Creating Supportive Spaces: Insights from Rebecca Prejean
Rebecca Prejean, CEO and founder of EB Graphics and Consulting, joins us to elucidate the paramount importance of inclusivity and accessibility within corporate environments. With a decade of experience, she ardently advocates for creating supportive spaces for neurodivergent individuals, particularly those with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Our discussion delves into Rebecca's journey, ignited by her personal experiences as a mother navigating the complexities of advocating for her son in educational settings. We explore the misconceptions surrounding neurodiversity and the critical need for organizations to adopt best practices that foster an inclusive culture. Ultimately, our conversation underscores the profound impact that thoughtful accommodations can have on productivity and employee satisfaction, revealing that investing in accessibility is not merely a benevolent act, but a strategic business imperative.
Rebecca Prejean, the esteemed CEO and founder of EB Graphics and Consulting, is a pivotal figure in the realm of instructional design and accessible learning experiences. With over a decade of experience, she has emerged as a prominent advocate for inclusivity, particularly within corporate environments that cater to neurodivergent individuals, including those with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia. Throughout our discussion, Rebecca elucidates the fundamental importance of creating supportive spaces that acknowledge and adapt to the diverse needs of employees. She passionately articulates how her journey as a mother of a child diagnosed with autism has profoundly influenced her professional endeavors, propelling her to advocate for accessible learning methodologies that empower all individuals. Her insights reflect a deep understanding of the intricate relationship between personal experiences and professional aspirations, underscoring the necessity for organizations to embrace inclusivity as a core value rather than an ancillary consideration.
The conversation delves into the pervasive misconceptions surrounding neurodiversity in the workplace, with Rebecca emphasizing the detrimental effects of stereotypes that label neurodivergent individuals as lazy or incompetent. She challenges listeners to reconsider their perceptions and to recognize that productivity and intelligence are not inherently linked to neurotypical behaviors. Through her extensive work with Fortune 500 companies, she has successfully implemented training programs that not only foster inclusivity but also enhance overall productivity. Rebecca's dedication to transforming the learning and development landscape is evident as she shares success stories of organizations that have seen tangible benefits from adopting accessible practices, ultimately leading to improved employee satisfaction and retention.
As we conclude our discussion, Rebecca imparts invaluable advice for leaders seeking to foster inclusive environments. She advocates for the integration of best practices that benefit all employees, emphasizing that accommodations for neurodivergent individuals need not be perceived as coddling, but rather as essential steps toward achieving organizational goals. Her final exhortation is clear: by investing in accessibility and inclusivity, organizations not only fulfill a moral obligation but also unlock the potential for enhanced business outcomes. In a world increasingly defined by diversity, Rebecca Prejean stands as a beacon of hope, inspiring others to envision a future where every individual can thrive regardless of their neurological differences.
Takeaways:
- Rebecca Prejean, the esteemed CEO and founder of EB Graphics and Consulting, emphasizes the importance of accessibility in learning environments.
- Her extensive experience highlights the necessity of creating inclusive spaces for individuals with neurodivergent conditions, such as autism and ADHD.
- The podcast underlines the significant impact of thoughtful educational practices on employee satisfaction and productivity within corporate structures.
- Prejean advocates for the implementation of simple yet effective strategies to enhance workplace inclusivity, focusing on the unique needs of diverse employees.
- Listeners are encouraged to view accessibility initiatives not as burdens but as investments that yield substantial returns for organizations.
- The conversation emphasizes the critical need for leaders to adapt and be open to fostering inclusive environments that benefit all employees.
Links referenced in this episode:
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- EB Graphics and Consulting
- Fortune 500
- Hamilton
Transcript
My guest today is Rebecca Prejean.
Speaker A:She is the CEO and founder of EB Graphics and Consulting, specializing in instructional design, multimedia production and accessible, focused learning experiences.
Speaker A:With a decade of experience, Rebecca has become a leading advocate for inclusivity and accessibility in corporate environments, particularly focusing on creating supportive spaces for non divergent employees with autism, ADHD and dyslexia.
Speaker A:Her passion for driving positive change in the learning and development industry has led to her work with Fortune 500 companies where she applies her skills to craft immersive and inclusive learning experiences for diverse audiences.
Speaker A:As a thought leader in accessible, focused learning, Rebecca is dedicated to empowering individuals through innovative and inclusive educational practices.
Speaker A:We welcome her to the podcast.
