December 1, 2023
International day of persons with disabilities banner vector isolated. Handicapped people together. World day of disabled people. Lady in wheelchair, man with prosthetic arm and leg, blind woman.[/caption]
December 3rd was first proclaimed as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) in 1992 by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution 47/3. It was enacted amid a time that the assembly recognized as geared toward raising awareness and supporting actions to equalize opportunities for persons with disabilities. This official day acknowledges the need for more vigorous and broader actions, measures, and long-term strategies.
Jumping forward to 2022, the UN declared that the overarching theme for IDPWD was “innovation and transformative solutions for inclusive development,” with, among others, a special focus on employment as per SDG8. This reveals a conversation about the need to incorporate soft skills within the workplace. According to a Forbes article from 2021, soft skills—empathy, emotional intelligence, kindness, mindfulness, adaptability, integrity, optimism, self-motivation, grit, and resilience—are becoming essential for success and the future of work.
“By empowering employees to learn and grow within their roles, employers can create
healthy and positive work environments where everyone is passionate about the work
they do and eager to apply themselves every day.”
Dan Doyle, Program Director, SoftSkillable™ Member Experience
The very nature of soft skills—as being situated around personal relationships, character, and attitude—are arguably tied to supporting inclusion. Inclusion itself is the “future of work,” according to another Forbes article. The article explains that skills such as active listening, openness, perspective taking, among others can make a real difference in diversity and inclusion.
Using soft skills to build inclusive workplaces for persons with disabilities is important not only for individual skill development, but also for the livelihoods of companies and longevity of careers in today’s market. This is because “[i]nclusion in the workplace creates a sense of belonging among co-workers that can translate to greater productivity, more innovation, and better decision-making,” as explained by National University.
Supporting persons with disabilities has been and continues to be an increasingly important topic. According to the UN, 1 in 6 people have a disability or 16% of the world’s population. The most recent data in the Canadian context comes from the Canadian Survey on Disability, which found that in 2017 “6.2 million (22%) Canadians aged 15 and older had a disability.” An updated report is supposed to be released this month, which should account for any changes over the past five years, factoring in rises of mental health-related disabilities amid the pandemic.
It is also worth noting here that disabilities are wide-ranging and varied; therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach would not be helpful. For instance, a disability may be physical, mental, intellectual, sensory-related, persistent or prolonged, and limit or hinder equal participation, according to the UN, the Government of Ontario, and the Government of Canada, to name a few sources.
Given all of this, it is increasingly important for organizations to take the necessary steps to support persons with disabilities—including not only employees and those in leadership roles, but also clients and stakeholders. One tangible and innovative way to do so is through the implementation of soft skills for the reasons described above.
This is one of the many reasons Stratesco Group prides itself on its SoftSkillable™ Member Experience—a tailored, customizable approach to help organizational leaders and individuals in adopting new skills. The SoftSkillable™ Member Experience not only differentiates itself from conventional training, but also fully embodies soft skills.
“Trying to implement or promote new skills in already established or busy work
environments can feel overwhelming. That’s why we offer services and have created tools
like the SoftSkillable™ Member Experience to help our clients make meaningful
changes without needing to do all of the heavy lifting alone.”
Dan Doyle, Program Director, SoftSkillable™ Member Experience
