Disability Friendly is bold, hip, clever, funny, edgy, and conversational; it differs somewhat from scholarly writings in that it's based in practicality, pragmatism, and proven practices. It requires a new way of thinking about the capabilities of people with disabilities to contribute at all levels of an enterprise, whether in a for‐profit organization, an NGO, or the public sector. It requires fundamental changes in the way nondisabled people regard people with all types of disabilities, and how we all work to increase substantially the currently dismal rate of labor force participation by people with disabilities.

There are many in the business community who have not yet fully incorporated disability into their diversity and inclusion strategies and practices and those who want to be better at it. These professionals span the C‐suite executives; diversity and inclusion officers; diversity, equity and inclusion officers; senior HR executives; and chief technology and/or information officers. This book will provide the background and context for what has occurred over the last 50 years in moving (inching, really) Disability Inclusion forward, and offer a blueprint for now and the future for all professionals as well as all the dedicated employees and entrepreneurs who want people with disabilities to be included in all aspects of corporate and societal life, where we rightfully belong!

With but a 1–2% increase in the labor force participation rate of people with disabilities since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, many new and different approaches must be taken to alter this flat‐lined rate. This is not progress; this is maintenance of the status quo at best.

As a person with a disability from birth and who has played an active leadership role in the domestic and international disability movement from the employer perspective, I believe I am as qualified to offer new thoughts and ideas, new processes, and programs, as anyone; not more than, just equal to the most progressive new problem solvers with disabilities.

My life has been an example of an American family facing extraordinary obstacles: a middle child of three siblings born missing most of my arms and legs; our Mother passing away 15 months later from ovarian cancer, and only 3 months after giving birth to my younger sister; our extraordinary father who, at age 32, picked himself up and rebuilt a life of professionalism, faith, profoundly skilled single parenting, and great sacrifices, to afford for each of his three children to flourish in their lives, and for them to “achieve.” It was my father's promise to Mother as she was dying that “Johnny” must be given every opportunity to succeed, whether through the acquisition of knowledge, experience, and vision, or his developed personality, and/or pure persistence. My father devoted his life to bettering the lives of others, and we three children benefited from that as well.

Twenty years ago, I married the finest person I've ever met, my wife, Sameta. She was serving as an executive with United Cerebral Palsy's affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama, when we met. We share our deep belief that people with disabilities must be included in all aspects of life, and especially in employment, and if they do so people with disabilities can enjoy the economic freedoms that have eluded too many of us for far too long. Sam is the number one reason I am able to pursue and maintain so many leadership positions, and she has fulfilled my life by providing me with her—and our—wonderful families and five extraordinary grandsons. This aspect of my life, and the lives of so many of us living with disabilities, cannot be understated.

In Disability Friendly, I praise publicly several great, effective employer programs, and call out those that should be modified, suspended, or ceased altogether, whether they stem from the federal, state, local, for‐profit, or nonprofit levels. We have seen significant societal disruptions to our many traditions in recent years. Some stem from the COVID pandemic; others have been shifting in the years before. What does work mean to so many people with disabilities, some of whom currently work at subminimum‐wage positions? What policy and program changes must occur if subminimum wages are no longer allowed? These are important and necessary questions to ask as the movement for Disability Inclusion continues its progress. This book is my attempt to address those questions and put forth some solutions to keep our ribbon of progress moving forward.

Disability can be acquired at any age—from birth on, through any point in life—and people with disabilities can acquire secondary and tertiary disabilities as well; disability can be episodic and even be quieted for periods of time. Disability oftentimes is not visible, which can lead to accusations of “faker” and encourage, unjustifiably at times, “doubters.” And it can rise with age, and the ability to perform functions can be more complicated throughout life, and after acquiring a disability. Technology, while beloved by many of us, has yet to be adequately pushed further and higher to assist people living with and emerging into disability to assist in work performance.

People with disabilities are citizens, entitled to all the opportunities that nondisabled people may take for granted—such as using public transportation to get to work, or using productivity enhancements or success enablers to accommodate or overcome any limitations we may have. And we must recognize that the nondisabled can age into disability as they climb the corporate ramp. Why is this important? Every smart employer or public corporation should want to retain and embrace the abilities of older employees to contribute positively to the company's bottom line; their own financial bottom line, their families' social, emotional, and economic well‐being; and their communities' economies and strengths. To do otherwise has oppressed extraordinary human beings and their potential to be extremely productive, costing needless dollars to be spent on dependency and caretaking programs for far too many people with disabilities.

The time has come to design work and its processes to embrace contributing citizens of our nation and the world and redeploy those dependency payments to more productive, dignified societal uses.

I also explore in this book how the nature of work is changing dramatically, taking its cues from the COVID pandemic and remote work, as well as personal branding and “entrepreneurship,” selling our “goods and services” to consumers and as suppliers of our work product into a final good or service. Some people with disabilities do not work in competitive employment due to transportation and personal assistance limitations. Thus, working as entrepreneurs—as a choice and not as a consequence of workplace discrimination, and delivering work product based on time, cost, quality and quantity standard—helps to overcome these barriers and becomes a great opportunity for people with disabilities. Let's support them!

With the post‐pandemic “new normal” now upon us, there are more and easier ways to accommodate all employees and especially applicants and employees with disabilities. What works well for us, like remote working, flexible scheduling, using assistive technologies to perform work, will enable a company's entire workforce to reach higher levels of outputs, throughputs, goal attainment and employee engagement than ever before. There is no better time to take advantage of the disruptions we have all faced in recent years to improve upon and create opportunities for everyone, making Disability Inclusion a core focus of how we reenvision what it means to be inclusive, what it means to work, and what it means to provide employees with the tools to succeed.

Disability Friendly offers you a blueprint to move forward by engaging all corporate and community groups in your enterprise with cross‐enterprise guidance. Including people with disabilities in your workforce is a multitiered, complex process that requires the engagement of numerous departments and divisions, and must be led and championed by the chief executive officer and strongly supported by C‐suite executives to be fully successful. Our employees expect corporations and all employers to live up to the call for a responsive, compassionate, high‐performing organization that is sustainable and allows all employees to thrive. The disability‐friendly blueprint should make this effort easier to accomplish.

I just know you will be great and inclusive in the years ahead!