Speaker A:Well, Rebecca, welcome to the podcast today.
Speaker A:How are you doing?
Speaker B:I'm doing well.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker A:It's good to have you on.
Speaker A:I'm going to ask you my favorite question, my go to question.
Speaker A:What's the best piece of advice you've ever received?
Speaker B:The best piece of advice I've ever received.
Speaker B:Slow down.
Speaker A:Oh.
Speaker B:And people would be like, well, everybody tells me to slow down.
Speaker B:You know, we've all heard that.
Speaker B:But sometimes we just get so stuck in whatever we're trying to do.
Speaker B:Especially if you feel like you have a personal mission, a personal goal, a calling, a vocation.
Speaker B:You're like, I gotta go, I gotta go, I gotta move.
Speaker B:And sometimes you just have to stop, if nothing else, just to, to listen to, to the inner voice, to the.
Speaker B:If you're spiritual, to God, all of those things.
Speaker B:And just, sometimes you just got to stay still.
Speaker A:It's funny.
Speaker A:It's so funny you mentioned that, because one of my favorite new musicals is Hamilton.
Speaker A:And there's that line in Hamilton where he says he's running like he's writing, running out of time.
Speaker A:It's like, that's just my life.
Speaker A:It's like I'm running.
Speaker A:I'm running like I'm writing out of time.
Speaker B:So I'm like, you know, going fast doesn't always mean that you'll be successful because sometimes you miss the smaller details.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:And so that's something I really have to work on, have to force myself to do it, because I'm not that.
Speaker A:Right.
Speaker A:I always had, I had.
Speaker A:One of my friends always said, you know, I'll slow down when I'm dead.
Speaker A:I'm like, well, yeah, you will.
Speaker A:In the meantime, you would have to.
Speaker B:You might get there a little sooner than you planned.
Speaker A:Exactly.
Speaker A:So you might want to take some advice and take, take a, take a pause on that.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker A:I'm curious, as you think about your life, who are some people that came alongside you, have come alongside you, and either served as a mentor or inspiration for you in your life.
Speaker A:Is it a chance for you to give them kind of a shout out and thank them for the impact they've had on your life?
Speaker B:Honestly, and this sounds cliche.
Speaker B:My parents.
Speaker B:I watched my parents have a, you know, a good life and all of these things.
Speaker B:I watched my dad work as a contractor on a military base.
Speaker B:He was in the army for years.
Speaker B:You know, we got to travel all over Europe, all of these things.
Speaker B:And then they started their own business.
Speaker B:Starting your own business is a whole different animal because you almost start from the ground zero.
Speaker B:Like, all the things you had don't necessarily matter.
Speaker B:And so I watched them, you know, growing up, foster this business, grow this business, have real challenges with this business, have sometimes in positions that we weren't as fortunate, we didn't have as much money for a while.
Speaker B:I just watched them work.
Speaker B:I watched them work hard.
Speaker B:I watched them still take care of all four of us and nurture us and have a business that they just retired from.
Speaker B:I don't want to lie.
Speaker B:Six, seven years ago.
Speaker B:And my dad's in his 80s, so I watched them really work, put their nose to the grindstone, all these things.
Speaker B:And I learned a lot from that.
Speaker B:I learned that there are going to be good days, they're going to be bad days.
Speaker B:There might be bad stretches of time where things don't feel like they are going right, they feel like they're going really badly.
Speaker B:But there's light always at the end of the tunnel.
Speaker B:It doesn't always have to stay dark.
Speaker B:It doesn't always have to stay bad.
Speaker B:There is light there.
Speaker B:And, you know, I talk to my dad often about my own business and just some of the things that I feel and some of the things I encounter, and it's helpful.
Speaker B:And he is like a mentor to me.
Speaker B:So my.
Speaker B:My parents have probably.
Speaker B:They are probably the biggest influences I've had, probably the biggest mentors I've had.
Speaker B:I've definitely had work mentors, of course, you know, that have helped me grow personally in terms of helping realize that I can do things, that I have gifts, I have abilities, and sometimes learning how to rein in some of my natural inclinations to kind of jump and do all these different things.
Speaker B:So I do feel like I've had work mentors 100% at some jobs, but I still would put my parents probably as the first and foremost.
Speaker A:That's so neat.
Speaker A:And I'm sure they appreciate the fact that you acknowledge all the hard work they did and poured into you.
