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NDEAM EVENT10/23/18

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>> Good afternoon, everyone!Thank you!My name is Jerry Knighton, the Assistant Vice President for Access and Equity and I would like to thank everyone for coming to our program today.This is our third annual NDEAM event, which is designed to recognize the many contributions of individuals with disabilities and the contributions they make at Clemson and around the world.For those of you who don't know, NDEAM stands for National Disability Employment Awareness Month.I want to take time to recognize the sponsor, the Office of Access and Equity, the Harvey and Lucinda Gantt Center.

Take the time to give a round of applause to the sponsors. I would be remiss if I didn't recognize the individuals who planned this event.So I would like to take this time to recognize Priscilla Harrison and her graduate assistant, Emily Perez, if you would raise your hands and let everyone know who you are, and everyone else who was involved in planning the event.Priscilla is the Director of ADA Services and Compliance and also serves as chair of the President's Accessibility Commission. So now for the real reason we're here.Our speaker today is Vilissa Thompson.Her topic, as you can see, is: Pay Me What I'm Worth: Valuing the Work of Disabled People.So let me tell you a little about our speaker.Vilissa Thompson is a Licensed Master Social Worker from Winnsboro, South Carolina, a home girl.Vilissa is founder and CEO of Ramp Your Voice!, an organization focused on self-advocacy and strengthening empowerment among people with disabilities.

Being a disability rights consultant, writer, and activist affords Vilissa the opportunity to be a prominent leader, an expert in advising and addressing education in public and in addressing it with political figures about the plight of people with disabilities, especially Black women and those with disabilities.In 2016 she created #DisabilityTooWhite, a viral hashtag that addressed lack of diversity within the disability community and how the lack of representation impacts disabled people of color and their ability to feel fully included and accepted within the community.Demanding diverse, disabled experiences be seen within media and the collective community is a mission of Vilissa's activism focus.She seeks to make this a permanent reality.She has been featured in "Essence" for the Woke 100 Women 2018 list.She spoke about her entrepreneurship and activism work for Forbes magazine.She's been invited to be a panelist for the Know Your Truths conference at Wake Forest University and appeared in "Huffington Post," "New York Times," "Buzzfeed," "Bitch Media," "Upworthy," "Daily Beast" and "The Atlantic."

She cohosts the wheeling and dealing podcast which dissects politics from an intersectional lens.Everything she does revolves around unapologetically herself, Black, disabled, and making "good trouble" to shake up the status quo. Please join me in welcoming our speaker, Vilissa Thompson. [Applause] >> Vilissa Thompson: Thank you.Thank you so much.Thank you for that warm introduction.Before I begin, can everybody hear me pretty well?All right. Well, thank you all for coming here today.I know that you are busy students and you could be doing so much more.But I do appreciate you being here today, especially for the observance of NDEAM.When I was asked to do this topic, as a person who is employed, a person who has struggled to get employed and still fighting amongst other activists to get equal employment.We're going to touch a little bit about that today. So what are we going to do today?Our expectation is discuss disparities of employment for disabled people, the barriers to employment that we face, my personal story to employment, overlook issues, the value of our work and why working shouldn't be defined or determine your existence.The last part doesn't really get as much, doing this observance throughout the year, so that is a very key part that we discuss at the end.

So who am I?From that warm introduction, you got a glimpse who I am.I am a spoiled grand kid to my Christmas angel with my grandmother.She raised me from birth and she is the reason why I am who I am, and I hope that the work that I do every day continues to make her proud.I am boldly disabled.I have osteogenesis, known as OI.Some of you may know of it by brittle bone disease, something I had since birth.I also am a "little woman," as you can see, and also hard of hearing.I wear digital hearing aids.I have a visual disability and not apparently or invisible one. I love being from the south.There's no place like home.As much as I travel, the South has that warmth that I truly love and enjoy. I use she/her pronouns and identity first language.For me identity first language is what is best comfortable.I say disabled woman, disabled people, Black disabled woman, etc., etc. I am a Master Social Worker and I look at systems from a broader lens.I am -- I think there's something with the screen. I'm going to turn around here while we get it situated.I'm an aspiring children's book author, which means I have a book I've been working on a little more this year that I really care about really ensuring that we have more diverse books for disabled children to read, specifically of color. I am a lover of people and a social butterfly and I love to write.It's been my passion to use my words to influence, and luckily doing this work I've been able to do that fully. And I am unapologetically and fiercely Black.I am in the disabled community.We do not allow disabled people to embrace their identity outside of being disabled.For me being a Black disabled woman, it's important for me to be able to integrate my experience as a disabled woman of color, it's important so that other disabled Black women and other women of color can see themselves. So, why should we care about disabled people and employment?Well, the road to employment is for many of us uncertain and full of twists and turns.The complications of gaining employment systemic organizational, or personal, cannot be ignored by the broad society.

