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Inclusion of visually impaired

First golden rule: Be open to new learnings –then relax!
If this is new to you – Remember that there is a first time for everything. And over a period of time, you will get familiar with disability. Increase your awareness, and find out the needs of your employee with vision impairment such as workplace solutions and removing barriers. Have similar expectations and targets just like you would do for other employees. Set expectations clearly and ensure inclusion for the employee with vision impairment just like you should do for all. Treat each person in your team including persons with disability as individuals – with different talent, abilities and needs. When they are enabled, they can give their best.

  1. 1
    Get started
  2. 2
    Inclusion in Onboarding
  3. 3
    Initial days at the workplace
  4. 4
    Inclusion During Induction And Training
  5. 5
    Inclusion during work
  6. 6
    Performance management
  7. 7
    Can I expect visually impaired to move around within the campus? I am worried about their safety!
  8. 8
    There are some activities that all the team members do. I cannot ask the visually impaired to do this because it requires sight
  9. 9
    Will visually impaired person expect relaxation in target or expect pity or sympathy?
  10. 10
    How do I assign work?

Inclusion of hearing impaired

First golden rule: Be open to new learning –then relax!
If this is new to you - Remember there is a first time for everything. Over a period of time, you will get familiar with it.
Increase your awareness. Find out the needs of your employee with hearing impairment such as alternate methods of communication and use of simple language.
Set expectations. Have similar expectations and targets just like you would do for other employees.
Ensure inclusion for the employee with hearing impairment just like you should do for all. Treat each person in your team including persons with disability as individuals – with different talent, abilities and needs. When they are enabled, they can give their best.

  1. 1
    Get Started
  2. 2
    On-boarding and induction
  3. 3
    Initial days at a workplace
  4. 4
    Performance management
  5. 5
    Will hearing impaired person expect relaxation in target or expect pity or sympathy?

Inclusion of persons with physical disability

First golden rule: Be open to new learnings –then relax!
If this is new to you - Remember there is a first time for everything. And over a period of time, you will get familiar with it. Increase your awareness. Find out the needs of your employee with physical disability such as workplace solutions and removing barriers. Have similar expectations and targets just like you would do for other employees. Set expectations. Ensure inclusion for the employee with physical disability just like you should do for all. Treat each person in your team including persons with disability as individuals – with different talent, abilities and needs. When they are enabled, they can give their best.

  1. 1
    Get started
  2. 2
    Inclusion in Onboarding, Induction and Training
  3. 3
    Inclusion during work
  4. 4
    Performance management
  5. 5
    Will person with physical disability expect relaxation in target or expect pity or sympathy?

Step 1 - Get started

Learn more about visually impaired to start the process of inclusion. Put up posters for instant awareness

Use this brochure to spread awareness on vision impairment

Use this brochure to spread awareness on vision impairment

Order this awareness poster kit to display on your company walls

Order this awareness poster kit to display on your company walls

Step 2 - Inclusion in Onboarding

For easy induction and on-boarding, provide a scribe who can assist jobseekers with visually impairment with paper work if your Induction / Onboarding process involves filling in hard copies.

Step 3 - Initial days at the workplace

Orientation to workplace

Your visually impaired or low vision colleague will require orientation to workplace to become comfortable and independent.
Watch the following video to understand how to orient your visually impaired or low vision colleague. Encourage your visually impaired colleagues to use their cane inside the premises to be efficient in moving around.

See this 2 minute video on orienting your visually impaired colleague to workplace and see the results

Video

See this 2 minute video on how to orient your visually impaired colleague to use the coffee machine independently

Video

Install screen reader

Screen readers are software solutions to enable persons with vision impairment to use the computer. Installing screen readers does not violate security compliances. There is no threat to your data because of screen reader.

