Disability Inclusion In The Workplace: Marjorie Turner Hollman On How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Have a Disability
An Interview With Eric Pines
Goal-setting can be useful, but we should be open to unexpected opportunities.
As we all know, over the past several years there has been a great deal of discussion about inclusion and diversity in the workplace. One aspect of inclusion that is not discussed enough, is how businesses can be inclusive of people with disabilities. We know that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. What exactly does this look like in practice? What exactly are reasonable accommodations? Aside from what is legally required, what are some best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities? To address these questions, we are talking to successful business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about the “How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Are Disabled “.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Marjorie Turner Hollman.
Marjorie Turner Hollman is a disability advocate, and author of the Easy Walks in Massachusetts trail guide series. She is partially paralyzed and uses hiking poles so she can say “yes!” to outdoor trails that would otherwise be inaccessible for her. She and her husband pedal their adaptive tandem bicycle on railtrails near and far.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you ended up where you are?
My Liturgy of Easy Walks: Reclaiming Hope in a World Turned Upside Down, is my back story, a series of meditations I wrote over the past thirty years that focuses on learning how to live with a changed life. It addresses many of the challenges I have faced when the world as I knew it was upended by illness and paralysis.
Seven years after becoming a single mother with very young children, I had a grand mal seizure that made brain surgery necessary to save my life. The surgery was a success but left my right side paralyzed. Writing became an outlet and later a passion (which I had previously avoided like the plague!). Mentors along the way offered me opportunities to hone my writing skills.
I have regained a measure of mobility and have published multiple Easy Walks books. Some editions are collaborations with co-authors who have documented destinations beyond my immediate vicinity (such as Milwaukee, WI). My newspaper series, Naturally New England, featuring local trails, became the catalyst for my Easy Walks trail guide series.
Easy Walks (in my world) consist of walks that feature “Not too many roots or rocks, relatively level with firm footing, and have something of interest along the way.” The irony is not lost on me that I now write books on the topic of walking after having lived through a time of being unable to walk at all.
Offering presentations and interviews about my work became the launch pad for my disability advocacy. Readers tell me that the Easy Walks books have opened up possibilities for them. The visually impaired, recently injured, and others with mobility challenges similar to my own have found the guides to be an invaluable resource.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
Persistence — This trait was not always appreciated as I was growing up. (I sometimes think of myself as a professional nudge). As an adult, however, it has served me well. I’ll do whatever it takes to care for myself and those in my life.
Resilience — We plan and God laughs. So much of life is facing unexpected challenges and making hard choices. Sometimes the results are not great. Being willing to try again, something new, something you had not anticipated, can make the difference between having success (in whatever form that takes) and resigning ourselves to our fate.
Calculated risk-taking — I live with extreme heat sensitivity. In warm weather, each time I step outside I risk having a seizure. However, I have learned to bring cooling aids with me, plan outings with contingencies, and make commitments that can be changed if needed. If I simply took risks with no plan, my life could be in serious jeopardy. Taking no risks would lead to a very constrained life. Calculated risks can feel very scary, but the alternative (in my mind) is worse.
Can you share a story about one of your greatest work related struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?
Who starts a housecleaning business when they have almost never dusted in their life? Me. When I was newly divorced, and with two small children, I needed flexible work to which I could bring my children if necessary. I told a friend what I was thinking about and she not only said it was a great idea, she told me, “Come clean my house. I will pay you and teach you what you need to know.” And she did. In such a scary time, I jumped in with both feet (I am a toe-dipper, not someone who jumps into the deep end), and soon had a business reference that allowed me to acquire new clients. I made mistakes, got fired once or twice, learned to decline work with unreasonable clients, and developed many long-standing clients. The work gave me confidence and taught me life lessons that have carried through to this day. It also supported my family until my brain surgery made it impossible to continue this type of work.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
Since I have the heart of a world traveler and the body of a day-tripper, I find it thrilling to learn about and see photos of the beautiful outdoor destinations I may never see in person but which we include in the Easy Walks guides. I have recently signed another contract with a husband-and-wife team to conduct the field work required for yet another Easy Walks book.
The importance of gathering “on-the-ground” information about trail conditions in outdoor destinations cannot be overstated. Most other guides typically will include shopping and eating destinations, highlights of natural features in the area, with beautiful photos and other information that may be useful for many potential (and able-bodied) visitors. Trail information may be included, but almost without exception trail conditions, including trail surfaces, are poorly addressed.
My projects, however, focus on the needs of those with mobility and other health challenges. We document each outdoor destination using a detailed checklist of factors that can affect access for the disabled and older adults.
Fantastic. Let’s now shift to our discussion about inclusion. Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to promote Diversity and Inclusion? Can you share a story with us?
I volunteer with the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor. Each year they sponsor summer adaptive bicycling and kayaking events. I have provided volunteer support for these efforts. A side benefit of volunteering is that I have been able to participate in these adaptive events myself. Being free to fly along a rail trail while pedaling a tandem bicycle (with balance provided by the other tandem partner) is something I never tire of. Paddling about in a kayak is incredibly exhilarating. Being supported getting into and back out of the boat allows me to participate in this experience that I deeply enjoy.
Because of my social media presence I have been able to help get the word out about these events, expanding access for local adaptive sports opportunities.
This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have an inclusive work culture?