And the reason it cannot be ignored is because of the numbers in which we are not employed versus being employed.

So what are those numbers?Well, as you can see on the charts, we have had a decrease in unemployment numbers.But, they still are over double that for non-disabled people.So in 2017, 9.2% of disabled people were unemployed compared to 4.2% of non-disabled people.That figure is very important.When you look at how much we are able to work.Only 18.2% of disabled people were employed in 2017.And that's a very low number for the largest minority group in the United States and the world.I want us to take into consideration, even though we may have large numbers as disabled people, as far as who we are as a community, we are not making a great of an impact in the workforce as we could.And there are several reasons for that that we'll get to in a second.And, of course, it would not be me if I didn't do something that combines intersectionality of these numbers.We think of employment based on disability, we see that from 2015, 2017 African Americans and Hispanics had the highest rates of unemployment in the community.So not only to talk about unemployment, when it comes to us collectively, but who is being greatly disadvantaged when it comes to being unemployed and not being able to really fulfill the careers or passions they have?It's very important to see how we are not always in the same struggle similarly, as I always like to say.We may struggle the same, but our struggles look different.It depends on the additional identity that we have. And, of course, the gender breakdown, we see the numbers continue to decrease, but women overall have the highest unemployment rate, disabled women have the highest unemployment rate compared to disabled men. So why do these numbers matter?Why do we need to look at who is working and who is not?And even breaking it down further based on race and gender. Across all age groups for 2017, the employment population ratios are much lower of disabled people than non-disabled people. Unemployment rate for disabled people were higher than for non-disabled people across all educational attainment groups. That is very important.Because if you ask a person in this room, that means no matter how many degrees you have, you're still going to in some way, shape or form, may experience issues in gaining employment.And it makes you think about, when we're in school, we are thinking about, you know, what do I want to be when I grow

And people push going to college on students, on a lot of us, and don't really think about, even if we do the right things, go to school, we do what we're supposed to do, there are still road blocks to getting employed.And I feel we're not preparing disabled students, high schoolers and college students, for those blocks.And I think that's a great disadvantage, that we need to pay more attention to. In 2017, 32% of disabled workers were employed part time compared to 17% of non-disabled workers, and people are more likely to be self-employed than non-disabled workers. That's very important to understand, because due to the barriers that we face, choosing self-employment for some of us is the better route.We want to have that control.We want to really have people see us as fully capable as our non-disabled counterparts. And also what we're going to touch on in a second, the reason some of us may be employed part time versus full time has to do with some of the barriers.Particularly disabled people are not expected to work and are penalized by government policies if you do.Particularly if you use SSI or SSDI and healthcare benefits, those are connected.For me, part of my journey is trying to find employment to not only pay me competitively but also offer healthcare benefits.Luckily for me, my disability is not very involved health-wise, but for many of us, we have to make the tough decision of, do I work full time and have a job where I don't have benefits or do I stay on the system, not be able to pursue my passions but keep my healthcare?That's the stark reality that many disabled people are facing.And even if we are able to work and find jobs, there's still this inability to juggle based on what, you know, the government assistance requires, which you may require for your healthcare, and being able to work.So these are all types of issues that we don't take a hard look at when it comes to work.People say, oh, you need a job, but it's more complicated than that when you're disabled, and there are many factors to take into consideration so that your quality of life, particularly because of your healthcare, is not harmed because you want to go to work. The fact that some organizations and companies discriminate against disabled workers is telling to how we are excluded.And that is due to some of the erroneous fear of how much accommodations may cost versus actual cost.Many organizations harp on wanting diversity and usually they forget about disability as part of that effort to be inclusive of all workers.And many of them are knowledgeable about what accommodations someone may need.We know our bodies, we know our needs better than anyone else.And what I found are friends who pursued employment.

