Panel opens door to disabilities discussion
The numbers can be staggering: In 2010, it was reported by the U.S. Census Bureau that about 56.7 million people — or 19 percent of the population — had a disability, with more than half of them classifying the disability as “severe.” In fact, people with disabilities are America’s largest minority group. To address these growing numbers and concerns about disabilities, Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Human Resources recently organized a community discussion titled “Working with People with Disabilities: What Happens After You Say Hello?” “This spectrum of diversity is one that is often viewed in a one-dimensional manner,” said Andrea Kelton-Harris, FAS senior human resources consultant. “My goal was to expose our staff and faculty to the many dimensions of this group of individuals and help them build practical awareness that will be useful to them in both their professional and personal lives.” “Health is a temporary state,” said panelist Michele...