Speaker B:I gave them a run for their money.
Speaker B:So I feel like they feel very good that I, that I can now sit back and thank them.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:So you told us about your parents journey.
Speaker A:Tell us about your journey.
Speaker B:The journey has been long.
Speaker B:My journey, I would say starting just in what I do today, you know, in terms of helping people with disabilities and, you know, kind of advocating for them in corporate spaces.
Speaker B:Really started when I became a mom.
Speaker B:My son is 8 now, his name is Ethan.
Speaker B:Before he was born, I remember they told us, we were 24 weeks along.
Speaker B:They told us that he wouldn't be able to walk, he wouldn't be able to talk because he had hydrocephalus, which is a condition that has increased fluid in our, you know, ventricles, in our brain.
Speaker B:And everybody has our ventricles, everybody has fluid.
Speaker B:He just had a substantial amount.
Speaker B:And they told us he, he would be severely disabled.
Speaker B:And so when he was born, we were already kind of on edge, wondering what it would be like, who he would be.
Speaker B:We were blessed that he wasn't disabled to the extent that they said he does walk, he talks, all those things.
Speaker B:But when he was 4, he was actually diagnosed with autism.
Speaker B:I didn't really know what that meant.
Speaker B:I'm Southern, I'm a person of color.
Speaker B:Those weren't things that we talked about.
Speaker B:Even if they were maybe present in our family, we didn't talk about that.
Speaker B:A lot of people don't.
Speaker B:And so I didn't know what that meant.
Speaker B:I thought it might be a death sentence.
Speaker B:I just didn't know.
Speaker B:And then I started doing my research and I realized, okay, it's a learning difference.
Speaker B:And I was able to accept it, grasp it, it was great.
Speaker B:However, we started trying to get him in school, get him preschool, get him support, give him resources, and realized quite quickly other people didn't understand it.
Speaker B:There was a lot of stigma around it.
Speaker B:There was a lot of just misunderstandings, misconceptions, and it made it hard to find support for him.
Speaker B:It made it hard for him to find places that he was accepted.
Speaker B:It made it very imperative that we advocated for him in a real way.
Speaker B:And I started to, through our journey and through those difficulties, I started to really make that connection between what I was seeing at work.
Speaker B:At the time, I was working in learning and development, training people, facilitating all of these things.
Speaker B:I made that connection between our journey and what I was seeing in My workplace training rooms with people who were having some difficulties, who were struggling.
Speaker B:And I began to realize we're not supporting them in the way they need to be supported.
Speaker B:We're not giving them options.
Speaker B:We're not speaking to anything that they need.
Speaker B:We are saying, here's this box.
Speaker B:I need you to open it.
Speaker B:I don't care what's in it.
Speaker B:I don't care how you view it.
Speaker B:I just need you to accept it and make it happen.
Speaker B:And that's not real life.
Speaker B:And so for me, that's what really spurned what I do today.
Speaker B:It's for my business.
Speaker B:And I've been doing the accessibility piece of this for right around six years or so.
Speaker B:But I've done learning and development for right around 12.
Speaker B:And before that I did graphic design and web design as well.
Speaker B:So I.
Speaker B:I feel like it's been a long journey, but now I know that I'm in the place where I'm supposed to be.
Speaker B:Like, this is.
Speaker B:It's so much more than just my son or people that I know that are on the spectrum or have various disabilities, like adhd, things like that.
Speaker B:It's really trying to carve out and create spaces where they're not really seen.
Speaker B:Nobody pays attention to them.
Speaker B:And we're just trying to make that.
Speaker A:Not the case you talked about when your son went to school.
Speaker A:There were all kinds of misconceptions.
Speaker A:What are some common misconceptions that you've experienced with ADHD people and people, especially in the workplace, because, you know you're trying to bridge that gap.
Speaker A:How do you overcome some of the stigmas?
Speaker B:Lots of stigmas.
Speaker B:Depending on the disability.
Speaker B:I would say adhd, autism in particular.
Speaker B:People tend to say, well, they're just lazy if they're not doing their jobs or they're not doing their work.
Speaker B:They like to say things like, well, they're faking it, or they just don't want to do this work.
Speaker B:Or they just seem like they're really chaotic.
Speaker B:They just seem like they're really scattered, scatterbrained.
Speaker B:Like they.
Speaker B:They don't seem focused.
