The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

January 23, 2020Authors: Russ Thelin and Randal Pinkett of Team BCT

Access for All: Expanding CDFI Impact in the Disability CommunityThe CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative

Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations: Disability Etiquette and Accommodations

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations 2

About the creation of this presentation:The development of this presentation was funded by the CDFI Fund, under Contract No. 20340619F00005. The information provided and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the authors, who are solely responsible for the content, and do not reflect the opinions of the CDFI Fund or any other person, entity, or organization.

Disclaimer

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

About BCT Partners• BCT Partners is a national, multi-disciplinary consulting firm that

delivers a full range of research, consulting, training, technology, and analytics services.

• Our mission is to provide insights about diverse people that lead to equity.

• The CDFI Fund has selected BCT Partners and other partnering organizations to deliver training and technical assistance for the “Access for All” training series.

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Aims of the “Access for All” Training Series• To increase knowledge on disability market characteristics,

customer service etiquette, and accessibility considerations.

• To align CDFI products and services with demonstrated needs and demand and with the product features expressed by and for people with disabilities.

• To equip CDFIs with the necessary information, networks, and resources to set a strategic course of action to serve the disability market.

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

• The origins of the disability civil rights movement and why it is important to stay mindful of it in the spirit of CDFI work.

• The policies, legal frameworks, and organizational networks that support people with disabilities.

• Key aspects to disability etiquette and accessibility.

• Methods and data sources useful for informing product design for the people you intend to serve.

• Examples of partnerships, sources and uses of funding, CDFI products, and how these are structured and underwritten.

• Templates and toolkits to help you design products, test usability, and monitor performance.

What You Will Learn in this Series

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations 6

Russell Thelin, M.S., LVRC, CRCLead Instructor

Senior Policy Fellow, Institute for Community InclusionSchool for Global Inclusion and Social DevelopmentUniversity of Massachusetts Boston

Randal Pinkett, Ph.D. MBAInstructor

Managing PartnerBCT Partners

Instructors

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations 7

This webinar will provide training on disability etiquette and common accommodations for individuals with disabilities to access and benefit from CDFI services including the following: providing disability sensitive communications, creating a safe and accessible CDFI workspace; managing the physical environment, interviewing, services provision, conflict resolution, and pitfalls of making assumptions and unconscious bias.

This Webinar will accomplish the following:• Increase staff comfort, confidence and competence in working with

individuals with disabilities seeking economic growth and opportunity through CDFI services.

• Offer disability etiquette tips and strategies both generally as well as for varied specific types of disability.

Introduction

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

We are interested in learning more about participants. Please answer the following poll:

1. Are you already working in the disability community? (choose one)• Yes• No

Let’s Take A Poll!

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

“There’s no need to be awkward”

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

What is the major barrier to assisting individuals with disability?

The major barriers are: What you do not know about the

disability (fear of the unknown)

What you think you do know about the

disability (lack of knowledge)

Your own discomfort about a disability or

disabilities in general

What you don't know that you don't

know (Unconscious Bias)

The major barrier is not the disability itself

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

The Know/Don’t Know Model

Know

Your Knowledge

Pitfall #1

Consciously Competent

Don’t Know

Consciously Incompetent

Know But Don’t Know I Know

Unconsciously Competent

YourCulture

Think I Know Your

Assumptions

Don’t Know That You Don’t Know

UnconsciouslyIncompetent

Pitfall #2

YourUnconscious

Biases

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

The New Science of Unconscious Bias

• Unconscious bias draws upon multiple disciplines such as:

• Biology and Neuroscience• Sociology (Social Cognition Theory)• Psychology (Categories and Implicit Bias)

• In the past, bias was regarded as aberrant, conscious and intentional.

• Today, we understand that bias is normative, unconscious and largely unintentional.

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

How many seconds do you think it takes to form a first impression of a stranger?

1. 1/10 of a second2. 1 second

3. 5 seconds

4. 10 seconds5. 30 seconds

Let’s Take A Poll!

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Source: How Many Seconds to a First Impression ny Eric Wargo Observer Vol.19, No.7 July, 2006.

• A series of experiments by Princeton psychologists Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov reveal that all it takes is a tenth of a second to form an impression of a stranger from their face, and that longer exposures don’t significantly alter those impressions (although they might boost your confidence in your judgments).

• Their research is presented in their article “First Impressions,” in the July 2006 issue of Psychological Science.

How Many Seconds to a First Impression?

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

The New Science of Unconscious Bias• Mental categories and personal experiences become “hard-wired” into

cognitive functioning.• Unconscious biases are mostly triggered by primary factors such as race,

gender and age but also if an individual has a discernable disability. • Our biases are most likely to be activated by the following four key

conditions:o Stress,o Time constraints,o Multi-tasking, ando Need for closure

• “[Biases] are learned, so they can be unlearned,” says Dr. MahzarinBanaji.

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

CDFIs and Unconscious Bias“As a CDFI Coalition Board Member, I have worked to build upon our base of knowledge… by learning about the diverse communities that CDFIs work in as well as delve into our own unconscious bias that we carry with us every day. We are all human and we ALL have bias… DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) are no longer ‘soft issues’ and have been now become a business imperative.”