They tell their employer what they need to have their job, a certain stool, a desk, a keyboard, and the employer is, okay, I'll get you that.And they get the model that is cheaper that may not be as effective for them.So what does that mean?That means that person still doesn't have the type of equipment that they require.Which means they're not able to do the job they were hired to do. So, that leaves that disabled person in a bind.Do I continue to fight for myself even though I am new to this position or do I take whatever I'm given to not rock the boat?And consider that latter part.Everybody should be able to say, I need this equipment, I need this, you know what works for you, please get it for me.You shouldn't have to go back and forth for that.A lot of companies that they're cutting costs but they're really disadvantaging their disabled workers and creating a very hostile work environment for them to be a part of.Again, you know, they perpetuate the inclusiveness when it comes to the work environment.You can't say you have an inclusive work environment if you create a hostile work environment for disabled workers or if you do not have disabled workers in your work environment at all.So I think next time you hear about a company being inclusive, maybe figure out exactly, what do they mean by that?When it comes to diversity, it's more than just a number.It's about how you make your workers feel, how you make disabled people feel in your employment environment, and making sure that they have what they need to be the best in which you are hiring them to do. Also, disabled people who work, known as ableism, a social prejudice against disabled people.And what I -- I tell people that I had been in school and I worked -- people are like, oh, my gosh!That's so great!I'm like, isn't that what most people do?Because I want to do that. But that still is the mentality of seeing us as second-class citizens, as seeing us as people who are to be pitied, people who do not have dreams and goals, which far from the case.And I think that type of social barrier can be very hard for disabled people to really see themselves as competitive employees, to see themselves as being equal to their peers in the workplace.And a lesser known barrier is the education system.When we graduated high school, most of us get a certificate, a diploma.Some disabled people if they are in the special education system, they do not get a diploma.They get a certificate.

A certificate is basically inferior to a diploma.And it hinders the ability to gain employment.It hinders the ability to go to trade school, community college or to four-year. So we really have to think about how we look at our education system and the type of documentation that students get.It is an unequal system, but it's supposed to be equal for all.And I think that peers don't really understand the educational system being a true barrier, particularly when disabled people have been for decades now in the workforce, but not having school systems that have effective transitional programs, so that disabled students can know options, whether they want to go to working right off, whether they want to go to college, whether they want to go in the military or just want to see where they want to go. So what is my employment story?Well, I graduated from Winthrop with a BA in psychology, minor in African American studies in 2008.And I knew that I would have to go to school for something.And so I took two years off and in that time I went to the state agency that is supposed to assist disabled people to get employment and saw that they were very ill equipped to handle somebody with a four-year degree.Going to grad school, I focused on resources, resume building, so I could have that situated, and so I went off to Winthrop again and got my MSW in 2010, graduated 2012, and came back to that same agency. And I really started to understand their difficulty in helping disabled people who have more than a high school diploma or more than a skill.It's because their system is not designed and doesn't cross over to those of us who have a four-year degree and higher.And I had someone tell me, I don't know what to do with you.I don't know what to do with you.I'm like, it's your job.You're my counselor. You're supposed to know how to help me get a job.That's why I'm coming to you.But, the way the system was set up is that for someone who would need a salary, like myself, in my position as a social worker, they did not know how to adequately adjust their parameters to meet that.So, basically they really couldn't help me at all.So that led me to try to figure out, what in the heck did I want to do with my MSW?So I started to job search on my own, I saw a barrier within the type of work that I was looking into as a social worker.Many social work positions, particularly case management, require you to, A, have a car and a license and do home visits.Well, as someone who was on SSI at the time, I did not have the money to get a car because modified vehicles are very expensive, and I didn't have a license.

And because I'm a wheelchair user, doing home visits is pretty virtually impossible because most people's homes are not accessible.And when I was online trying to figure these things out, I was meeting other disabled social workers, particularly blind or low vision who met the same barriers or those who had a history of seizures.So job requirements were an unexpected barrier to employment.And I think that's something we need to think about, particularly those who are students here, where you have to have your own transportation or in areas that don't have public transportation, what does that mean for you with the type of quality job that you can pursue?You're limited in that.On top of you have to make sure that you have healthcare, so whatever job that you have, you want to make sure you're covered and your needs are covered as a disabled person.There are many factors that no one tells you about while you're in school, because no one understands what it's like to be a disabled student pursuing a career.So, all of these things, which were major frustrations, the first year, year and a half of me graduating with my MSW. So, I decided to create my own niche.That's when I created Ramp Your Voice! in 2013 as my way of combining my love for writing and talking about disability from an intersectional lens and also my background in social work and putting myself out there.And it has allowed me to get to where I am today as I'm in front of you and it's been such a wonderful journey, but I have noticed that many disabled people have to take those unique routes to get employment, to find something they're passionate about and be able to make turns to ---to turn lemons to lemonade so to speak.

