Disability Inclusion In The Workplace: Martin McKay Of Texthelp On How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Have a Disability

An Interview With Eric Pines

Find a problem that requires a solution — ideally one that a billion people have. It needs to be something you are passionate about. That is your purpose. That passion and purpose will sustain you and your team when times get tough.

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 Martin McKay.

Martin founded Texthelp in 1996 to help people with communication difficulties. What started as a company focused on people with profound Speech and Dexterity Disabilities has become a world leading Assistive Technology company creating smart, inclusive software that helps people read, write, express their thoughts and share information more accurately & fluently — across all stages of life. His goal is to make sure that by 2030 Texthelp will have advanced the literacy and understanding of one billion people.

Martin has spent his work life developing technology for people with disabilities. In the past, he has served on the Assistive Technology Industry Association Board as well as the NIMAS board for the USA Office of Special Education Programs. In 2017, he received the Presidential Award in recognition of lifetime contribution to dyslexia and literacy from the International Dyslexia Association. He is currently serving in an advisory capacity on the Universal Design for Learning council.

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?

I was born on a farm in rural Northern Ireland. When I was young my dad had a pretty severe stroke. He lost the ability to communicate and use his right arm and leg. That got me exposed to disability and also to the impact of someone not being able to make themselves understood. When I started Texthelp, I was making software for people with strokes, cerebral palsy, motor neurone disease — more profound motion and dexterity and communication disabilities. One of my university customers suggested that I try to make something for students with dyslexia — that was over 25 years ago. Now we have 350 people across the world providing assistive technology for students and employees with dyslexia, disabilities and other neurodiverse conditions. We operate in the UK, USA, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and Australia and have helped 200 million people with our tools and technology.

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?

I think an important trait is calm determination. There will always be challenges or set-backs in any business or organization. It’s important to respond calmly. If I show panic or worry it transmits to the whole team. It also makes it easier for your team members to come to you with bad news if they know you are going to be calm and supportive.

I don’t like the word ‘visionary’ — but I think it is incredibly important to set out a very clear and detailed vision of what you want to achieve. Not a vision statement, but a detailed document or slide deck that shows everyone what the future of the organization will be like, and what impact you will have on your customers. Our vision deck is something I refer to most days at work — everyone knows about it and we’re all pulling together to make it happen.

I also think that mindset is critical for a leader — you need to have an open and growth mindset. It’s important to really take the time to see things from other perspectives. I seek feedback regularly and every couple of years complete a 360 degree feedback exercise.

Can you share a story about one of your greatest work related struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?

I have lots of stories of difficult days when we were just starting out. In 1998, we had a cash flow problem and we were struggling to meet our banking commitments. I almost lost the deeds for part of the family farm which would have been really awful for me and the whole family. But, I was able to secure some funding and get through that period. It was a good lesson to learn early in life.

What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

Texthelp is a pretty exciting business to be working in at the moment. We made a few acquisitions over the past 2 years in Norway, Denmark and the USA. Integrating the businesses has been really interesting. I think I am most excited about our workplace market. We released a workplace version of our core product and it is great to see the impact it is having for both employers and their employees. There is a much higher awareness of dyslexia now, and there is finally an understanding that dyslexia is not an intelligence issue. Employers are really starting to value their neurodiverse employees and give them the support they need to really thrive and show their strengths. Our acquisitions have given us access to more technology and we plan to roll some great new features across the product range as a result.

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?

My goal has always been to get a conversation started across our global community on diversity and inclusion, making sure that it’s a safe space for people to share their lived experiences. And when we get that conversation started, I want it to continue. A couple of very recent examples include our Well-being Employee Resource Group (Thrive), carrying out a takeover of our company-wide town hall on World Mental Health day in October. They invited employees to share their own personal stories of living with mental health, whether it be their own or those of people close to them. You could have heard a pin drop — it was so impactful and hugely courageous of those who took part. What I am keen to do is normalize some of the topics that have been taboo for too many years. I also participated in a DEI fireside chat recently, sharing my own personal views on why DEI is important to me as well as the business case. I touched on my own experience with DEI growing up in Northern Ireland and hope that I have encouraged others to share their stories too. Role modeling DEI behaviors is critically important to set the tone across the organization.

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?

Texthelp is striving to create an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and respected because of their difference — a place where every employee can be their authentic selves so they can reach their potential and help us achieve our business goals. I believe that Texthelp performs better when it considers the perspectives of individuals with different backgrounds and fosters an overall culture that is equitable and inclusive, which includes providing reasonable accommodations as needed.

