BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Fate can be cruel and unforgiving, steering one’s dreams away from paved highways and onto bumpy, unlit side streets.
Juliana Rodriguez knows.
One moment she was a 16-year-old student at Bethlehem Catholic, playing volleyball and basketball and dreaming of becoming a lawyer to help people.
The next thing she knew, she was undergoing countless medical tests, hoping to understand why her broken leg wasn’t healing properly after playing in the school marching band.
The mission of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Collaborative is building empathy and intersectionality, with the goal of driving change toward greater diversity throughout the Lehigh Valley.
Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce
After five long years, Rodriguez learned why.
She was diagnosed with limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 2B, a rare genetic disorder that causes muscle weakness in the arms, legs, shoulders and pelvic girdle.
The irony was clear: On Tuesday morning, Rodriguez, who is in a wheelchair, attended the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural diversity, equity and inclusion meeting at Moravian College and detailed how people with disabilities can remain independent.
The mission of the Chamber’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Collaborative is building empathy and intersectionality, with the goal of driving change toward greater diversity throughout the Lehigh Valley.
“Focus on personality, not disability”
Rodriguez delivered the keynote address at the 60-minute event titled, “Empowering Capabilities: Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Workplace.”
“My goal at the time was to become a lawyer,” she said.
“But going through my health journey, I realised I really loved helping people. I loved working with people with disabilities.”
“I realized that’s where my passion was, so I decided to change direction and go into a field where I could help and support people.”
“The easiest way is to focus on the person, not the disorder.”
Julianna Rodriguez
That’s exactly what Rodriguez, 33, is doing: She’s a project assistant for the nonprofit Early Childhood Community Integration Program at the Lehigh Valley Independent Living Center in Allentown.
The group supports motivated people in raising awareness and developing strategies for disability inclusion in the workplace.
She also serves as administrative assistant for the Pennsylvania Council on Independent Living, responsible for supporting coalition projects and advocacy groups across the state.
Mr. Rodriguez earned his master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling from Assumption University in Massachusetts and his bachelor’s degree in political science from Moravian College.
Rodriguez moderated a video presentation outlining the challenges people with disabilities face in the workplace, including interpersonal challenges; stigma and misconceptions about physical, cognitive, intellectual, sensory and mental issues; and structural mobility issues.
“It’s important not to assume or judge people,” Rodriguez says. “You might be sitting next to someone with a disability.
“The simplest way is to focus on the person, not the disability. We need to challenge stereotypes. These are all important because they are human rights, the right to work and the right to participate fully in society.”
“I choose education”
Disabilities affect more than 1 billion people worldwide, with 61 million people, or 1 in 5, living with a disability in the United States. Approximately 19 million U.S. workers have a disability.
“Disabilities are a part of everyday life,” Rodriguez said.
When asked how she responds when she encounters people who are insensitive to her disability, Rodriguez said she views such encounters as teaching opportunities.
“In situations like this, I choose to educate,” she said. “I explain my situation and use it as an opportunity for a conversation.”
“They are welcoming and friendly. We work as a team, each employee makes themselves available to assist us and makes us feel respected. They treat us as if our disabilities don’t exist.”
Ashley Peavy, a disabled woman who works at Bitty & Boys Coffee in Bethlehem
Ashley Peavy, a disabled employee at Bitty & Boy’s Coffee in Bethlehem, shared her experience working at a company where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are valued in the workplace.
“They are welcoming and friendly,” she said. “We work as a team, and they make each employee available to help us and make us feel respected.”
“They treat us as if our disabilities don’t exist.”
Bitty & Beau’s employs more than 400 people with disabilities across the country.
Rodriguez highlighted the benefits of employing a diverse workforce, which helps companies gain unique perspectives, challenge current thinking and generate innovative ideas.
Hiring people with disabilities gives them the opportunity to thrive in the workplace.
Fate can be cruel and unforgiving, diverting one’s dreams from the paved highway onto bumpy, unlit byways.
But as Rodriguez shows, there’s more than one way to get to where you want to go in life.