Watch this two minute video of persons with vision impairment working on MS Excel

Video
JAWS handbook

Use this guide for screen reader details, security related information and more

FAQs on Persons with Visual Impairment using Computers

Use this brochure to answer your doubts on visually impaired performing tasks on computer

Sensitize peers

In the initial days, the team and manager may not be aware of how to get started with the employee with vision impairment. It is very important to understand more about your colleague with vision impairment immediately. We advise having a sensitization session for everybody in the team and HR and support staff. This is not a general sensitization but rather a specific session to get to know your visually impaired colleague and each other better using the video shown below. Make sure your colleague gets time to review the video and be ready with his or her points.

Be an Inclusive Employer Cover Page

Order "Be an inclusive employer" publication. The videos and posters below are in this publication

Use this 30 minute video to spread awareness to the entire team. This video has sections to be paused for your colleague to present

Video
Poster for Effective Inclusion of Employees with Vision Impairment

This poster can be used by your colleague with vision impairment to spread instant awareness regarding himself or herself

Use this funny video to sensitize your team about do's and don'ts on interacting with visually impaired.

Video

Step 4 - Inclusion During Induction And Training

It is important that your visually impaired employee is included well in the training. Inclusion will not come naturally since the trainers may not have trained a visually impaired before. It will require being alert. But interestingly if the trainers and other employees take this up, it will help them in building this skill for working better with all employees.

< How to include persons with vision impairment during training

Use this document to include persons with vision impairment during training

Watch a video to understand how to orient your colleague with vision impairment to new computer applications during the training.

Video

Step 5 - Inclusion during work

Inclusion during work is a process and not an end goal. It is a shared responsibility and just requires being aware. Find out the workplace solutions required for working on a daily basis. Ensure all applications are accessible. Watch out for barriers that your employees with disability may face in their daily work. Find out what needs to be done to make things more accessible.

Making PPTs Accessible

See how power point presentation documents can be made inclusive for visually impaired.

Tips for Presenters on Including Visually Impaired Audience Members

See this document with hints for the presenter

Step 6 - Performance management

Are you worried that you don't have much experience in working with visually impaired? Do you feel you do not know how to create the right environment for employees with visual impairment? Can you set targets and expectations for visually impaired employees similar to what you set as for their sighted colleagues? The answer is yes!

Read on to clarify your concerns

See VP of MNC sharing his experiences on performance management

Video

See Director of Fibrelink sharing his experiences on performance management

Video
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See this document on giving feedback

Step 7 - Can I expect visually impaired to move around within the campus? I am worried about their safety!

Every person with vision impairment is different. Some may be good at mobility and some may not be very good at mobility. This is based on their environment, their own nature and when they acquired their disability. Find out the level of mobility and independence of your visually impaired employee during the sensitization session. If they are comfortable, then you need to become comfortable. If they are not comfortable, provide support till your visually impaired employees comfortable and becomes independent to move around.

Step 8 - There are some activities that all the team members do. I cannot ask the visually impaired to do this because it requires sight

You may be surprised to know that many activities which require sight can be done by alternate methods and tools. Find out more and discuss with your visually impaired employee before deciding

See this 1 minute video where a visually impaired “sees” and signs a cheque

Video

See this 1 minute video of visually impaired “reading” a book

Video

Step 9 - Will visually impaired person expect relaxation in target or expect pity or sympathy?

The question to ask yourself is: do all employees react the same way regarding targets?
The answer is that some are ok with targets, some don't like targets, some people ignore targets, and some want relaxation or use excuses all the time. Visually impaired are no different. The manager has to set expectations with all employees (including the visually impaired employee) and enable employees to give their best.

Step 10 - How do I assign work?

Initially, give work where access issues do not exist or where they are less. Empower your entire team to come up with workarounds if there are any issues. Workarounds can be a change in process. So if something is inaccessible, assign more of the work which is accessible. Make sure the accessibility issues are resolved so that he/she can work effectively. Ensure he/she is given work just like any other employee. Have the same expectations after providing the right environment. Even if there are some small teething issues with workplace solutions or with access, use the strengths of the employee for the BENEFIT OF THE TEAM

Step 1 - Get started

Learn more about hearing impaired to start the process of inclusion. To begin the process, put up posters for instant awareness.

