Christine Miserandino's personal story "The Spoon Theory" imagines "spoons" as a measurement of one's daily energy to illustrate what it's like to ration that energy. For those who live with a disability (visible or invisible), the number of spoons required for a given activity can vary greatly from day to day—for everything from getting out of bed to socializing—and those who do not have a disability may not realize what a luxury it is to require fewer spoons for the same activities.
This is a particularly relevant concept for Illumina employee Katie Ellis, an Australian certified genetic counsellor and senior medical science liaison who navigates the workplace while living with a disability. Ellis and Hollie Church, senior talent acquisition specialist in the United Kingdom, recently collaborated to establish regional disability employee resource groups (ERGs) within Illumina. Their efforts coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which honours the contributions of America's disabled workers past and present.
This year’s theme is “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.”
Ellis and Church discussed how the new ERGs came to be and their long-term goals for them.
What has your experience been like as a part of the "equity equation"? What prompted you to start this group now?
Katie Ellis: I was hesitant to share my own disability-related experience. However, when my own daughter's disability was recognized and promoted, I noticed positive changes in her. It removed impediments to her learning and participation. What else could we [at Illumina] accomplish if I raised my hand to help raise awareness, or who else could we empower? It can be difficult to speak up—you wonder, “Maybe I won’t get that promotion, or be sent on that business trip”—and as I was thinking about this idea of creating an ERG at Illumina [for the Asia Pacific and Americas regions], it turns out the timing was just right. My colleague Hollie happened to be pitching the same idea for the Europe/Middle East/Africa [EMEA] region, teaming with participants globally.
Hollie Church: Our new group [in EMEA], Embrace Your Uniqueness [Unique for short], aims to create a safe space for data collection and education of ourselves and the business on how to best support individuals with disabilities and/or neurodiversity. Why should we, as a company, stop at facilitating diagnoses? We intend to collaborate with our ERGs, relying on one another for assistance, resources, and experience.
What are your other goals for these ERGs?
Ellis: We are already harnessing the power of the genome—and we can harness the power of our employees as well. We already have a culture and a leadership team that encourage and support diversity. The goal is to make our workplace even more equitable so that employees can thrive and feel more at ease participating. It is open to anyone with a visible or invisible disability, as well as caregivers and disability community allies. We can contribute to a more inclusive world for our children by beginning with ourselves.
Church: We wonder why this is important for businesses like ours. We will see an increase in productivity and innovation if we can create an environment that allows those affected to thrive—this is also in line with our company mission.
Ellis: We are demonstrating our commitment to improving everyone's ability to maximize their own potential and access within the organization. I always use "The Spoon Theory" to explain how we can help our employees keep as many spoons as possible for their physical and emotional well-being. We will hold events to raise awareness, consider strategies to reduce workplace barriers, and respect our employees' anonymity if they prefer. It's also a discussion forum for issues like "Do managers feel prepared to lead teams and people with disabilities?" ”
The ERGs are just one example of Illumina's efforts: earlier this month, CEO Francis deSouza signed the Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion, and the company was named a Best Place to Work by the nonprofit's 2022 Disability Equality Index. Illumina was recognized for its dedication to ensuring that its employee benefits support individuals with disabilities, to improving companywide communications with more inclusive channels and options, and to diversifying its supplier partnerships, including businesses owned by people with disabilities.
The ERGs are just one example of Illumina's efforts: earlier this month, CEO Francis deSouza signed the Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion, and the company was named one of the Best Places to Work by the nonprofit's 2022 Disability Equality Index. Illumina was recognized for its commitment to ensuring that its employee benefits support individuals with disabilities, to improving companywide communications with more inclusive channels and options, and to diversifying its partnerships with suppliers, including businesses owned by people with disabilities.
This is a particularly relevant concept for Illumina employee Katie Ellis, an Australian certified genetic counsellor and senior medical science liaison who navigates the workplace while living with a disability. Ellis and Hollie Church, senior talent acquisition specialist in the United Kingdom, recently collaborated to establish regional disability employee resource groups (ERGs) within Illumina. Their efforts coincide with National Disability Employment Awareness Month, which honours the contributions of America's disabled workers past and present.
This year’s theme is “Disability: Part of the Equity Equation.”
Ellis and Church discussed how the new ERGs came to be and their long-term goals for them.
What has your experience been like as a part of the "equity equation"? What prompted you to start this group now?
Katie Ellis: I was hesitant to share my own disability-related experience. However, when my own daughter's disability was recognized and promoted, I noticed positive changes in her. It removed impediments to her learning and participation. What else could we [at Illumina] accomplish if I raised my hand to help raise awareness, or who else could we empower? It can be difficult to speak up—you wonder, “Maybe I won’t get that promotion, or be sent on that business trip”—and as I was thinking about this idea of creating an ERG at Illumina [for the Asia Pacific and Americas regions], it turns out the timing was just right. My colleague Hollie happened to be pitching the same idea for the Europe/Middle East/Africa [EMEA] region, teaming with participants globally.
Hollie Church: Our new group [in EMEA], Embrace Your Uniqueness [Unique for short], aims to create a safe space for data collection and education of ourselves and the business on how to best support individuals with disabilities and/or neurodiversity. Why should we, as a company, stop at facilitating diagnoses? We intend to collaborate with our ERGs, relying on one another for assistance, resources, and experience.
What are your other goals for these ERGs?
Ellis: We are already harnessing the power of the genome—and we can harness the power of our employees as well. We already have a culture and a leadership team that encourage and support diversity. The goal is to make our workplace even more equitable so that employees can thrive and feel more at ease participating. It is open to anyone with a visible or invisible disability, as well as caregivers and disability community allies. We can contribute to a more inclusive world for our children by beginning with ourselves.
Church: We wonder why this is important for businesses like ours. We will see an increase in productivity and innovation if we can create an environment that allows those affected to thrive—this is also in line with our company mission.
Ellis: We are demonstrating our commitment to improving everyone's ability to maximize their own potential and access within the organization. I always use "The Spoon Theory" to explain how we can help our employees keep as many spoons as possible for their physical and emotional well-being. We will hold events to raise awareness, consider strategies to reduce workplace barriers, and respect our employees' anonymity if they prefer. It's also a discussion forum for issues like "Do managers feel prepared to lead teams and people with disabilities?" ”
The ERGs are just one example of Illumina's efforts: earlier this month, CEO Francis deSouza signed the Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion, and the company was named a Best Place to Work by the nonprofit's 2022 Disability Equality Index. Illumina was recognized for its dedication to ensuring that its employee benefits support individuals with disabilities, to improving companywide communications with more inclusive channels and options, and to diversifying its supplier partnerships, including businesses owned by people with disabilities.
The ERGs are just one example of Illumina's efforts: earlier this month, CEO Francis deSouza signed the Disability:IN CEO Letter on Disability Inclusion, and the company was named one of the Best Places to Work by the nonprofit's 2022 Disability Equality Index. Illumina was recognized for its commitment to ensuring that its employee benefits support individuals with disabilities, to improving companywide communications with more inclusive channels and options, and to diversifying its partnerships with suppliers, including businesses owned by people with disabilities.