So I got my first job at 30 doing a project manager type of situation for a disability non-profit.And then a year later I transferred out of that position to my current position of being a manager.I get to be on social media all day, and with a non-profit and assisting them with their campaigns and launches and things of that nature. And I love what I do because it allows me to use a skill set that I have, but I still continue to do my activism on the side, and that's my side hustle.Hopefully one day will be my main hustle.That's my aspirations as a disabled person.My journey to employment had a lot of twists and turns, unexpected twists and turns, but I'm here.And I know that for many of us, it's a lot of uncertainty, and uncertainty, I think, can be the biggest issue of all.When you feel like you're doing the right things, trying your best to really make sure that you are contributing in whatever way that benefits you and you're meeting so many road blocks in between.

So, since we're here for NDEAM, what is the history of NDEAM?Why does it matter that we use October to celebrate this observance?National Disability Employment Awareness Month dates back to 1945 when Congress declared the first week in October national employ the physically handicapped.Aren't you glad we change that?It's very important, not only to acknowledge the contributions but also the different barriers.My experience as someone with a physical disability is different for somebody who has intellectual disability.It's different from somebody who has multiple disabilities.So I really think it's important for us to really see how even though I went through a few barriers, it depends on what your identity is, your barriers will look different, and that would mean your road to employment will look different as well. In 1988, which I'm sure some of you were not born yet, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed its name to what it is currently. So, why does this month matter?Places make it a priority to retain talents and abilities of disabled people are comparative to collective efforts to be an inclusive workforce and strong economy. There are organizations that do care about being inclusive and diverse, and those organizations are the ones who you all should know of and to really applaud them to do the right thing.You know, it's really hard to find those workplaces.They are truly a needle in a haystack, in a way.But I think that it's important for these places to not only find disabled workers but also sustain them.And I think it's important for that because it's easy to hire somebody, but to keep them there, you really have to do your best to make them feel valued as a worker.I use that word a lot.Because people -- when you're giving 40 or more hours a week to an employer, you do want to feel like it's worth your time.And I really feel that workplaces take marginalized diverse employees for granted.It takes a lot to sustain people.Disabled people, or anyone for that matter, you know, the ability to grow into their role, the ability to even pursue interests outside of their role.And some people may need mentorship.Mentorship, whether in your workplace or within your field, is very important.I know I have a mentor who was a former professor of mine in my grad program and I have used her to really be a listening ear, to be a guidance in developing my brand and how I got here today.And I really feel that if workplaces incorporate that environment where disabled people feel seen and their identity is respected, then they would keep disabled people. I'm going to talk about a kind of lesser issue that some people may not know of.Paid disabled workers, equal compared wage, weakens our economy.

In 2018 it is legal to pay a disabled person below the minimum wage.And how is that?The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 created the provision of a minimum wage for American workers except for disabled people.Section 14(c) of the act included an exemption pertaining to disabled workers that could be paid less than minimum wage.It was to sweeten the buy-in to get employers to hire disabled workers.Now, given the time frame of 1938, think about what is going on at that time.You're less than two years out of the Great Depression.Still in the South, still under Jim Crow.Disabled people, unless you were deaf or blind, most likely not going to school.So you have to think about the time frame.So in 1938, it made sense.But in 2018, it doesn't.There are companies -- which I won't name for legal reasons -- but there are companies who are million dollar industries paying disabled people pennies on the dollar.An hour.Pennies.Some people are getting 22 cents an hour for their work. Twenty-two cents!What can you do with 22 cents an hour?Not much.And a lot of these workers are contrasted through the sheltered workshops that still exist.So they're being exploited tremendously. So what is being done about this?Well, on the state level, several states, including Alaska, Maryland, and New Hampshire have passed legislation eliminating subminimum wages for disabled workers.We definitely need something like that here in South Carolina and throughout the country.And on the federal level, in April of this year, seven senators wrote a letter requesting information about the Department of Labor's oversight of employer minimum waivers under Section 14(c).And you can actually look on the website, which I have a resource at the end of what organizations have these certificates.So if you feel very passionate about this, you can write a letter.You can contact them and ask them, why are you exploiting disabled people in 2018?So the exploitation of disabled workers is not only due to the 14 (c) certificates but also disability activism.Which a dirty little secret: Many of us are expected to work for free by our own organizations who are supposed to fight for us.What does this look like?We're expected to write, public speak, consult, etc., all for free.

