It’s the first weekend in March 2007. I am on the Gallaudet University campus in Washington D.C. attending the Institute for Inclusion conference. As I make my way to the breakfast area I am going through my normal routine of attempting to figure out where things are – follow the sounds, listen to the conversations. But on this day I notice there is very little dialog. Finally someone comes over and asks if I’m looking for breakfast? I acknowledged that I am. Her response is “the wait person is aware of you, but he is hearing impaired so went to find someone who can help you.” I ask if she can help me through the line and tell me the food choices and she agrees.
As I make my way through the food line I am reminded of a similar incident some 50 years previous when I was a student at the California School for the Blind.
I was in the infirmary we shared with the School for the Deaf during a mumps epidemic. My roommate was deaf and I was blind making it virtually impossible for us to communicate. And now here I am in 2007 on the Gallaudet campus faced with the same dilemma. Then it hits me – you can’t have inclusion until you have connection. What a revelation!
From that revelation the Five Dimensions of Inclusion are born:
1. Connection Had it not been for the intervention of this woman to tell me what was going on, I would have never known that someone was aware of my need to get breakfast. Even though the wait staff person was aware of me, the two of us had no language for communicating with one another. Could it be that is the struggle we are having in this country with diversity and inclusion? Because all of us come from so many different cultures and languages we are unable to connect. Therefore feelings of uncaring, anger and animosity surface instead of working to find common ground for resolution.
2. Inquiry Once you realize the need for connection you are in a position to make inquiries of how to relate with one another (note – we still aren’t having inclusion, but the dialog is beginning). I have had people say to me, “This is my first time being around someone who has no sight. Tell me what to do.” I love that kind of dialog for it allows me to go into a teaching mode. I’ve also had the opposite happen. Well meaning assistants in the airport have tried to grab the other end of my cane and pull me where they want to take me. This is very offensive and it is one of the few times I almost lose it instead of trying to teach. The key here is to ask questions if you are meeting someone for the first time. When you get their answer, do what they tell you to do instead of doing what you think you should do.
3. Awareness At this point in the conversation a relationship is being established. You begin to be aware that the world as you see it is not necessarily the same way as others see it. Through constant dialog or teaching, relationships begin to build. You start asking questions of each other and lights of insight are going off all over the place.
4. Appreciation As your world begins to expand and you become aware of the great diversity surrounding us, appreciation for those differences should begin to grow. Those of us with more than one child know that no two are alike, yet we love and appreciate the uniqueness of each one.
5. Commonness Although the world expands as we continue to learn and grow from others, the world also becomes smaller as we begin to see the common denominators that bind us together. All of us know pain, joy, sorrow. We all have desires to be productive members of society and through our collective differences we also experience the oneness of striving for similar goals and aspirations.
As we work to build inclusion into our places of work watch out for deterrents such as:
fear of the unknown
judgments that are made about us because of certain groups we belong to
lack of believability in the individual even though you care about their welfare
no points of connection
If we practice the Five Dimensions of Inclusion, then we will be ready to build and create an inclusive environment in our respective places of work as well as within our families.
Steve Hanamura, president of Hanamura Consulting, Inc., and author of I Can See Clearly: A Different Look at Leadership, has 30 years of experience working with organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to regional not-for-profit institutions. He is widely sought after in the areas of leadership development, building effective teams, leading diversity initiatives and managing generational differences.
He can be reached by phone at 503-297-8658 or by e-mail at sh@hanamuraconsulting.com
