Disability and Exclusion in Public Health: When Equity Rhetoric Fails Disabled Workers
By
Dr. Katie Schenk
Summary
This article, part of a series called "Voices From the Field: Meeting This Moment in Public Health," features Flaming Angel, a public health professional with disabilities who critiques the gap between public health agencies' stated commitments to equity and inclusion and the actual experiences of disabled employees. The piece details how inaccessible infrastructure, broken accommodation systems, and exclusionary workplace cultures push experienced professionals with disabilities out of the field. It argues that disability is treated as an afterthought rather than a core component of public health infrastructure, and calls for genuine accessibility as a foundational principle rather than an optional add-on.
Source
bskyDisability and Exclusion in Public Health: When Equity Rhetoric Fails Disabled Workersphworkforceok.substack.comKey quotes
· 3 pulledPublic health agencies routinely describe themselves as leaders in equity and inclusion. Yet many employees with disabilities continue to encounter inaccessible infrastructure, broken accommodation systems, and workplace cultures that push experienced professionals out of the field.
Disability is treated as an afterthought rather than a core component of public health infrastructure.
When disability is treated as an afterthought, the workers pay the price.
You might also wanna read
Architects and Public Health Officials Need Collaboration for Pandemic-Resilient Design
The article argues that architects and public health officials must collaborate to design built environments that enhance pandemic resilienc
Dezeen·2mo ago
Building an Accessibility Culture Through Habits, Not Mandates
Dani, an accessibility engineer, shares a personal journey of facing potential job redundancy and using that moment of crisis to reflect on
Smashing Magazine·1y ago
Understanding Mental Health Stigma: Public Stigma, Self-Stigma, and Barriers to Healing
This article explores the concept of stigma in mental health, distinguishing between public stigma (societal prejudice and discrimination) a
bit.ly·17h ago
The Professional Cost of Living Openly with Schizoaffective Disorder in Tech
Kenneth Reitz shares a deeply personal essay about the professional and social costs of living openly with schizoaffective disorder. He desc
From Waterborne to Airborne Disease Prevention: How Germicidal UV Could Transform Public Health
The article discusses the historical context of typhoid fever outbreaks in the United States (1860s-1920) that killed over 300,000 Americans
worksinprogress.news·9mo ago
Session Timeouts as Accessibility Barriers in Web Authentication Design
The article discusses how poorly implemented session timeouts in web authentication systems create significant accessibility barriers for pe
Smashing Magazine·2mo ago