Learning Empathy and Awareness with Mary Fernandez at Cisco

Greater awareness of the unique struggles of people with different life experiences is the first step in facilitating true inclusion and belonging.

On this episode, host Callie McKee is joined by Mary Fernandez, Lead Disability Inclusion Consultant and Equity and Fairness Consultant at Cisco. Mary shares her perspective on how education is foundational to inclusion.

As a blind person, Mary has a ground-level understanding of what the disabled community needs from allies. Here are some of her thoughts on the subject:

- Education is each individual’s responsibility, and a disabled person is not required to be an open book about their disability.

- Non-disabled people should make intentional efforts to make accessibility considerations. A disabled person has no choice but to think about accessibility.

- Inclusion is not the same as accommodation — something that is technically accommodating may still be exclusive and even degrading.

Self-education is a great first step in becoming an ally to those with different needs.

Mary Fernandez -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-fernandez-23a0a644/

Cisco | LinkedIn -

https://www.linkedin.com/company/cisco/

Cisco | Website -

https://www.cisco.com/

Alex Allen -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/alex-allen-a4334210/

Callie McKee -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/callie-mckee/

You can find a human-verified transcript of this episode here. - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JoZUkkINHGgdja9MCir_pgDoxz0AHmlyuLushhIGl_o/edit?usp=sharing

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#DEI #diversity #innovation #transformation