This put up was co-authored by Lead Incapacity Inclusion Guide Mary Fernandez and Accessibility Program Supervisor Monica Wegner.
Once we share that we work on accessibility and incapacity inclusion at Cisco, folks may assume, “That’s good, however it actually doesn’t have an effect on me”—however that’s the place they’re improper.
In contrast to different identities—comparable to race, coloration, faith, gender, sexual orientation, nationwide origin, age, and veteran standing—anybody can abruptly discover themselves disabled. The truth is, if we’re lucky to reside lengthy sufficient, every of us will finally develop some form of incapacity, whether or not it’s short-term (one thing as frequent as breaking a bone) or one thing extra everlasting.
Because of this the accessibility and incapacity inclusion work we do as a part of Cisco’s Social Justice Actions is so crucial. As a result of any of us may be—and practically all of us will be—disabled in some unspecified time in the future in our lifetime.
As we commemorate the thirty third anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Act, we replicate on the methods wherein we now have improved accessibility for our workers, companions, suppliers, and clients, and acknowledge the trail we now have but to journey.
Accessibility is the precept that everybody, no matter their talents, can entry and use the identical issues—whether or not that’s a bodily location, expertise, programs, or content material. Cisco’s Social Affect Workplace appears at accessibility and incapacity inclusion via every of those lenses, recognizing the various methods wherein Cisco engages with people. This spans the recruiting and employment expertise, our services and products, and the way we work together with clients, companions and suppliers.
“In contrast to different identities—comparable to race, coloration, faith, gender, sexual orientation, nationwide origin, age, and veteran standing—anybody can abruptly discover themselves disabled.”
Along with being subject material specialists in accessibility and incapacity inclusion and consultants to Cisco groups, we work on the Social Justice Motion 12 accessibility workstream which pertains to human rights in expertise options. Particularly, we’re chargeable for assessing the state of accessibility at Cisco, proposing a technique for enhancing accessibility all through the enterprise, and shifting that work ahead.
To see the place Cisco’s accessibility and incapacity inclusion gaps are, we carried out interviews with greater than 100 folks throughout each space of our enterprise, together with a number of focus teams with individuals who recognized as disabled or neurodivergent.
This analysis confirmed that there’s nonetheless an incredible alternative to make Cisco and all our merchandise actually accessible and inclusive–an effort that requires participation in any respect ranges of the corporate in addition to a mindset shift in how we conduct enterprise.
The enterprise crucial is evident: more and more, our clients are asking us about accessibility. We now have additionally seen some cases the place clients—significantly authorities consumers, academic establishments, and companies in regulated industries—have formalized necessities for accessibility. Expertise that doesn’t meet these requirements gained’t be thought-about.
“Accessibility is the precept that everybody, no matter their talents, can entry and use the identical issues—whether or not that’s a bodily location, expertise, programs, or content material.”
As leaders of this work, one factor we now have been happy to see is Cisco’s public dedication to specializing in the incapacity and neurodivergent communities and placing accessibility on the manager agenda via taking part within the Useful 500, a worldwide group of 500 corporations working to finish incapacity exclusion. As part of our Useful 500 dedication, Cisco has pledged to take motion in 4 areas that help our perception that equal entry to our merchandise and office is a elementary human proper:
- We are going to design with human rights in thoughts
- We are going to improve financial alternatives for folks with disabilities
- We are going to spend money on coaching to help the recruiting, hiring, retention, and promotion of workers with disabilities
- We are going to set up a everlasting, devoted accessibility infrastructure that’s each resourced and accountable
Cisco’s public dedication to doing this work and holding ourselves accountable for our progress is essential to disabled folks, however, actually, it’s essential to all of us. Our objective is to energy an inclusive future for all. This implies the expertise and providers we offer to our clients, companions, suppliers, and workers must be accessible to all. And whereas we’re making progress, we nonetheless have work to do.
Study extra about Accessibility at Cisco, and browse the 2022 Function Report to learn how we’re powering an inclusive future for all via our Social Justice Actions.
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