I have encountered so many people with disabilities who are among the most creative individuals I have ever met. Navigating often hostile environments or simply difficult-to-navigate places demands inventiveness, creativity, problem solving, resilience, and determination. Businesses or other organizations looking for motivated employees who are willing to work harder than most should seek out potential employees in the disabled community. Making your workplace more accessible will open doors for you to acquire resourceful employees who are determined to do the best they can with the abilities they have. Much of what makes for a successful worker is the ability to adapt. Those of us with disabilities get to practice using this skill every day.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. For the benefit of our readers, can you help explain what this looks like in practice? What exactly are reasonable accommodations? Can you please share a few examples?
Being vigilant about trip hazards is not just helpful for those with mobility challenges. Everyone benefits from the awareness to keep walkways clear and doors unblocked.
Just building access ramps is not enough. Does your staff shovel snow off steps? Make sure they shovel ramps too!
Handicapped parking spaces are often where snow plows dump extra snow. These parking areas are often the least accessible spots in an entire parking lot, so special care should be taken to leave them open.
Aside from what is legally required, what are some best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities? If you can, please share a few examples.
Check for heavy doors — many businesses have outside doors of substantial weight that require a real effort to pull open.
Wall-to wall carpeting creates resistance for wheel chairs, making it difficult for the wheel chair user to independently navigate passageways.
Background music can be disruptive or make it difficult to follow conversations for those of us with hearing problems.
Can you share a few examples of ideas that were implemented at your workplace to help promote disability inclusion? Can you share with us how the work culture was impacted as a result?
Perhaps this is not what we commonly think of disability, but when I worked for a social service agency whose clients included immigrants, I was not equipped to communicate with those who did not speak English. My coworker, who was a native speaker of Portuguese, provided me with a “cheat sheet” of simple phrases (initially simply stating that my coworker was not available!). She connected me with a language tutor who helped me learn basic phrases that allowed me to do my job with less anxiety and more confidence. Clients directed other residents to us, noting that there was someone who talked with a pretty funny accent but was kind. Hospital billing people reached out to me to help them reach clients who were difficult to communicate with.
Now that my workplace is my home, we have made some household changes that could apply to remote workers, disabled or not. We make sure lighting is accessible (switches reachable immediately next to entryways). Our stairs have continuous railings offset from the wall to provide safe support when I climb them. Trip hazards have been removed from our floors. Our doors to the outside have levers instead of the more typical door knobs, allowing for ease of movement both going out and coming back in.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started My Career”?
1. Sometimes what we fear is exactly what we most need to do (and will give us tremendous satisfaction).
I had an oversized fear of teaching, taking the stage, and performing, either music or speaking on a topic. But when my daughter was in kindergarten, a slip of the tongue found me in front of her kindergarten class. I had meant to say I would read them stories, but what I said was that I would come TELL them stories. Yikes! Not something I felt prepared for. But a friend gave me some ideas. I grabbed my guitar, and then figured out a few simple tunes to sing with the kids. Fifty kindergarteners were my first audience (two classes of children). We shared an hour together. No one got up or ran away. They stuck with me and asked me to come back the next month. This was the start of what became a joy-filled professional storytelling career.
2. Making mistakes is painful but not the end of the world.
Oh, have I made mistakes! Painful ones that have lost me business. What I have learned is that for the most part, the pain has helped me to avoid repeating that mistake. There have always been more, of course, but over time I have gained some perspective. Committing a mistake does not make me a terrible person; in fact, it reassures me that I am human.
3. Goal-setting can be useful, but we should be open to unexpected opportunities.
Life circumstances that are not what you had in mind can take you in directions you never could have imagined. Had I not been forced into seclusion after being paralyzed, I probably would have continued to avoid accepting writing opportunities.
4. Whatever job you started with is unlikely to be where you end up down the road.
Being offered a job feels wonderful. In my own experience, each job has been a learning opportunity. At each job I learned skills that I have used in other work. Presenting skills that I acquired as a professional storyteller has been invaluable as I have created and presented workshops about writing down family stories.
5. Having limited options can bring out the most creative parts of us.
The pandemic challenged many of us to figure out new ways of doing our work. We gained skills to interact positively with co-workers. I was invited to offer (well-paid) virtual presentations. It was a terribly difficult time for everyone but for those of us who are disabled and accustomed to living in restricted circumstances, it was much less of a shock than for those accustomed to overly busy lives. Ultimately, busyness does not equal personal worth.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
Everyone needs help at some time in our lives. (Author: me)
I spent seven years unable to drive because of uncontrolled seizures, and our community had no public transportation, no ride services, and no taxis. Friends and friends of friends helped me get groceries and provided transportation for other needs. With a lot of practice, I learned the hard way how important it is to constructively ask for help. In asking, it is essential to present a request in a manner that the person can decline without guilt. My approach when asking is to say, “I need you to say no if this is not workable for you. There are other people I can ask. If you say yes because you have a hard time saying no, I will not feel comfortable asking you at another time for a different need. Please tell me if this is not workable. You are not letting me down.” Giving a person the freedom to say no relieves us both of guilt.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
I would create an organization that trains a business’s employees — and management — to experience what life is like for a person with a visual impairment, or what navigating a business environment is like in a wheelchair or with a walker.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
Thank you for asking. My Easy Walks books are available on Amazon or my website, https://marjorieturner.com/ You’ll find information about editing and writing support there too.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.
While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.
Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.
Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.
