Article
How to be inclusive everyday and 5 ways to empower others
Everyday, we are asked how to be more inclusive in school, the workplace, community, and online. We're so glad you asked. Let's get into it.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) has grown in popularity in the 21st century, but what does inclusion really mean, is it different from disability inclusion, and how does one be more inclusive? Perkins School for the Blind’s mission is to help children with disabilities find their place in the world and inclusion is how we accomplish this.
There are 240 million children with disabilities worldwide and many of them are not in school. Many are also not included in their home or community life in a meaningful way. This creates a sense of deeper isolation for children and limits their opportunities to build the life they want. So what can be done? How can a person or community foster inclusion?
Let’s breakdown inclusion into steps: learning what inclusion means, four ways to embrace disability inclusion, and how to empower others to be inclusive.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion is a mindset and a series of actions. When we talk about inclusion, we’re talking about disability inclusion and any other identities that intersect. After all, people are more than one thing and people with disabilities are more than their disability.
On a global scale, there are international treaties that promote human rights and, more specifically, rights of children and people with disabilities. Yet, treaties can only go so far without the support of the everyday person. We demand disability inclusion at every level, which includes:
- Online inclusion and digital accessibility
- Home and family life
- School and the workplace
- Community and social life
How to embrace disability inclusion
Perkins has been embracing inclusive practices around the world for almost 200 years. So, rather than describe what disability inclusion could look like, we’ll show you. Remember, the best way to be inclusive is to ask the child and listen to their needs.
How to be inclusive at home and family life
Whether a child is born with a disability — or multiple — or experiences disability later in life, parents and caretakers often need to learn how to best support their child’s development. In other words, no one is born knowing how to be inclusive. It takes learning and accepting the mistakes made along the way.
We offer a variety of workshops, webinars, courses, and training sessions specifically for parents, caretakers, and families of children with disabilities. Some examples include:
- What a difference a good gift makes! Here’s a guide to buying gifts for people with disabilities.
- For parents and family members: 6 emotional support tips from our school psychologists
How to be inclusive in school and the workplace
School and work is a core part of human life no matter where one lives. For people with disabilities, accommodations are necessary for them to become full participants in life. But what if the world didn’t work retroactively and instead adopted inclusive practices from the start?
- Disability inclusion for employers: How to support employees with disabilities in the workplace
- For students and young adults with disabilities: Inclusive employment and career training
Now, some examples in the education space:
- What inclusive, accessible arts education looks like
- Environmental accommodations for low vision students
- Gym classes and low vision: Follow Veronica’s experience with gym class as someone with low vision.
How to be inclusive in community and social life
According to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, promoting inclusion in the community and social life is just as important as other aspects of life. Perkins works with partners around the world to establish more inclusive spaces and we also share this knowledge on our website.
- Discover the power of an inclusive adventure camp in the Philippines
- Learn the impact a Brazilian museum had on its patrons after adopting inclusive practices.
- Experience Adonis’ joy when his peers include him in a community cultural celebration in Mexico.
- Coordinate events that include everyone! Read our accessible events guide.
Why online inclusion and digital accessibility matters
With the internet fully embedded in our everyday life, it’s more important than ever to make the digital world accessible and include everyone in this space. According to WebAIM, a leader in web accessibility, approximately 95% homepages in 2024 were inaccessible. That means keyboard-only users, which includes many folks with disabilities, are excluded from most parts of the internet.
- Read our guide to digital accessibility
- Discover our app accessibility checklist for people with low vision. This is important for teachers in the classroom or really anyone.
How we empower others to be inclusive
Now that you’ve learned about inclusion at various levels, you might be thinking, “what’s next?” Here are some action steps you can take today to empower others to become more inclusive.
- Consider saving or bookmarking these resources and sharing them with others.
- Provide accommodations to people with disabilities in school, home, and other settings.
- Spread awareness on digital accessibility.
- Make your content accessible! Add alt text, image descriptions, closed captions, or include a descriptive voiceover in videos.
- Participate in Global Accessibility Awareness Day every year in May and try the Put Down Your Mouse Challenge.
- Join our Howe Innovation Center community to access more data on the #DisabilityTech market.
- Adopt inclusive language in your everyday life. Here are some resources to get you started:
- Join and invite friends to inclusive community events!
- For example, we host an annual Walk/Move called EverybodyIn on the Perkins campus.
Overall, disability inclusion makes life more fun for everyone! Follow Perkins on social media to experience more examples of inclusion daily.
