The Intersection Between Technology, Humanity & Social Responsibility
Light switches, lever door handles, electric toothbrushes, touch screens…many of the products that make our lives a little easier every day were created because of a disability need. Born out of a community that today represents $8 trillion dollars in discretionary income per year. But do these solutions work for everyone? Yes. As Yvette Pegues points out, that’s the purpose of inclusion.
“Inclusion is not for a specific group of people in society. It’s to help and support as many people as possible. There’s no one solution for everyone.”
– Yvette Pegues, Ed.D.(c)
A Life-Changing Event
Six years ago, Yvette’s brain fell into her spinal column. An unplanned emergency room visit uncovered a genetic condition called “Arnold Chiari Malformation,” a malformation where her brain stem was too long at birth. To correct the issue, Yvette underwent brain surgery that resulted in total loss of use of both legs. She basically walked into surgery, and never walked back out.
Yvette was recruited as a college hire into her career as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Within a few years, she was promoted to program manager, supporting and supervising other project managers. A former IBM Networking/Cloud Engineer and Technical Project Manager, she quickly advanced to Worldwide Program Delivery Manager prior to the unfortunate, Traumatic Brain/Spinal Cord injury. Today, she aligns her technology expertise with her disability experience as a Corporate Disability and Diversity Consultant.
Managing for an Inclusive Project Solution
Yvette took the stage at the 2018 Digital PM Summit to speak to three objectives: (1) humanity, (2) social responsibility and (3) inclusive project solutions. In her talk, she touches on both outward: visible disabilities that you can see; and inward: invisible disabilities that you can not see (autism, cancer, diabetes, mental illness). She shared CDC statistics: four out of six people have a disability, either visible or invisible. We were encouraged to learn what that means for those of us working on projects and products in the tech industry, and how we can better manage our projects for an inclusive solution.
Tune in to Yvette’s session and learn how digital project managers determine the culture of a project, and how that culture impacts the entire project, client relationships and the end user experience. Learn how to:
Be “hard on the problem, soft on the people” when building an inclusive project team
Create building blocks for strategic advocacy and harmony on a multi-ability project solution
Master necessary skills to leverage team player abilities and assets
Leverage full-disclosure for harmony in a harsh environment
Avoid zero-sum distractions at the project's expense
Looking for more inspiration and insights to create an inclusive workplace? Join us at Digital Diversity Days.
Image via Yvette Pegues