– John Holdsclaw IV, CDFI Coalition Vice Chair and SVP, Corporate Affairs at National Cooperative Bank

CDFIs are uniquely positioned to develop affordablefinancial services and products to address the challenges ofindividuals with disabilities, such as affordable, accessible,and safe housing; employment opportunities; or access toassistive products and services that support health andcommunity living.

Let’s Establish a Baseline for Our Discussion:

Source: CDFI Fund Update: FY 2018 Disability Funds-Financial Assistance Awards, Program Update, February 7, 2018

Disability is part of the human experience

Let’s Establish a Baseline for Our Discussion:

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

QUESTION:What categories do disabilities come in?

Disabilities come in numbers of ONE Each person experiences their impairments in their own unique way

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Think about what you have been taught about how to view people with disabilities

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

What words are typically associated with people with disabilities?

Let’s Create a Word Cloud.

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Did any of these come up in your thinking?

All alike Tragic or pitiful Helpless Angry or

vengeful

Stoic or brave

Trying to be inspirational Hero’s

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

A TOUCH OF REALITY: Those with disabilities are individuals who:

Are just like all of us; you, me and others

Do things a little bit differently

Likely see their disability as part of their self-identity, not separate from itHave the same

desires, talents, passions, needs as others

Deserve the same opportunities as others

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

THE BASICS: Sympathy, Empathy & Compassion

PITY

I acknowledge

your condition

SYMPATHY

I care about your

condition

EMPATHY

I feel and understand

your condition

COMPASSION

I want to help you succeed

ENGAGEMENT

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

THE BASICS:Speaking to a person with a disability

• Draws attention to limitation and weakness• Defines the person as their disability• Reinforces stereotypes

Disability-First Language

• Focuses on the person• Draws attention to their abilities• Reinforces acknowledgement of them as a

unique individual

Person/People-First Language

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

THE BASICS:Speaking about a person with a disability

Start from the person/people-first orientation!

01Don’t refer to them initially by their disability

02Talk regarding them like you would any other person who does not have a disability

03Don’t make assumptions about what a person with disability can or cannot do.

04

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

1 2 3

6 45

Images of Individuals with Disabilities

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

THE SPECIFICS:

The Not-so-obvious Disability

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Navigating the Not-so-obvious Disability

Ask yourself, “Yes or No, is it relevant for me to know if they have a disability that is not obvious?”

Be alert and watch for signs of a potential otherwise hidden impairment

When necessary, ask about function, not disability. (“Are you good with stairs, or prefer the elevator?”)

Common functional limitations (in order of prevalence) include orthopedics, vision, hearing, cognition

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

THE SPECIFICS:

The MoreObvious Disability

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Navigating the More Obvious Disability

Be alert to if you are focusing on the person themselves, or the disability they are presenting

Make sure that the environment is set up in a way that allows ability to move, see, hear, access surfaces, etc.

Ask first! Do not automatically take control of wheelchairs, take an arm, etc.

Ask about function, not disability. (“Is there anything I can do to help you sign that paper?”)

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

THE SPECIFICS:

Talking About Disability

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Some Do’s and Do Not’s

Do’sRelax

Look the person in the eyesUse person-first language

Express yourselves as you would to anyone

Get on their physical levelBe patient

Know they experience disability in their own way

Do Not’sFocus looking at the chair, braces,

impairment, interpreter, etc.

Give in to anxiety or suppress your usual communication style

Use words like “victim of, afflicted with, suffers from, confined to, or bound by”

Use highly unusual or higher-level vocabulary

Be afraid of making a mistake

Assume they cannot do something

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Terms to use when speaking about people with disabilities

• ”Karen” (use their name)• Who has come in looking for resources on

Wednesday’s• She has red hair, and usually wears black slacks

with brightly colored tops• Has a great smile, personality, and makes a point

to talk with those who interact with her• She uses the automatic door opener because of

the wheelchair she uses

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Contrast with this:• That disabled girl• You know, that invalid that comes in on Wednesdays• She is confined to that wheelchair, poor thing• The one who keeps looking for a job opportunity but can’t get

one• I think she might have red hair, but I don’t notice that as much

as her being crippled• Someone said her name might be Karen

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Some Do’s and Do Not’s for CDFIs

Do’sAssess your CDFI’s culture and conduct

training on disability etiquette

Conduct a needs assessment to identify barriers to persons with disabilities

Determine the specific need(s) your CDFI is trying to address (e.g. housing,

employment, assistive technology, services that support health and

community living)

Do Not’sAssume that an assessment or training alone will change your CDFI’s culture

Assume that “one size fits all” for CDFI products and services

Ignore the need for performance metrics

Allow your CDFI to remain passive (versus proactive) in engaging with

persons with disabilities

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Accessibility and Accommodations

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Accessibility and Accommodations

WHAT DOES ACCESSIBILITY MEAN?• ENSURING THAT BOTH PHYSICAL AND PROGRAMMATIC

COMPONENTS ARE AVAILABLE AND ACCOMODABLE TO ALL

• LEVELING THE PLAYING FIELD

HOW CAN I BEST EVALUATE IT, CASE-BY-CASE?• FIRST, BE AWARE OF WHAT ACCESSIBILITY ASPECTS ARE

IN PLACE IN YOUR PROGRAMS (How do you bake a cake?)• CONSIDER FOR A PERSON WHICH OF THOSE MIGHT BE A

POSSIBLE NEED AND KEEP THEM IN MIND• ASK. YOU CANNOT EVALUATE EVERY NEED, NOR WILL

THEY NEED AN ACCOMODATION YOU HAVE CONSIDERED.