Speaker B:They're not paying attention to me, all of these kinds of things that I'm like, that's not true.
Speaker B:Or even they're not productive.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Or the not intelligent is definitely something that is a misconception.
Speaker B:That sounds like it shouldn't be what we're thinking about people in our own workplaces that we hire.
Speaker B:But it.
Speaker B:It turns into that they sometimes treat them like their children, and they're not.
Speaker B:They're Adults, and they want to work, they want to do good things, they want to do good work.
Speaker B:But just like a new.
Speaker B:A new hire.
Speaker B:Completely neurotypical.
Speaker B:No, you know, neurodivergency.
Speaker B:When they come in, you know, it's almost the equivalent of you taking that person, sitting them in a seat and saying, do the work with no training, no support, no anything, and then wondering why things fall apart.
Speaker B:Clearly they need support.
Speaker B:It's the same thing here.
Speaker B:People aren't saying, I don't want to do the work, or I want you to give me a crutch, I want you to coddle me, I want you to baby me.
Speaker B:They're saying, I think differently.
Speaker B:So I just need you to present it in a way that I can process it, because this is kind of my process.
Speaker B:So that's the support I'm asking for.
Speaker B:For.
Speaker B:That's really all that is.
Speaker A:I love it.
Speaker A:Let's define a term for those who may not have heard it.
Speaker A:We.
Speaker A:You use the term neurodiversity.
Speaker A:Explain that to us, and explain to us why it's so important in the workplace.
Speaker A:We kind of touched on it, but kind of.
Speaker A:Let's dig a little deeper into that.
Speaker B:So what you tend to see, there's two terms, so I'll break them down real quick.
Speaker B:You have neurodiverse and you have neurodivergent.
Speaker B:So I want you to think neurodiverse is kind of this blanket term, you know, because we're all neurodiverse from one another.
Speaker B:And that's what I tend to hear.
Speaker B:People are kind of confused.
Speaker B:They're like, but we all think differently from each other.
Speaker B:So I don't understand the real difference.
Speaker B:That's neurodiverse.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:We all have different ways of thinking.
Speaker B:We all have different ways of processing completely fine.
Speaker B:Neurodivergent is when you're starting to get into more of that medical world where there's a truly defined difference that is medical.
Speaker B:It's not just a natural thing necessarily.
Speaker B:It's a medical difference that's caused by a lot of different things.
Speaker B:Some things that they don't know yet, essentially.
Speaker B:But that's when you start getting into those medical diagnoses, like the autism, like the adhd, that is more of a biological thing that somebody is born with.
Speaker B:That is that difference, a medical diagnosed difference, as opposed to our natural neurodiversity, where we all think differently from one another.
Speaker B:Does that make sense?
Speaker A:It does.
Speaker A:So I'm curious if we talk about this a little bit more and you've kind of touched on it too.
Speaker A:But I'm curious because you do have those stigmas.
Speaker A:You do have a workplace culture.
Speaker A:How do you create an environment that is inclusive, that supports the neurodiverse, divergent personalities and employees?
Speaker A:Because we get really caught up in, I gotta get this done.
Speaker A:I don't have time to, you know, let's face it, people say I don't have time to coddle people.
Speaker A:Whether it's neurodivergent people, whether it's millennials, whether it's Gen Z, whatever.
Speaker A:I have time to.
Speaker A:I have a certain leadership style.
Speaker A:I don't have time to go make the workplace for everybody to feel happy.
Speaker A:So how do you kind of create a space where people can thrive in those environments?
Speaker B:One thing that I tell people, I always like to remind them, I'm the daughter of an army person.
Speaker B:I, I grew up in a house where my family wasn't making everybody happy.
Speaker B:That was not how, you know, how I was raised whatsoever.
Speaker B:So I understand it when people are like, but you shouldn't coddle people.
Speaker B:You shouldn't do these things.
Speaker B:I want you to strip away the coddling idea because the expectations don't change.
Speaker B:The end point, whatever somebody wants them to be productive, like the numbers they want them to hit.
Speaker B:That point never changes.
Speaker B:The process is what changes.
Speaker B:So when we're saying, I don't want to coddle them, you're not.
Speaker B:You're essentially making sure that they get to that point that you want them to get to.
Speaker B:And the only thing you're really doing is adding in some very simple things.
Speaker B:It can be for trainings.
Speaker B:I create elearnings, I create trainings.
Speaker B:Fine.
