I drove by my grammar school the other night and had a flashback to second grade (note: I went to an all hearing school and was the only student who wore hearing aids). I remember my dad and I met with my second grade teacher, Ms. Reiser, before school on the first day of the school year. My mom and dad had packed a plastic baggie with batteries, back-up hearing aids, and an air-puff tool (not sure what it is called!). My dad and Ms. Reiser wanted to make sure I knew to go to her should I have problems with my hearing aids. I remember feeling shy and embarassed as my dad gave Ms. Reiser the bag of goodies.
Another flashback I had was around the same time in my life (second or third grade) and I was waiting in line to go to the bathroom with other kids in our class. I remember someone behind me was curious about my hearing aids. He kept touching one of my aids. Upon his touch, I shooke my head and turning away. I looked on the floor or moved somewhere else in line.
These memories reveal how I was really insecure about my hearing impairment at an early age. Although my mom used to to tell me my hearing aids were like glasses, clearly I didn't feel that way. I didn't like being the odd one out wearing instruments that no one else wore. I certainly didn't feel cool having hearing aids -- never decorated them or wore them in a color other than tan.
I'm going to make a list of things that were a challenge for me as a result of my impariment (or as a result of my being insecure about my hearing impairement). This will be my next post.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Below is my article for WithTV posted on February 14th:
Several weeks back I wrote about different ways one can identify whether or not a firm is truly committed to hiring people with disabilities. One factor I mentioned was to consider whether or not a firm has an Employee Resource Group for people with disabilities, as the group tends to facilitate and improve employee engagement on disability issues.
If you watched the Super Bowl, you may have learned of one such employee group called EnAble. EnAble is a group within PepsiCo that supports diversity and the inclusion of persons with different abilities.
EnAble created a commercial for the Super Bowl that was performed entirely in sign language and contained subtitles. The spot was created by and features PepsiCo employees who are members of EnAble. The ad is an attempt to demonstrate PepsiCo’s commitment to diversity by airing the first ad using ASL and subtitles only on a national broadcasting network (there was no sound at all).
According to PepsiCo, "this is one way we can give back through what we call Performance with Purpose. It's part of a larger effort to make PepsiCo the defining corporation of the 21st century. By bringing the world an ad performed by deaf employees in ASL, we feel like we've already scored the upset on Super Bowl Sunday."
While the ad may have produced mix feeling among members of our community, one fact remains true -- without a group like EnAble we may never have seen such an ad played during the Super Bowl. Additionally, EnAble opened the door for dialogue about the media’s level of engagement on disability issues, and raises awareness on the importance of corporate hiring practices to include hiring people with disabilities.
If you didn’t catch the ad, check it out below:
(see post Bob's House -- Pepsi's new Super Bowl Ad -- January 27th)
Description of Ad:
Two guys in a pickup truck (one’s drinking a Pepsi) are headed to a Super Bowl party hosted by their friend Bob, but they stop on the darkened upper-middle-class street after neither one remembers which house is his.
The two spend a bit of time arguing before the driver gets an idea and repeatedly honks the horn. House lights begin to pop on as they slowly work through the neighborhood, honking along the way.
They stop at the only house that remains dark and the driver declares, “That’s it!”
“Yeah, ya think?” the passenger replies sarcastically.
They walk up and ring Bob’s doorbell, prompting Bob’s foyer light to flash three times. Bob lets the pair in, and the passenger gives a quick “Sorry” to a puzzled neighbor before walking inside.
Several weeks back I wrote about different ways one can identify whether or not a firm is truly committed to hiring people with disabilities. One factor I mentioned was to consider whether or not a firm has an Employee Resource Group for people with disabilities, as the group tends to facilitate and improve employee engagement on disability issues.
If you watched the Super Bowl, you may have learned of one such employee group called EnAble. EnAble is a group within PepsiCo that supports diversity and the inclusion of persons with different abilities.
EnAble created a commercial for the Super Bowl that was performed entirely in sign language and contained subtitles. The spot was created by and features PepsiCo employees who are members of EnAble. The ad is an attempt to demonstrate PepsiCo’s commitment to diversity by airing the first ad using ASL and subtitles only on a national broadcasting network (there was no sound at all).
According to PepsiCo, "this is one way we can give back through what we call Performance with Purpose. It's part of a larger effort to make PepsiCo the defining corporation of the 21st century. By bringing the world an ad performed by deaf employees in ASL, we feel like we've already scored the upset on Super Bowl Sunday."
While the ad may have produced mix feeling among members of our community, one fact remains true -- without a group like EnAble we may never have seen such an ad played during the Super Bowl. Additionally, EnAble opened the door for dialogue about the media’s level of engagement on disability issues, and raises awareness on the importance of corporate hiring practices to include hiring people with disabilities.