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Accessibility and Accommodations

WHAT DO I DO WHEN SOMEONE REQUESTS AN ACCOMMODATION?• ASK. “HOW WOULD BE THE BEST WAY FOR ME TO

PROVIDE THAT ACCOMMODATION FOR YOU?”• MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO PROVIDE IT, THEN OR IN THE

NEAR FUTURE

ASKING A CUSTOMER IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO USE CERTAIN EQUIPMENT.• “WOULD IT HELP YOU TO USE (INSERT) THAT WE HAVE

AVAILABLE HERE?”• IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE ACCESSIBILITY SPECIALIST(S)

AVAILABLE TO HELP UTILIZE ACCOMMODATION EQUIPMENT WHEN NEEDED.

• BASIC “HOW-TO” INSTRUCTIONS REALLY HELP

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

In Conclusion: Final Helpful Checklists

Mobility Impairments-Be aware of accessibility of the physical space, if not- make it so-Put yourself at their level (sit) to see eye to eye with them-Ask if they need assistance before you help-Beware the language you use regarding their means of mobility-Wheelchairs, crutches or braces are part of their person. Don’t touch, lean on, or control them.

Visual Impairments-Verbally greet and identify yourself, and verbally indicate goodbye or that you are leaving-Ask if they would like an arm, do not take theirs, to guide them-Verbalize the environment when you guide them-Offer to read written information for them-Provide materials in accessible format (plan ahead)

Hearing Impairments-Maintain eye contact and direct your communication directly to them-Do not cover your mouth or face -Speak using a normal tone of voice unless asked to raise your voice-Wave your hand to get their attention before you start speaking to them-If an interpreter is present, look at the person- not their interpreter

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

In Conclusion: Final Helpful Checklists

Speech Impairments-Maintain eye contact and focus on the communication content, not its delivery-Communicate as you would normally-Do not be afraid to say you don’t understand and need something repeated-Provide materials in advance for the person to have time to formulate comments & responses

Mental Health Impairments-Avoid stereotypes and assumptions-Recognize all people have differences, and treat their manner of processing-Maintain appropriate space, avoiding touching person or their belongings-Keep an attitude of support and assistance

Cognitive Impairments

-Maintain treatment of the person as an adult-Speak directly to them, using words and phrases that are easily understood-Ask if they prefer verbal, written, or hands-on instruction/communication-Keep in mind that cognitive impairment does not necessarily mean below-average IQ

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

UnconsciousBiasRevisited

IMPLICIT ASSOCIATION TEST (IAT)• Part of Harvard University’s Project Implicit®• Measured implicit biases in a host of categories• Categories included age, race, weight, gender, skin-tone, disability,

sexuality, etc.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES• Biases toward people with disabilities increases with age- and over

time: less favorable feelings• Women have less implicit bias than men• People with disabilities demonstrate feelings of warmth among

their own community, positive attitude toward their peers• People who had contact with the population of people with

disabilities had lower prejudice

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Unconscious Bias and People with Disabilities

• Despite substantial progress, people with disabilities remain significantly less likely to be in employment than people who are non-disabled.

• Over a third (36%) of people tend to think of people with disabilities as not as productive as everyone else.

• Over one in three people show an unconscious bias against those with a disability, higher than levels of bias on the basis of gender or race.

Source: Disability: A Research Study on Unconscious Bias. ENEI 2014, www.enei.org Accessed 3.11.17

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Foster cross-cultural/topical dialogues related to PWD and CDFI products/services

Conduct organization-wide unconscious bias training with an emphasis on PWD

Provide coaching for CDFI staff, managers and executives on engaging PWD

Establish a formal mentoring and reverse mentoring program Formalize CDFI commitment and accountability to PWD

What Can CDFIs Do?

In Conclusion: Final Helpful Checklists

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations 45

Disability Rights & Resources: https://www.disability-rights.org/?page_id=20

Disability Awareness Training:http://disabilityawarenesstraining.com/resources/disability-etiquette

National Disability Navigator: https://nationaldisabilitynavigator.org/ndnrc-materials/disability-guide/what-is-disability-etiquette/

Job Accommodation Network: https://askjan.org/topics/disetiq.cfm

Additional Resources

The CDFI Fund’s Capacity Building Initiative // Creating an Inclusive Culture within CDFI Organizations

Contact Information

Follow-up questions should be directed to:cdfi@bctpartners.com

For additional information on the technical assistance and virtual training available through

the Access For All training series, please visit www.accessforall.info