably, by the end of the meeting, I found myself chatting with folks and feeling like part of the team.
What are some other areas – whether workplace or other – that you feel are the most significant opportunities to ensure inclusion for all, particularly those with disabilities?
Please take every opportunity to understand all sides of an issue. Be curious about other people. Work as hard as you can to create a future that includes everyone.
Understand that the needs of people with disabilities are right for the general public. Curb cuts are used more often by people pushing strollers than by wheelchair-users. People who are deaf or hard of hearing have texted for many decades. Now we all text. Audio descriptions that people with visual disabilities need is useful for people who multitask. The current pandemic showed us how dangerous and isolating living in institutions could be and the criticality of good healthcare. We need to implement health-care-for-all that includes long term community-based support services for all - regardless of income or assets.
Last but most importantly, feel good about yourself. Often people mirror how we think about ourselves. It amazes me that on days I fear that people won’t understand me, I am correct. On days that I believe people will get what I’m talking about, I am right too. Have fun! And Go! Go! Go!
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