Can I tell you how many times I have been approached by folks, and it's offensive, it's offensive because they are -- all organizations understand the struggles that we endure in employment, and yet you want to have us work for free.And these are grassroots individuals people, these are organizations that have the money.And even if they didn't have the money, you still shouldn't ask people to work for free. Exposure is meaningless.And that's usually the thing that they try to tell all of us, whether this organization or other entities.You know, if you write for me, you have to do this for me, you get exposure.Exposure doesn't pay the rent.Exposure doesn't buy food.Exposure doesn't put gas in your car or help you get the bus pass, etc., etc. Never give your talents away to entities or interested persons for free.If you don't remember anything else, remember that.Your work has value and you should be compensated for what you do.Exposure does not mean a thing.It is a manipulative tactic. And lastly we're going to touch on the pressure to work.If you desire to work, then you should, and your work should be valued and respected fully.However, if you do not desire to work due to factors that impact you, that is valid and should be respected as well. And I say that -- factors, including what we went over earlier, those barriers, some people choosing, do I have healthcare or not?Do I have inferior healthcare or not?Does my industry support me as a disabled person?Or do I not need to work right now due to family obligations, due to health obligations?Those reasons are valid, and I think one of the issues we have in our society is that if people who work -- what does that matter?I think we have to be careful how we attach worth and productivity when it comes to working.And that is an expectation, to prove that in a society.People who are able to work are valued and viewed differently than those who cannot work or do not desire to work.Being able to work or not work should not be a litmus test as to who is worthy.Your value as a human being does not diminish because you cannot work at this time or ever.And I think we have to be mindful of that when we have discussions about work, because there are disabled people who will never be able to work.And that's okay. And I think that we have to be very conscious of that reality within our population.

And to make sure that when we talk about work and value that we do not mix those things to make it so that we unintentionally degrade or dismiss those of us that cannot work. And some of my references have been the Bureau of Labor Statistics, labor force statistics for 2017, Department of Labor has more information about the subminimum wages.There's an article that talks about the lawmakers working to end subminimum wages for disabled workers.And the history of NDEAM is also available.And so resources, not to make you uncomfortable, how disability may have cost me a job.I think there's an important article about the "USA Today" of a disabled woman of color pursuing a teaching career and her really wondering, when I go into an interview, what do the employers see?Do they see a viable candidate?Or do they see a liability?Do they see a competent worker?I really think that article really resonated.And issues for disabled people, The Arc has a great web page that goes into more details, your employment rights as a disabled person.The EEOC has a great resource for that.And there is a documentary called "Bottom Dollars."It talks about employment at subminimum wage in more detail. That's it. [Applause] >> Vilissa Thompson: Thank you. >> Hello?Can you hear me?Thank you so much, Vilissa.That was very enlightening, some very, very good points.I think you really have done a good job with educating us on perspectives we may not have had.We want to give everyone a chance to ask questions, if you would like to ask Vilissa a question about anything pertaining to the subject today.Does anybody have anything they would like to ask?Yes?And everything not in the mic won't get put in the video, so try to talk in the mic. >> I know it wasn't really like your subject focus today, but people with mental disabilities, do you have any advice for them seeking employment?I know I've seen some stuff where the employment process, they'll have specific questionnaires that are, like, actually made to kind of single people out who might have