Speaker B:I make sure there's captions in a video.
Speaker B:AI has been a great help for us in this area, can auto generate captions.
Speaker B:Of course, you have to make sure that they're right.
Speaker B:But it's something that saves time, right?
Speaker B:Sometimes it's just creating a quick Google Doc about what a meeting is going to be about.
Speaker B:Creating a meeting agenda.
Speaker B:Some things are just best practices in general, so you're not wasting time meandering in a meeting.
Speaker B:A meeting agenda helps that, right?
Speaker B:Well, guess what?
Speaker B:A meeting agenda also helps neurodivergent people.
Speaker B:So folks need to stop thinking, well, I'm coddling, I'm doing all these accommodations, I'm doing all this stuff.
Speaker B:Sometimes it's just best practices.
Speaker B:And you do have where some people need accommodations.
Speaker B:My son is one of those.
Speaker B:He does have accommodations in class, however, they're not weird accommodations.
Speaker B:They are Moments of he needs to go and take a break.
Speaker B:Perfectly fine.
Speaker B:You would do that for your workers?
Speaker B:They have 15 minute breaks.
Speaker B:Most people aren't restricted from getting up and taking an extra break because it's hard to sit for long hours of time.
Speaker B:We don't want to do that as adults.
Speaker B:I'm like, I don't know about you, but I don't want to sit anywhere for like eight hours a day and not get up.
Speaker B:Right?
Speaker B:Like, that's not fun.
Speaker B:And nobody likes that.
Speaker B:So allowing them to get up and maybe take an extra break, what that does for them, it gives them a sensory break so they can take a minute to process what you've said and then come back and be like, okay, so this is what I'm thinking.
Speaker B:Sometimes it's just those extra best practice things that a lot of us want, but we don't realize that some people actually need that to move forward, and they need that to do their best work.
Speaker B:So I try to tell people, don't think of it as coddling.
Speaker B:Think of it as just another step in their process to get you and your business to where you want it to be.
Speaker B:Because I fully understand you don't want to coddle people.
Speaker B:And there is a lot of talk right now about, you know, being too soft on folks, being this and being that.
Speaker B:I hold Ethan accountable in things like, we definitely have paths, we have discipline.
Speaker B:We have all of these things that I grew up with that have helped me.
Speaker B:The only thing I've done is slightly tweaked it so that maybe I have to explain it to him in a different way.
Speaker B:I can't just say the things I would normally say because he won't understand it.
Speaker B:So I just put it in a different context.
Speaker B:Things we would do for plenty of folks even if we didn't know they had autism.
Speaker A:No, that's good.
Speaker A:I was doing a leadership study with a congregation, and one thing I was trying to get people to understand is even on this spectrum of extrovert versus introvert, those people process information very differently.
Speaker A:I'm an introvert.
Speaker A:I dislike vehemently the idea of sitting around in a meeting and brainstorming things.
Speaker A:It's like, I hate that.
Speaker A:That is not for me.
Speaker A:I said, if you want me to be productive in a meeting where you wanted to go brainstorm, then send me the questions ahead of time so I can think them through.
Speaker A:I'm a thoughtful person.
Speaker A:So you're right.
Speaker A:It's not about necessarily coddling.
Speaker A:It's about if you want to get the Best out of people.
Speaker A:There are certain things that you do as a leader to make sure that everybody brings their best self forward.
Speaker A:So if you look at it that way, how can I make sure that each one of my employees has the best opportunity to be their best self at the meeting and on the company?
Speaker A:Then it's a different approach than I'm coddling someone.
Speaker B:Exactly.
Speaker B:It's how can I get the best out of them so that they feel their best and they give me their best?
Speaker B:It's all linked to business outcomes is what I tell people.
Speaker B:I firmly believe it's a good thing to do as a good person, you know, to support people.
Speaker B:I truly feel that.
Speaker B:But even if you want to say none of that matters to me, I'm all about the numbers.
Speaker B:The numbers prove it every time that if you support people with disabilities, they give you better outcomes.
Speaker A:So I'm curious, do you have examples of some companies you've worked with that have really nailed this and like, oh, man, this is the gold standard corporation or company to pull this off.
Speaker B:I don't like to discuss my companies.
Speaker A:You can just use only because general names.
Speaker A:Maybe not.
Speaker A:Not the company name, but just kind of what they did to create that culture so that, you know.
Speaker B:Yeah, for me, I have one client.
