This article byOla Ojewumioriginally appeared onThe Well,Jopwell’s digital magazine.
It is reprinted here with permission.
I was healthy until I was nine.
Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS
Needless to say, I was despondent.
But one day my mother walked into the ICU with a gift for me: A portable radio.
Within minutes of putting on my new headphones, music became my escape.
Courtesy of Ola Ojewumi/Jopwell
Im not gon give up.
Im not gon stop.
I gon work harder.
Courtesy of Ola Ojewumi/Jopwell
Im gonna make it.
And I did survive.
I received a heart transplant and, five hours later, a kidney transplant from the same donor.
My second chance at life came with a few conditions.
I cheated death only to be met with a lifetime of disabilities.
Very few people expected me to succeed.
But I put on my headphones.
Her inimitable music reminds me never to give up when met with inequality and challenges.
Just use these lyrics as your guide:
“When you hurt me, you hurt yourself.
Bottom line: When you fail to hire us, youre hurting your business as well.
One way to do this is to hire accommodations professionals.
Thats why we ask you to view us as your equals.
I slay, all day.
This is not because we are unable to contribute, but rather, because our potential often goes untapped.
However, those living with physical limitations can do anything.
Those with intellectual disabilities can also contribute to the workforce in big ways.
They can be doctors, lawyers, influential activists, video game designers, and much more.
I break chains all by myself.
Wont let my freedom rot in hell.Freedom,Lemonade, 2016
Some of the worlds greatest leaders had disabilities.
President Franklin Roosevelt was in a wheelchair.
Harriet Tubman had epilepsy.
Feminist artist Frida Kahlo and civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hammer both survived polio.
Hammer coined the iconic phrase, Im sick and tired of being sick and tired.
Many of us in the disabled world are chomping at the bit to make history.
Its time to listen.
Its time to fight.
Its a sad, sick reality.
Dont participate in keeping people with disabilities living below the poverty line.
Pay them what theyre worth and what you would pay an able-bodied employee doing the same job.
Many accommodationssuch as telework, increased workplace flexibility, and other minor rearrangementscome completely free of charge.
Its not a burden, and its not something for which anyone should be expected to apologize.
I know you dont care too much.
Stop making this mistake.
Choose to be an ally.
Encourage the inclusion of people with disabilities in your offices diversity hiring programs.
Most importantly, trade in your sympathy for empathy and understanding.
Just like Beyonce, absolutely nothing will stop my hustle.
Lets make a mark together.
Jopwellis the leading career advancement platform for Black, Latino/Hispanic, and Native American students and professionals.
