Anessa Powell Helps Us To See The Ability in All
Think about a meeting you’ve been to lately. It can be a work meeting, a board meeting or a volunteer committee. Now, picture the people who were around you in the meeting. How many of them had a disability? Maybe you counted one or two. It’s likely a lot of you though none. The fact is that one in four people have a disability. In thinking of that meeting again, how far off was your count?
The fact that one in four people has a disability is a statistic that takes everyone by surprise. “We also have to understand that 70% of disabilities are invisible,” explains Anessa Powell, founder and CEO of AllAbility Recruiting. “The biggest piece is understanding what a disability is as defined by ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). For example, if someone has had breast cancer, gone through chemo, and now has the all clear for example, they still have a disability under ADA. But it’s also about understanding how each person identifies. I had a woman come up to me at a speaking engagement and say “Wait a minute, I have epilepsy. Do I have a disability?” Anessa also pointed out that mental health issues make up the largest part of invisible disabilities in our culture.
Anessa’s business focuses not only on employment opportunities for people with disabilities, but also on coaching and leadership education focused on inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. Her business launched out of a market need that Anessa felt personally. In 2013, her life was forever changed when she was diagnosed with a rare disease, Addison’s. Addison’s is a rare autoimmune disease where your adrenal glands no longer function, or produce the necessary hormone, cortisol. The disease can be life-threatening and treatment involves taking hormones to replace those that are missing.
At the time of her diagnosis, Anessa was working full time, had two kids, and had every intention of remaining in the workforce full time. She went through many years of what she calls a “diagnostic odyssey.” “There were so many questions, “Would I be able to work full time? What does new life look like for me?” As Anessa threw herself into research on her disease, she discovered this whole new world of people who had gaps in their resumes because of a similar situation. And, those professionals were being overlooked because there were gaps in their resumes. Then, when COVID hit, she found herself looking for her next opportunity with a recruiter. “At that time, both my husband and I were working with a recruiters, and neither of us was wowed by our experience.” says Anessa. “I just thought I could do better not only for myself, but for others in the same situation.”
AllAbility Recruiting is a business built on people first and specializes in professionals with disabilities. Anessa fills jobs at all levels, entry to C suite. “Position, you name it. We have a candidate,” she quips. “I work with talented individuals who just happen to have a disability.” Anessa aims to leave no ability behind in her placement efforts and speaks to every candidate who reaches out. On June 2nd, the business celebrated its two-year anniversary. “Businesses want to do the right thing; they just often don’t know where to begin.” Anessa has launched a training for recruiters and HR professionals to provide necessary tools in recruiting and supporting individuals with disabilities. “Education is so much about what we do,” she explains. “Most people are very surprised with the information we leave them with as we break stigmas and stereotypes. After this training piece, business want to know what’s next in creating a culture that’s disability friendly.”
“It’s also important that we keep talking about the unconscious bias with a disability that you can see,” explains Anessa. “Speak to the person; don’t let it be the elephant in the room. Talk to them if you have a new co-worker. Ask if they would mind sharing a bit about their disability or enquire as to how you can support them to be a better coworker.” A big key to building bridges is asking if someone wants assistance. “Don’t assume that they need help,” cautions Anessa. “Some people identify as a person first, a person with a disability second. Others are disability first.” She goes on to describe an instance where out in public, she met a little person who was trying to reach an item on a grocery shelf. She asked him if he needed assistance. He said “No, thank you,” and she walked away. “It’s important to give people their space. It may not be the easiest way for you, but it’s the easiest way for them.”
The biggest obstacle Anessa sees in creating a disability-friendly workplace is when employers don’t want to allocate a budget for disability accommodation. “When businesses tell me they just can’t spend the money right now, I tell them it’s not spending; it’s investing,” says Anessa. Put into perspective, the disability community is the largest minority group in the world. Disabilities touch every other minority group. “The numbers speak for themselves,” she adds. “When you are known as a disability-friendly business, people want to frequent your business. When you employ people with disabilities, you have lower turnover. The community buys stake into you as a business. And, the disability community spending power is in the billions.” Anessa also points out that the disability community is an untapped market for innovation. Businesses can provide products that are adaptive to this customer base. An perfect example is Loreal creating an adaptive makeup line for people who can’t use their hands to apply makeup.
If there’s one thing that Anessa would like to leave you with is that if you’ve met one person with a disability, you’ve met one person with a disability. No disability is the same. Two blind people don’t have the same experience. One walks with a cane; one has a dog. Maybe one can drive. When you see someone who parks in a disabled parking space and they don’t appear to have a disability, don’t judge them. There can be day where that person is walking without assistance, the next day with a cane, the next day a walker, and the next crutches. You don’t know if that day is the first time they’ve left their house in weeks because of chronic pain. “You know the numbers, one in four. Do you really know who you are working with?” asks Anessa. “People are afraid to share because of the stigma around disability. Employees and coworkers need to know they are supported. Ask the questions “How are you?” and “How can I support you?” Make this community feel heard, seen and supported.”