Speaker B:I've had them for three years at this point.
Speaker B:So we have.
Speaker B:We have started from the low of the low with nothing to getting them where they are today.
Speaker B:But when they came to me, they had no website accessibility.
Speaker B:They had nothing in their training programs.
Speaker B:But they came to me and said, we really want to find some different ways to get our folks productive.
Speaker B:It wasn't even a conversation about accessibility when they reached out to me.
Speaker B:It was a conversation about productivity.
Speaker B:Bottom line, top line, you know, employee turnover.
Speaker B:It was real business conversations.
Speaker B:And so I started asking them, well, do you track anything?
Speaker B:Do you have any numbers?
Speaker B:What does your training look like?
Speaker B:And I remember doing an audit of all of their stuff.
Speaker B:I include accessibility in my audits, obviously.
Speaker B:But when we started to actually dig into surveys, we started to dig into information that they had.
Speaker B:People were telling them they needed accommodations without saying it, because a lot of people are very scared to say, I need accommodations.
Speaker B:It was things like, I wish we had more time to, like, understand what certain things are.
Speaker B:I wish we had more time to absorb changes when they happen.
Speaker B:I wish we had more time in meetings.
Speaker B:I wish we had meeting agendas.
Speaker B:I wish our videos, I could go back to them and replay them and have captions and things like that.
Speaker B:So not real Accommodations that you would think about, but definitely things that, when I hear them speak to me and say, we probably have some folks maybe on the spectrum, maybe have adhd, could even have dyslexia, and we're not speaking to them.
Speaker B:What we did over the next three years is we actually built things into their foundation.
Speaker B:I didn't go on an accessibility binge or charge because I'm all about, let's make sure it makes sense and the things that we're doing make sense.
Speaker B:But I went through, I was able to redo parts of their website to make it accessible.
Speaker B:Didn't have to be a huge overhaul, didn't have to change branding, anything like that.
Speaker B:Went and actually went through their trainings, their E learnings, kind of fix them a little bit, fix some documents.
Speaker B:So we didn't do it all at once.
Speaker B:We literally went and did this in phases and had focus groups and had, you know, just those employee surveys people like to have.
Speaker B:We actually read them to see if there was progress and we, you know, tracked that information and what we have Learned through those three years, we've seen a 30% increase in their revenue.
Speaker B:We've seen like a 55% increase in their employee satisfaction.
Speaker B:We have seen an increase in productivity.
Speaker B:People are happy, so they have less turnover, so they don't have to pay a bunch of people to, you know, come in and be trained.
Speaker B:They don't have to hire more people to train these folks because people aren't leaving.
Speaker B:They're not going to leave a place where you've invested in that time, you've invested in that information, you've invested in that knowledge.
Speaker B:Like, they're not doing that.
Speaker B:So we've seen great increases, great improvements, and at this point, we're just on maintenance.
Speaker B:They're pretty much on autopilot for me.
Speaker B:We check in, you know, every few months, whatnot, just on a quick chat, like, hey, how's it going?
Speaker B:And they seem fine.
Speaker B:So it's not.
Speaker B:It's not sitting there saying, well, I'm gonna have to deal with this for the rest of eternity.
Speaker B:At some point, once it's built into your foundation, it is part of your culture.
Speaker B:It's just part of what you do works and it runs itself.
Speaker B:Just like, you know, we fuel ourselves essentially, and eventually our bodies get to a great point.
Speaker B:You know, if we work out all of these things and it's just maintenance after a while because it's a.
Speaker B:It's a habit.
Speaker B:It's the same thing with this.
Speaker B:I do have another client, a non Profit.
Speaker B:I adore them.
Speaker B:Well, I'm probably one of my favorites, but I've worked with them for right around two years and they actually help marginalized groups.
Speaker B:They are aware of things like accessibility.
Speaker B:They are aware of all of these things, but they didn't know how to do it themselves.
Speaker B:They just, they didn't know.
Speaker B:They were like, I, we don't know how to create things like that or do anything like that.
Speaker B:What I did for them, I did do some of their trainings and helped to actually show them how to build them.
Speaker B:But then right now we are actually going through, how can I put this?
Speaker B:A learning and development accessibility like workshop series where I'm teaching them how to create accessible things using the tools they already have.
Speaker B:It's like they don't have to buy a bunch of new software, they don't have to do a bunch of new things.