If you didn’t catch the ad, check it out below:
(see post Bob's House -- Pepsi's new Super Bowl Ad -- January 27th)
Description of Ad:
Two guys in a pickup truck (one’s drinking a Pepsi) are headed to a Super Bowl party hosted by their friend Bob, but they stop on the darkened upper-middle-class street after neither one remembers which house is his.
The two spend a bit of time arguing before the driver gets an idea and repeatedly honks the horn. House lights begin to pop on as they slowly work through the neighborhood, honking along the way.
They stop at the only house that remains dark and the driver declares, “That’s it!”
“Yeah, ya think?” the passenger replies sarcastically.
They walk up and ring Bob’s doorbell, prompting Bob’s foyer light to flash three times. Bob lets the pair in, and the passenger gives a quick “Sorry” to a puzzled neighbor before walking inside.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Bob's House -- Pepsi's new Super Bowl Ad
EnAble a group within PepsiCo which supports diversity and the inclusion of persons with different abilities. Check out the ad - very clever.
Monday, January 21, 2008
A True Commitment to Hiring people with Disabilities
Most companies in corporate America have statements regarding their equal employment policy. It often goes something like this:
“Our Equal Employment policy is to identify, attract, retain, and advance the most qualified persons, without regard to their race, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, or veteran's status.”
While most companies have policies such as the one above, not all demonstrate a commitment to hiring people with disabilities. From my professional experience, I have yet to meet another individual in the consulting industry who has a visible disability (with the exception of people who wear glasses). This is within my firm and well as within several major Fortune 500 corporations (but bear in mind I haven’t met everyone in the firm).
Why is hiring and retaining people with disabilities so important for a company?
Diversity contributes to a company’s strength. The combination of unique skills, abilities, experiences and backgrounds creates an environment that produces extraordinary results. People with disabilities are an important component of fostering diversity and often bring an outside of the box thinking with them to their job since it is a way of thinking necessary for living with a disability every day.
“Our Equal Employment policy is to identify, attract, retain, and advance the most qualified persons, without regard to their race, religion, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, or veteran's status.”
While most companies have policies such as the one above, not all demonstrate a commitment to hiring people with disabilities. From my professional experience, I have yet to meet another individual in the consulting industry who has a visible disability (with the exception of people who wear glasses). This is within my firm and well as within several major Fortune 500 corporations (but bear in mind I haven’t met everyone in the firm).
Why is hiring and retaining people with disabilities so important for a company?
Diversity contributes to a company’s strength. The combination of unique skills, abilities, experiences and backgrounds creates an environment that produces extraordinary results. People with disabilities are an important component of fostering diversity and often bring an outside of the box thinking with them to their job since it is a way of thinking necessary for living with a disability every day.
How do I know if a company is committed to hiring people with disabilities?
When evaluating if a company is committed to hiring people with disabilities, consider the following:
- Does the company partner with organizations focusing on disability? Relationships with organizations focusing on disability are a clear indication that a company is interested in recruiting people with disabilities. Partnerships serve as an avenue for a corporation to recruit talent within a pool of people with disabilities.
- Does the company offer disability training and resources? Sensitizing employees to the capabilities of people with disabilities and the issues they face is critical. A company that offers employees diversity training on how to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities typically indicates a company’s commitment to ensure employment for people with disabilities is successful.
- Does the firm have an Employee Resources Group or Task-Force geared specifically for people with disabilities? An Employee Resource Groups and/or a Task-Force facilitate and improve employee engagement on disability issues. Employee groups for employees with disabilities can help a company provide amenities to make people with disabilities feel welcome. These groups exist to help employees maximize opportunities to network and develop their careers, and to strengthen the company’s recruitment, retention, leadership development, and outreach for people with disabilities.
If you are a person with a disability, consider evaluating companies based on the above when exploring employment opportunities. If you are a supporter of people with disabilities and are currently employed, consider evaluating whether or not your firm does any of the above. If your firm doesn’t, consider challenging your firm to demonstrate its true commitment to hiring people with disabilities.
Feel free to email me with your thoughts or questions.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Love
Love is like a mustard seed;
planted by God
and watered by men
- Muda Saint Michael
There is only one happiness in life,
to love and be loved.
- George Sand –
The snow, so peaceful and serene,
caressed by the soft moonlight,
gave magical feelings to the night.
The soft blue glow,
the lovers' words that then did flow,
their lips closer and closer
until, locked in the throes
of a passionate embrace,
he decided to express his feelings,
to keep her safe.
He whispered softly,
his words like music to her ears,
"I Love You,"
and her response the same,
heard like the gentle breeze,
"And I, love you, forever."
That was the night they promised
to be together through everything,
each to care for the other when old and gray
A lovers' pact
the most likely to last.