Persons with Hearing Impairment at the Workplace

Use this brochure to spread awareness on hearing impairment

Order this awareness poster kit to display on your company walls

Order this awareness poster kit to display on your company walls

Step 2 - On-boarding and induction

Ensure that your employee with Hearing impairment has understood your instruction regarding the joining formalities clearly. Showing a filled sample form to your hearing impaired employee can also be helpful.

FAQ on Hearing Impairment

See this document to find answer to some of your basic queries.

Guidelines to Use Simple English

Use this guide to understand how to communicate with deaf effectively in a simplified manner.

Step 3 - Initial days at a workplace

You first need to understand the communication method or solution used by your hearing impaired or hard of hearing employee.

See this to understand the diversity among people with hearing impairment.

Video

How do I include my hearing impaired employee in the induction process?

If your employee is hard of hearing ensures that he is seated in the first row or use a microphone. If your induction activities have audio cues, please design alternate cues. Give the hand out of important points, HR policy, transport arrangements, shifts and so on. Using simple English in your induction content will not only benefit your hearing impaired employee but others as well.

Process training

It is important that your hearing impaired employee is included in the training. Inclusion will not come naturally since the trainers may not have trained a hearing impaired before. It will require being alert.
But interestingly if the trainers are able to learn this skill they will also be able to disseminate it to all the other trainees.

How to include persons with hearing impairment during training

Use this document to include persons with hearing impairment during training

Peer sensitisation

In the initial days, the team and manager may not be aware of how to get started with the employee with Hearing impairment. It is very important to understand more about your colleague with Hearing impairment immediately. We advise having a sensitization session for everybody in the team, HR and support staff. This is not a general sensitization but a specific session to get to know your Hearing impaired colleague and each other better using the video shown below. Make sure your colleague gets time to review the video and be ready with his or her points.

Use this 25 minute video to spread awareness to the entire team. This video has sections to be paused for your colleague to present

Video
Poster for Effective Inclusion of Employees with Hearing Impairment

This poster can be used by your colleague with Hearing impairment to spread instant awareness regarding him or herself.

Step 4 - Performance management

Are you worried that you don't have much experience in working with hearing impaired? Do you feel you do not know how to create the right environment for employees with hearing impairment? Are you worried about giving performance feedback to the person with hearing impairment? Please see the following-

How to Give Feedback to Persons with Disability

See this document on giving feedback

Step 5 - Will hearing impaired person expect relaxation in target or expect pity or sympathy?

Where-ever possible, it is always recommended to give employees with hearing impairment the same targets and expectations as non-disabled employees. Ensuring that the right training & solutions are in place and that the employee is fully aware of the target should negate the need to relax targets or expectations. People with disability generally do not want your pity or sympathy, rather just an increased understanding of the challenges and solutions they are using.
Question to ask yourself is, do all employees react the same way regarding targets?
The answer is some are ok with targets, some don't like targets, some ignore, some want relaxation or use excuses all the time. Visually impaired are no different. The manager has to set expectations with all employees including the hearing impaired employee and enable employees to give their best.

Step 1 - Get started

Create awareness on persons with physical disability by displaying posters in your company after you have hired

Order this awareness poster kit to display on your company walls

Order this awareness poster kit to display on your company walls

Step 2 - Inclusion in Onboarding, Induction and Training

Before you initiate the on-boarding, induction and training process, check the accessibility needs of your employee with physical disability and compare with the premise where onboarding or induction or training will happen. Very often training is done at a vendor premise. Based on the level or type of disability, you may need to provide information on the following:

If the location is not accessible, find alternate locations where training is happening or find workarounds to include the employee. For example, if there is no lift and the training is on 2nd floor, shift the training if possible to the ground floor and check if the restroom on ground floor is accessible.

Provide a scribe who can assist employee with upper limb disability to fill out the paper work in case their hand writing is not legible or allow them to fill on the computer. Also find out if the employee with upper limb disability requires any special hardware / software requirement such as one-handed keyboard to operate computer and if there are any logistics arrangement needed such as placing mouse on left hand side or keyboard on ground for employee with upper limb disability.
Be prepared with an alternate activity for any physical ice breakers or games during induction and training.