Speaker B:It is stuff they already have in place and I'm just teaching them how to use it in a way that works, works for them, works for everything.
Speaker B:And I mean, they're non profit, so they've got to produce to continue their funding.
Speaker B:But they've had great results with their donors.
Speaker B:Their donors are happy.
Speaker B:I love the clients that I get because even if they're not completely sold on accessibility when I get them, because some of them aren't.
Speaker B:And I, I accept that by the time we're done, they can see the proof is in the outcome.
Speaker B:You don't have to fully believe in it necessarily, but you should believe in your employees and believe in what they're saying when they give you all the feedback they give you.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:How do you see this changing or shaping the future of leadership, especially in corporations and nonprofits?
Speaker B:I think shaping the future of leadership, people are going to have to be a little bit more open.
Speaker B:I would usually use the term adaptable.
Speaker B:I don't want to.
Speaker B:I just want to say open because adaptable means you have to do X.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:It almost feels forceful in a way for some people and they don't like that.
Speaker B:They're like, well, you're telling me to do this.
Speaker B:A lot of leaders don't like that.
Speaker B:So I would just say it's going to cause people to have to be more open.
Speaker B:Because as businesses, you know, we're looking at the different economy that's happening.
Speaker B:It's been a little rough the last few years since COVID If everybody's just being honest, political sides dismissed.
Speaker B:The economy has been rough no matter where you fall as a business.
Speaker B:And so people have had to make hard choices for you to continue to thrive and be successful with some of the changes that are happening, changes that are coming, things that we can't foresee.
Speaker B:Heaven forbid we have another pandemic.
Speaker B:You have to be able to flex, and part of that means you have to be open.
Speaker B:All that remote work that people started to do, that's where it started to sink in.
Speaker B:We've got a problem because none of our stuff is able to be done online.
Speaker B:People weren't prepared.
Speaker B:Part of this is preparation.
Speaker B:If you want to be a good leader, this is the area that you want to focus in on.
Speaker B:Because if you have things already built in to support your people, you have additional options for them to digest information.
Speaker B:You have additional ways for them to process information.
Speaker B:Remote work will be no problem for you because your people are like, it's okay, we got process.
Speaker B:I have my accommodations.
Speaker B:I.
Speaker B:I'm good to go.
Speaker B:I can work from home.
Speaker B:You can check on me, and I will be at the computer.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:So I'm curious if someone is hearing this podcast and they're going, I think we need to start exploring that.
Speaker A:For organization, where would you say you need to begin the process?
Speaker B:A real conversation about what your goal really is and what your biggest problem is.
Speaker B:Accessibility.
Speaker B:In my mind, the way that I have designed it in my head, is that it's there to solve problems for your business.
Speaker B:So before you get overwhelmed with all of the things you might have to do, because it gets scary when you start talking about all the things that might come out, what's one problem that you want to start solving?
Speaker B:Like, what is your biggest problem?
Speaker B:And start there.
Speaker B:If it's not enough traffic on your website.
Speaker B:Website accessibility audit.
Speaker B:Simple.
Speaker B:Most people do the first one for free, Even me, for the most part.
Speaker B:Like, I'll do a quick audit for free, that kind of thing.
Speaker B:You know, just to kind of give people an action plan and give them an idea of what's about to happen.
Speaker B:If it is my people aren't productive enough.
Speaker B:Okay, let's look at some surveys and feedback.
Speaker B:I know everybody has them right now.
Speaker B:What are the comments that are there?
Speaker B:Let's look at those surveys.
Speaker B:Let's dig a bit deeper.
Speaker B:And let's start small policies, small things.
Speaker B:Let's add in agendas.
Speaker B:Let's add in stuff that gets sent beforehand if there's questions.
Speaker B:Let's, you know, kind of build in some different things.
Speaker B:So it's never in my mind about starting on this grand scheme, because you will never finish.
Speaker B:You will never get started and you will never finish.
Speaker B:If you go that route, it's picking out one problem and making that the focus.
Speaker B:Because it'll make you feel a little safer.
Speaker B:If we're just being honest, it's just one thing.
Speaker B:So it's going to make you feel a bit safer.
Speaker B:It's going to make everybody else feel a bit better.
Speaker B:Once you have that on track and you can start an actual process with that that you can actually replicate and grow and scale.
Speaker A:I love the stuff that you're doing.
Speaker A:And I'm curious.