mental disabilities and answer those questions in a particular way, and, of course, they get excluded from the hiring process if they fit into that category of the mental illness.I just wondered if you had advice or experience around that topic. >> Vilissa Thompson: I think that's a very important thing to bring up, because the hiring process, some of the questions, they do make you fill out... things you have to disclose.Some people may not disclose about the disability in particular, invisible or not apparently, it will put them in jeopardy, particularly a disability where it may be rare or maybe easily misunderstood.I think that's a very deep fear for many people, having to wonder, when do I disclose?Legally you don't have to disclose in an interview process.But at some point another, particularly if you need accommodations, you will have to disclose.And I think that, you know, that's scary.You know, that's scary for people to have to do so and then you come across employers that have certain questions that make you be like... oh, well, you know, if I answer this way, does it give them a clue as to, you know, what type of disabilities I have or a hint of it?And will they see me as a qualifying candidate?Those are all realistic fears.And, you know, there is no one answer for that.You know, I think that it depends on how you feel about your disability, how you're able to share about your disability when the time comes.To disclose.And also being able to advocate for yourself.I will say that it's okay to walk away from an interview if you feel uncomfortable.I think -- I look at interviewing and the whole job process, it's like dating.You know, we put some pressure to be liked by the employee but realize -- without realizing that we need to like them too.And so if you feel uncomfortable in the application process and you go in and interview and feel uncomfortable then, pay attention to that.Pay attention to your intuition, the little red flags.I know for me, with first job I had, I wish I paid attention to those red flags and why I'm no longer there.And I really think that particularly a new worker or right out of school, you feel that pressure to kind of take anything.And that pressure is everybody feels that, but particularly when you have added, you know, parameters like being disabled.But I do want you to pay attention to how you feel in the process.If you feel like this is not a safe environment, then really think about, if it's not a safe environment and I'm interviewing or filling out an application, why?And if you meet hesitation -- you know, definitely use the resource I have "Know Your Rights."I've seen many lawsuits from organizations and companies that should know better.But they discriminate.

They'll provide certain accommodations or they fire somebody because they need a certain thing and then they find themselves in a bind.If you feel discriminated against, take action.There is plenty of organizations in this state and throughout the country that can provide you with such assistance.So don't be afraid to advocate for yourself.Throughout the whole job searching process. >> Thank you. >> Did I see someone over here?Anybody else?>> Thank you so much for your talk.I'm absolutely astounded by DisabilityTooWhite, the hashtag, it's informed my thinking enormously.I like what you were saying about finding other disabled social workers and, I guess my question is about the importance of the disabled community, which I have no problem finding nationally, but here at Clemson I keep asking, who are other disabled faculty and staff members?And nobody will tell me.And it almost feels like it's a secret.And as you know, I'm visibly physically disabled, as are you.We don't really get the choice to be secret about it. >> Vilissa Thompson: Exactly.

>> So how you find community?Because I know you're -- nationally you're in community, but local to you, like how do you seek that community?>> Vilissa Thompson: I think that's very surprising, because I came -- I went to Winthrop and at that time we had a coordinator who was a disabled person and she was visibly disabled, and I feel that set the tone for disability, that you were well-respected by everybody, she got things down, if things were broken, it got fixed.There wasn't that whole issue.And I thought everybody had an experience -- I started meeting other people and found out, whoa, that's not the case.I don't think it's uncommon for people to be quiet about it, but I think it is very difficult for those of us who are seeking community to have that, because nobody wants to talk about it.So I really think that's a very cultural thing that probably has been cultivated here.Have you reached out to the disability service center to maybe try to meet disabled students?>> Students I can make.>> Vilissa Thompson: When it comes to disabled faculty -- I've been following for a year, how your education is not disability-friendly for its faculty folks.And a lot of faculty, you know, particularly if their disabilities are invisible, not apparent, are afraid of repercussions, particularly if they're trying to get tenure.

It's not surprising that you may be able to find faculty that aren't disclosing.But I think it really shows how ableism is very entrenched in higher education.So it makes it impossible, so that other faculty, as well as students have people they can reach out to.Because having a community, regardless of where you are in your higher ed journey, it's so important for you to be seen and for you to really feel validated.So I hope that maybe through this talk, if there are disabled faculty here, you know, you guys can connect together.But I don't think that's very uncommon at all, sadly.And I hope that it does change, like we have more of these discussions on campuses.I hope that does change. >> Anyone else?>> First of all, thank you for coming and talking to us.I really appreciate it.I guess my question is kind of broad.You brought up intersectionality, which I really appreciate, and I find a lot of times with minorities -- I mean, I'm a white girl, I'm very privileged and financially with my parents and everything, and I find a lot of the time the majority of people, people with privilege, you know, define minorities in a box, like, oh, this is Tom, he's gay.Oh, this is Lisa, she's disabled.Like that's just in itself.So I guess being on a college campus now with a lot of people like me, you know, especially in the South and Clemson, how can we advocate and be allies with the disabled on a smaller level without putting them in a box and making it a pity party and making it something just for sympathy rather than an advocation or an alliance?How can we use that privilege?>> Vilissa Thompson: I think the first thing you can do is understand that privilege.And I find that kind of uniquely in the disabled community, white disabled folks do not understand their privilege.You know, I always say that your whiteness does not nullify your privilege.You know, your disability doesn't nullify your privilege at all.You are white.You're experienced as a white salesperson is going to be different from mine.And even for myself as a lighter skinned black woman, my experience is different from someone who is darker than me.So we all have privileges.But I think it's being conscious of that and really not seeing into that guilt.That's one thing I feel that white people, disabled or not, hold on to that guilt and project that on to everybody else.And that's not my burden.You know, that's your guilt, it's for you to work out.Not for me to deal with.And also trying to educate you on who I am.And I think that projection creates an unsafe environment and creates more work for the marginalized person to do.