Provide orientation to workplace

Wheelchair users may need to know the location of different accessible areas such as designated parking (if any) for persons with disability, where the wheelchair is stored and available for use on a daily basis within the premise, location of accessible restrooms, pantry and so on.

Provide work place accessibility

It is recommended that over a period of time your company premise become accessible and compliant as per global standards. However in the absence of this, ensure the work place is reasonably accessible for employee with physical disability especially persons on wheelchair
Ensure there is ramp in entrance and exit and the work station is wide enough for wheel chair persons to fit comfortably and move around easily. Ensure eating can be done in pantry in case cafeteria is inaccessible. Assign a buddy to assist in providing overall support and for inaccessible areas till the problem is resolved.

See this 1 minute video of person with physical disability being assisted from parking area and moving around

Video

Step 3 - Inclusion during work

Provide solutions

Employee with physical disability may not require any major solutions. Some may be using their own walker, crutch or wheelchair. Some may require keyboard or mouse height to be different. Some may use In built Windows features on accessibility such as on-screen keyboard or Sticky Keys. Person with one hand or upper limb disability may use one hand keyboard or a foot pedal or access switch to work better.

Re-look at transportation policy

If your company provides pick up and drop for employees working in different shifts, you may want to modify the transportation policy to suit the needs of employee with physical disability. For example, if pick up is from a particular location, you may make an exception for employee with physical disability (on a case by case basis or based on need) and do home pick up and drop. Ensure cab drivers provide assistance required during boarding the cab. It would also be a good practice to keep a wheel chair in the vehicle and the parking area.

Sensitize peers

In the initial days, the team and manager may not be aware of how to get started with the employee with physical disability. It is very important to understand more about your colleague with physical disability even before assigning work. We advise having a sensitization session for everybody in the team and HR and support staff. This is not a general sensitization but a specific session to get to know your physically disabled colleague and each other better.

Peer Sensitization for Persons with Physical Disability

Contact service providers who can help you conduct sensitization sessions.

Inclusion during work

If the work involves travel to client place or for meetings in different locations, do not hesitate to send your employee with physical disability. Make sure you enable by understanding the needs of your employee with physical disability when there are meetings outside the company. Choose reasonably accessible location for team outings and offsite meetings. In general, ensure the meeting is in ground floor with a washroom if place is otherwise inaccessible. Do check with the client for their premise accessibility if the employee with physical disability has to travel to client location.

Step 4 - Performance management

Are you worried that you don't have much experience in working with physically disabled? Do you feel you do not know how to create the right environment for employees with physical disability?

Can I have similar targets and expectations for physically disabled employees? The answer is yes!

Read on to clarify your concerns

See VP of MNC sharing his experiences on performance management

Video

See Director of Fibrelink sharing his experiences on performance management

Video
How to give feedback to persons with disability

See this document on giving feedback

Can I expect person with physical disability to travel? I am worried about access and their safety!

Remember, the employee with physical disability encounters access issues on a daily basis and has found ways and means of resolving it or living with the access issues. Ask the employee with physical disability when the person has to travel. Mostly the employee would be eager to travel to do his or her responsibility well. Encourage the employee to share their concerns and see if they can be resolved.

Our process requires a good typing speed. How can I expect a person with one hand or two hand disability to have the same speed?

You will be surprised to know that with practice, people with one hand can type from 25 to 60 WPM. Some do this without any solution but only though constant practice. Some require solutions such as one handed keyboard which also requires practice before good speed can be achieved. If you have an employee with slow speed, give feedback, give assistance and time for practice, but expect the same as you do from other employees.

Step 5 - Will person with physical disability expect relaxation in target or expect pity or sympathy?

Question to ask yourself is- do all employees react the same way regarding targets?
The answer is some are ok with targets, some don't like targets, some ignore, some want relaxation or use excuses all the time. Persons with physical disability are no different. The manager has to set expectations with all employees (including the disabled) and enable employees to give their best.

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