Diversity Includes Disability

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We try to have a very open communicative environment where, you know, if there is an  

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issue with Person A versus person B, you know, we try to talk it out. So having the ability to  

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unmask and everyone being aware of my disability has brought a lot of anxiety down uh, with those communications.

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Nicole Andre um, a Technician in the 
Simmons Laboratory at the College of Veterinary  

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Medicine. Inclusion to me means creating an environment where every individual, regardless of  

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their differences feels valued, respected and able to contribute their unique perspectives. It's about  

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fostering a sense of belonging and ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate and

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succeed. The Neurodiversity Employee Community allows faculty and staff to engage with each  

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other with similar interests and also 
helps them overcome some hardships, as  

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far as disabilities, and to speak about those in a very um... in a group setting. Before be... becoming  

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a member of this community um, I didn't 
feel like I truly belonged at Cornell. Um...  

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I felt that... you know I fit in into other 
different colleague networking groups but  

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it wasn't until I found the Neurodiversity 
Employee group that I actually truly felt I belonged.

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So in my current position as a Technician in the Simmons Laboratory, I  

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disclosed my disability ahead of time um and during the interview process. And that was the  

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first time um, at Cornell University that 
I was so open about my disability. Having  

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the conversation ahead of time with my 
potential supervisor made things a little  

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bit more relaxed when I first started, and I was able to actually be myself without the  

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mask. By having colleagues or peers who take the time to actually truly understand my strengths  

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and weaknesses and provide necessary support to help me truly succeed. It's those moments  

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when I've been given accommodations that level the playing field and allow me to showcase my  

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skills without being hindered by my disabilities. These experiences of genuine understanding and  

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support have helped me feel valued and a part of the community despite my differences.

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When you have a staff that trusts you and is able to share things about their lives  

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that they maybe wouldn't um, share otherwise, by being inclusive you foster that safety  

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that allows people to share that experience with you.

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Jeff Dahlander, Assistant Director of Housing Contracts and Operations for 
Housing and Residential Life, Student and Campus Life.

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It's important for me uh, because a lot 
of the students that we work with are looking  

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for uh, somebody um... that they can identify with or that can understand their experience when they're  

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navigating either the housing assignment process or trying to figure out how to get  

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assistance on campus. And having someone on my staff is open about having their disability, it  

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creates a more inclusive environment where students and staff feel more comfortable uh... 

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coming to us and allowing us to assist them. And accessing um... services on campus and by  

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you know creating an environment where people feel safe and they feel like they can share  

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who they are and bring their entire self um into the work experience it's an invaluable perspective.  

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It takes a lot of work on a supervisory level. It takes a willingness  

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to have conversations that are difficult um, at times... but it's about treating your, your  

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employees, your supervisees, as human beings and looking at them as a complete and whole person.

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So, if I know that somebody in my office um, has difficulty hearing, when we're having a large  

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group event um, always having a microphone and encouraging everyone to use that microphone uh,  

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not only helps that individual but all the other individuals that may have difficulty hearing that  

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don't feel like... or, don't feel comfortable yet to uh, self-disclose. It helps everyone hear  

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and understand better. For my own team, my small team um, you know, what we're doing day in and day  

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out is housing assignments, room changes but it also requires a lot of accuracy and we're using  

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multiple systems and student information and one of the things that I noticed uh, was that one of  

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my team members was making a lot of errors. And in talking to them, they explained that they were just  

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trying to to go as fast as the other staff member and it was because of her disability. So having  

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that conversation with her and saying you know what's more important about getting this task done  

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is that it's accurate not necessarily important that it's quick. But it also has me thinking what  

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is it, what more can I provide. Are there ways that we could have some kind of adaptive keyboard or is  

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there something that we could modify as far as how to make assignments within the system that  

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would not only work better for her but maybe will improve the processes overall for all  

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people having to work within that system. When you've got employees that feel seen and they  

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feel valued they're more likely to speak highly about their experience working at 
Cornell.

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Encouragement is something that the 
university offered to me and I offer  

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it back to as many folks as I can. 

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Hi, I'm Nianne Vanfleet, Assistant Director for Administrative Services at Student and Campus Life, Facility Management

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Office. After I'd been here for just 
a handful of years, I developed um... an  

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illness that took several years to define. Of course I was worried about losing my job and  

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losing um... the benefits that I had that my family really needed. And I voiced that to  

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the administrator. He was so sincere and, you know, took my hand and said 'we will  

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find something you can do, if you're in a 
wheelchair it doesn't make any difference'.

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And that really put my fears to rest. I could focus on getting better, getting back to work.

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What he gave to me that day was a sense of sincerity that Cornell did care about me as a person.

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So I have met a lot of people in my 42 
years here at Cornell who've had disabilities, 

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some of them more outward than others. If those people didn't have jobs here, Cornell would not  

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be as rich. It adds to the breadth and depth of what Cornell offers. If you can't hire faculty  

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and staff who have disabilities, how can you think that you can support and interest students who  

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have um disabilities. And if we want to attract a rich and diverse working population, as well  

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as students, we need to show that we care about these people, that we will hire them and they  

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will add to the strengths of the university. Because you have a disability does not mean  

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that you cannot give a high quality performance at your job. There are just so many times and  

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opportunities at Cornell where there's allies around every corner. Having to talk to people  

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about what it was and how I was feeling actually helped them to understand what my needs were.

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You know, if I hadn't told people what I needed, I wouldn't have gotten the support.