I want our business to be innovative and productive so we can deliver the best products and services to our customers and we need diversity to help us achieve this. The more we collaborate and value difference, the closer we get to living in a truly inclusive community.

My vision is to have a respectful and supportive workplace that enables us to attract and retain a diverse workforce that represents our customers and the communities in which we work. The more we represent the communities in which we operate, the better our product and service for our customers will be/

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?

Reasonable accommodations are modifications or adjustments to a job or work environment that will enable a qualified employee with a disability to perform essential job functions. They help ensure that employees with disabilities are given an equal opportunity to benefit from the full range of employment-related opportunities as others. A few examples of accommodations may include providing flexible work schedules, implementing or adjusting products, software, and equipment to assist neurodivergent employees.

When thinking about reasonable adjustments, it’s important to place your focus on equity over equality. Equality means giving everyone the same resources. But at work, our different circumstances and needs can mean that we need different support and resources from our colleagues. Personalized and individualized support is key to success.

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.

We have invited external guests into the organization to talk about their experience of living with a disability. Recently, we held a session which was structured as a panel discussion with the panel members answering questions from the audience on a wide range of workplace inclusion topics, based on their own lived experiences of having disabilities or conditions. Not only did this cover physical conditions, such as sight and hearing loss, but also neurodivergence and mental health. As well as offering advice and tips, the participants also learnt about disability etiquettes and some do’s and don’ts. Over 30% of our organization attended this session.

We also focus on the recruitment experience, making sure job adverts highlight what is needed for the role, avoiding calls for rockstars and those with excellent communication skills. We are keen that our adverts are welcoming and inclusive. We have also trained our hiring managers in Accessibility & Inclusion — interviewing, managing and working alongside employees with social communication differences.

Our goal is for employees and potential employees to feel our values coming through in all our interactions — community, courageous, impactful and creative.

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?

We have launched a number of ERGs internally and one of these focuses specifically on disability. These have been set up to enhance the understanding of diversity and disability in the workplace. The ERGs are led by and participated in by employees who share a common identity, values, interests and perspectives. They are very much valued by employees as they provide employees with opportunities to meet, network and support one another. They also educate the wider employee base on topics and trends that affect their members both in the workplace and in their everyday lives.

Our focus on disability starts at the recruitment stage when we advertise new roles — we ask every applicant if they need any adjustments to perform at their best during the process. We also offer our Read&Write software free of charge for those who need it to support them with the application process.

When an employee joins Texthelp, they immediately get access to our full product suite without any need to self-identify as needing the software. Research tells us that 1 in 5 people are likely to be neurodivergent but only 4% of employees will self-identify to their employer. We want to make every employee’s experience at Texthelp the best it can be. We also make all of our products available to their family members as well.

This is our signature question that we ask in many of our interviews. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started My Career”?

1. Find a problem that requires a solution — ideally one that a billion people have. It needs to be something you are passionate about. That is your purpose. That passion and purpose will sustain you and your team when times get tough.
2. Have a vision for the future — what does the future look like if you succeed? How is society changed by your efforts? What values will your organization live by as it solves the problem?
3. Before you lead a team, you need to lead yourself. Get some self-discipline and fully commit yourself — not just to your work, but also to sustaining your own energy, health, enjoyment and relationships outside of work.
4. It’s then about building your team. I’ve received several great pieces of advice over the years but the one golden rule is to never under-hire. Always hire people that are better than you as this means you’re pushed to the top of a pyramid of bright people. Always hire people who share your passion and values — cultural fit is important, and ensure you’re giving the team ownership and autonomy. People work harder and give more effort when they feel they own a project.
5. And finally, love change — change keeps you alive in an ever-evolving world and it keeps your business young.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?

Way back in the early days I had a fantastic mentor who told me “Never ever let your current resources impact how you think about what you want to achieve” It took a few years to sink in actually, but if you are clear about your big picture vision, the human resources that you need and the investment that you need will be attracted to the vision. We had about 15 employees then — he told me that on our first trip to explore the USA market. Today almost 20% of students in the USA use our software.

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 want large employers to understand that people with dyslexia make up a significant percentage of the workforce and we should value their diversity of thought. People with dyslexia just think, work and learn differently and that should be valued. If I could make a movement happen, I would change how people with dyslexia are perceived. I want to create a future where employers actively seek out diverse employees, one where they support and accept them the same way they support and accept employees who wear glasses or need hearing aids. Dyslexia is not an intelligence issue — the way everyone else works just makes it a little bit difficult for people with dyslexia.

How can our readers further follow your work online?

https://www.texthelp.com/resources/topics/diversity-and-inclusion/

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.