Speaker A:It kind of leads me to my second favorite question.
Speaker A:As you think about all the impact you're having in the world now.
Speaker A:What do you want your legacy to be?
Speaker B:I have been thinking about this a lot lately.
Speaker B:If I had to say anything, I just want people to think more.
Speaker B:I want my legacy to be that when people interacted with me or they talked with me about this or anything else, I got them to think outside of themselves just a little bit more.
Speaker B:I'm not here to change the world.
Speaker B:I'm fully understand that I'm not going to be able to change everybody's minds every single time or, you know, I'm not Christmas spirit like in the Grinch, and it's magically going to fix, right?
Speaker B:Like, that's not what this is.
Speaker B:But I want people to understand that sometimes thinking outside of yourself helps you.
Speaker B:At the end of the day, it can't always be about you.
Speaker B:It can't always be about your internal situation.
Speaker B:Sometimes you have to think outside of yourself, and that in turn will help you personally, professionally.
Speaker B:Those are the things I want people to think selfishly.
Speaker B:I also want to try to create spaces for kids like my son.
Speaker B:He's 8, but he will be 18 one day.
Speaker B:And I want him to have the options.
Speaker B:I want him to have the choices.
Speaker B:I don't care what he wants to be.
Speaker B:I graduated from high school and thought I was going to be a cardiothoracic surgeon.
Speaker B:Said that for years in high school.
Speaker B:Thought I was going to be that.
Speaker B:Absolutely not.
Speaker B:I'm like, my parents have probably looked and been like, she is so weird, that one.
Speaker B:Because, I mean, now I do art, essentially, and I help businesses and I own my own business, which is great, but that's not what I thought I wanted to be.
Speaker B:So I want him to have the options.
Speaker B:Whatever he is, I want people to welcome him or at least be open to people that are like him.
Speaker B:That might not be exactly what you think they should be, but there's real gold inside I want people to to see those things.
Speaker A:I love that.
Speaker A:Where can people connect with you if they want to learn more about what you do or have you come and fix their company?
Speaker B:LinkedIn is always a great option.
Speaker B:I am on LinkedIn.
Speaker B:I post almost every day for those that are on it.
Speaker B:Just a bunch of different things.
Speaker B:I talk about Ethan from time to time as well.
Speaker B:So if you ever want to see my muse, he's on there.
Speaker B:I will also say I hold webinars on occasion.
Speaker B:I have one coming up in February about accommodations in the workplace.
Speaker B:Like what they are, what is reasonable, what technically under the law is not considered reasonable.
Speaker B:Helping people navigate that.
Speaker B:And people can also email me.
Speaker B:I like many people, have my phone hooked to my hand so if they email me, I'm absolutely there for it.
Speaker B:Rebecca Prajonbgc.net or people can of course go to my website, www.ebgc.net send me a note.
Speaker B:I'm happy to talk with people, but I'm also happy to talk with folks who have questions.
Speaker B:It's not always a sales conversation that I have.
Speaker B:It's just not that some people want some additional information.
Speaker B:Some people just want to kind of understand things more.
Speaker B:And I'm all for that too.
Speaker A:That's awesome.
Speaker A:As you wrap up this great conversation, what key takeaways do you want our audience to gain from our conversation today?
Speaker B:The key takeaway I want people to really grasp onto is just start with one thing.
Speaker B:Doesn't have to be big, doesn't have to be massive, doesn't have to be a huge plan, just one thing.
Speaker B:And think of it as an investment in your business.
Speaker B:You know, we talk about subscriptions in my world all the time.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker B:Like networking groups cost something.
Speaker B:You know, this software costs something.
Speaker B:All of this stuff, yes, this will cost you.
Speaker B:But what we always say is the return on investment is what matters.
Speaker B:Think of this as an investment in your people and an investment in your business so you can get the returns that you want to have from your people.
Speaker B:Being happy to gains in your business like this is what you should be investing in right now.
Speaker A:Well, thank you so much for coming on and sharing today.
Speaker A:This was a phenomenal conversation and I feel more encouraged and I pray that people will tap into the opportunities and the people that are out there, the gifts, the talents and the abilities that are out there that we sometimes overlook because we just don't understand the giftedness that is on the shelf sometimes.
Speaker A:So thank you for kind of opening our eyes a little bit more today.
Speaker B:Thank you so much for having me.
Speaker B:It was great.
Speaker A:Thank you.