And I think for non-disabled folks, when it comes to disabled people, realizing that your connection to disability, whether you have a parent who is disabled, a child, or you know somebody disabled, that knowledge does not trump our actual lived experience.Because I think that's the biggest issue we find, is that people's proximity to disability, they think they're the expert on disability.And you're not the expert.This is not your identity.So I think that for... I don't use the word "allies," because I feel that word has been trumped into the ground.I use co-conspirators, because we should all be conspiring to get rid of the system to suppress all of us, whether directly or indirectly.So I really think as a co-conspirator, your first route is listen and be quiet.And I really feel that privileged people, whether it's by race or ability type, do not listen and be quiet.And once you listen, work alongside us to figure out how we can dismantle the system, so we cannot have these low numbers of employment and high numbers of unemployment for disabled people.And also just learning how to speak up when you see something is wrong and not expecting someone else to come for you.You know, to do that for you.And to know that you are always happy to use that privilege for good and don't expect a pat on the back for doing that.Being the work means sometimes you're not going to be seen, but you still need to do the work regardless.And I think that's the main thing, particularly living in the times that we're living in now, if you have an identity that is privileged, you must speak up.Sometimes you must put your body out there.Sometimes you be a physical barrier in case there's something going on.You must be proactive.You cannot be a bystander in the times we're living in.Particularly right now. [Applause] >> Okay.Anything else?Yes?>> I thank you for speaking.You mentioned early on your kind of personal choice to use identity-first language and I'm wondering if you could speak a little bit to that and its importance to you. >> Vilissa Thompson: Yes.When I was in grad school, I only knew about person-first language.That's what they teach in social work.That's what they teach pretty much any profession you deal with people, teachers, etc. And the issue that I found is that, particularly with professionals, the resistance to really respect someone's language choice.You know, like I said, I identify as a disabled woman, a Black disabled woman.

Being disabled is part of my identity like everything else.And as a person chooses to identify disabled or say they're an autistic person, that's a language you respect.And sometimes I do, when I give talks or do my writing, I do use person-first and identity-first, it depends on the structure of the sentence and how it looks, but I really found that many professionals, especially professionals, have this resistance of, again, projecting themselves as a person of authority, and not saying, well, you're supposed to say it like this.How are you going to tell me what to say?This is my identity.You know, so I really think that in some ways, knowing your place is very important.So you don't unintentionally offend somebody.Particularly when working with people like social workers or teachers, you only have one shot to really get it right.Once you lose that person, even if you dismiss their language choice, you can't get them back.So I really think that respecting how people self-identify, understanding the history of person-first language was very important.It had a place in time when it came about, you know.But, now, particularly with us younger activists and being really steep into seeing disability as a culture, disability pride, as an identity, it's only natural for the community to progress to identity-first and really owning that identity.Because we come from a background where we have not always strongly owned that.And I think now with this new crowd -- and even some of the old school activists are owning that and bringing it forth.So listen to people.If someone says, I identify as a person with a disability, then call them that.If they have identity first, please respect that as well.And also start using these -- stop using this cute words like differently-abled.If the person identifies as that, use that.But just say "disabled."It's only eight letters.Like it's not that hard.You know, and really, those kind of words are for non-disabled people and not for the disabled person. >> Anyone else?Okay.Well, let's definitely give Vilissa another round of applause for coming to be with us. [Applause] >> Thank you for being here and we hope you look for the events next October as well and join us for those as well.I'm open to any ideas if anyone would like to share ideas for NDEAM next year, we would love to hear from you.Thank you again for coming.

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