Valuing differences enhances innovation
This is a guest blog by Victoria Buxton-Helyer of Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust.
When you look at me I suspect you see someone who has every possibility open to them on life. Loving parents, education, degree, successful career. You might wonder why EDI matter would matter so much?
While I hope it goes without saying that I care deeply about breaking down unfair barriers and giving everyone a decent chance at life! What you don’t know (and wouldn’t unless I told you) is that I am one of around 10 million people in the UK with a hidden disability.
When people hear the word disability, I think most expect to see visible signs like a wheelchair, or a hearing aid or a guide dog. I know I used to. But for many people those signs don’t exist.
In my case its fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition that can also cause fatigue and at times brain fog. I’m not exaggerating when I say there are some days I need a sit down mid shower or my muscles burn and hurt so that holding a book to read, using my phone or doing lots of typing on my keyboard is just not possible.
But because its invisible, often varies day by day with ‘normal’ days, and the root cause is still not truly understood, people can doubt what we experience as a result of it. One quick look at social media and you can see accusations we are ‘making it up’, ‘lazy’, or ‘using any excuse not to do an honest day’s work’.
I am really lucky that I haven’t experienced this directly (although, deep down, I always worry about what people really think) but with increasingly inflamed views being voiced and dividing our communities, I fear that I (and others) will more and more. It will become acceptable again to single out people, rather than accepting and valuing difference.
EDI is a really positive thing. It isn’t about giving one person an unfair advantage over another. It’s about levelling the field so everyone can play, and hopefully thrive.
If schools, universities and business etc didn’t encourage open minds, and understanding that not everyone’s place in this world feels the same, we would not have the different perspectives and rich life experiences needed to create successful organisations, products and services. Which are often successful precisely because they appeal to a wide range of people, from different walks of life.
Personally, EDI is the reason I can still work. At the most basic level, if disability law and reasonable adjustments didn’t exist, there would be days I couldn’t physically do my job.
But there is so much more to it than this. Valuing our differences enhances innovation, can increase empathy, breaks down barriers and strengthens social cohesion. As a society we truly are strongest when we value everyone. Not just the loudest or most visible.