- Krista J. Mikula –
Monday, November 12, 2007
Reclaiming my gift
Wow, it has been a while since I've posted. Work has been keeping me busy and so ordinary.
Each day I wake up realizing that my day is going to be the same routine. I shower, dress, eat, walk to the train, ride the train, exit the train, walk into my office building, swipe my key card on the card reader, ride the elevator to the 25th floor, log onto my computer, check my email, work eight to nine hours, log off my computer, exit my office building, ride the train to my health club, work out, walk home, eat, and go to bed. Funny part is that I didn’t expect this lifestyle to seem so mundane – especially at age 24.
When I graduated from the college, I felt I was ready to conquer corporate America. I had secured my job several months prior to graduation as a marketing consultant and it seemed my career was on track. However, two and a half years after graduating, I’ve come to appreciate that the work is not the sum of who I am, but rather a part of the equation. I’ve successfully focused on the work aspect, but I’ve neglected everything else.
I moved home and I still haven’t moved out. I keep planning to do it and the benefits of saving money are phenomenal, but there has to be a time when I have to move on. I’m merely delaying my own development and probably delaying my mom’s development as a single woman as well. I’m sure I annoy her from time to time ;)
I’m still single and it seems as people around me fall in love, fall out of love, move through different loving relationships, grow from love. Yet, I remain single – which for a long time I was very happy with – but now I can’t help but want to understand companionship and feel like I don’t know how. What is it like to be loved to the core by someone else?
I’ve been planning to go to graduate school. Seems like I’m always studying for the GMAT. I tell myself I will study next month, and then the month after, and the month after. Two years of delaying taking the exam is turning me into the guy who says he’s going to graduate school – but not walking the talk.
And probably the most important thing that I’ve neglected is the development of me. Being hearing impaired strengthens me, but can shrivel my confidence as well. One step forward can sometimes be two steps back. These last two years have been most challenging as I’ve become a student with a hearing impairment to an employee with an impairment. I encounter new situations and questions about disability and I don't always know how to deal with them. I do the the best I can.
Although it is hard to always remember and be thankful of my disability, I know being hearing impaired is a gift. It helps me embrace my differences, to see more positives in life, to constructively acknowledge my weaknesses, to move forward as a productive and reflective human being. Being hearing impaired matures me.
After two and half years, the journey continues. It is time for me to evolve and endure…using my gift…this blog helps me get there.
Each day I wake up realizing that my day is going to be the same routine. I shower, dress, eat, walk to the train, ride the train, exit the train, walk into my office building, swipe my key card on the card reader, ride the elevator to the 25th floor, log onto my computer, check my email, work eight to nine hours, log off my computer, exit my office building, ride the train to my health club, work out, walk home, eat, and go to bed. Funny part is that I didn’t expect this lifestyle to seem so mundane – especially at age 24.
When I graduated from the college, I felt I was ready to conquer corporate America. I had secured my job several months prior to graduation as a marketing consultant and it seemed my career was on track. However, two and a half years after graduating, I’ve come to appreciate that the work is not the sum of who I am, but rather a part of the equation. I’ve successfully focused on the work aspect, but I’ve neglected everything else.
I moved home and I still haven’t moved out. I keep planning to do it and the benefits of saving money are phenomenal, but there has to be a time when I have to move on. I’m merely delaying my own development and probably delaying my mom’s development as a single woman as well. I’m sure I annoy her from time to time ;)
I’m still single and it seems as people around me fall in love, fall out of love, move through different loving relationships, grow from love. Yet, I remain single – which for a long time I was very happy with – but now I can’t help but want to understand companionship and feel like I don’t know how. What is it like to be loved to the core by someone else?
I’ve been planning to go to graduate school. Seems like I’m always studying for the GMAT. I tell myself I will study next month, and then the month after, and the month after. Two years of delaying taking the exam is turning me into the guy who says he’s going to graduate school – but not walking the talk.
And probably the most important thing that I’ve neglected is the development of me. Being hearing impaired strengthens me, but can shrivel my confidence as well. One step forward can sometimes be two steps back. These last two years have been most challenging as I’ve become a student with a hearing impairment to an employee with an impairment. I encounter new situations and questions about disability and I don't always know how to deal with them. I do the the best I can.
Although it is hard to always remember and be thankful of my disability, I know being hearing impaired is a gift. It helps me embrace my differences, to see more positives in life, to constructively acknowledge my weaknesses, to move forward as a productive and reflective human being. Being hearing impaired matures me.
After two and half years, the journey continues. It is time for me to evolve and endure…using my gift…this blog helps me get there.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Stress Management
A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "How heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20g to 500g. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it.""If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm. If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. "In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on.""As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden.""So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home. You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can.""Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it!"
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