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Information from Modern Disability Expert Gary Karp.
February 9, 2012
A New Look, A New Identity

Greetings!,

It's official.

I'm now working under the banner of
"Modern Disability."

Modern, because things have changed. Radically.

Modern, because it is time to get a clear picture of what it means to be a person with a disability in the present day. The old models no longer fit.

And I have the honor of telling the story.

So, welcome to Modern Disability.

Where I plan to still offer you plenty of Good Reading!

All my best,

Gary
Hiding With Invisible Disabilities

The largest segment of all people with disabilities are people with invisible disabilities. About three quarters of them.
 
It's a pretty long list of stuff, from chronic tendinitis or carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia, bad backs, depression or bipolar disorder, hearing loss, or the more obscure human features such as Sjogren's Disease, just diagnosed in tennis player Venus Williams.

A smiling, pretty woman.
Does this woman have an invisible disability? Maybe. Maybe not.
In the workplace, someone might or might not present their disability during the hiring process. It might not be relevant to the job, so why would they?

But what of the people who don't present a disability, who would be working a lot more effectively (and enjoyably) if they had whatever accommodation allows them to be at their best?

These are the people managers should be concerned about.

Why don't people present? Generally, because they are afraid of being stigmatized. Afraid of being passed over for promotion. Afraid that their disability will not be acknowledged as authentic, but instead be viewed as a complainer or hypchondriac.

When this happens in the workplace, people work at less than their potential productivity, and are more likely to leave, forcing a new recruitment and training process on the organization.

Costly, any way you look at it.

The reasons why people with invisible disabilities do or don't present is the subject of a just-released report from the Job Accommodation Network.

Download it from Modern Disability now.
 
 
The "Curb Cut Effect"

What happened when curb cuts began appearing in our public streets? Who else benefited? What does it mean about what makes for good design?

I explain it here, in my latest YouTube clip!

 Image of Gary Karp speaking from YouTube video. 

There's lots more here on my YouTube channel!  

My Growing Webinar Menu

 

It is SO great that there are all of these way cool options for how I can share this truly important information and insight into Modern Disability.

After all, I can only travel to so many conferences, universities, rehab centers, and businesses!

My current lineup:

The New Paradigm of Modern Disability

The Three Principles of Disability Etiquette

Disability & the Art of Kissing

Wheelchair Selection

Adjusting to Paralysis

Paralysis on the Job: Working on Wheels

Up to 200 people can participate at once.

Web-based training allows me to deliver an hour's worth of fantastic expert content without two days of travel. That means that you can partake of my growing menu of webinar topics for really reasonable fees.


Contact me at 415.491.4280 or
[email protected].

(Congratulations! For reading the full newsletter, you get to the best part at the end!! I'm offering a FREE chance to attend the first two webinars on my menu; the New Paradigm on Tuesday, February 21, and Disability Etiquette on Thursday, February 23.

Visit my webinars page for the details and to register.)

 

Where I'm Blogging

I've been doing some pretty cool guest blogging lately. Check 'em out!

Disability Means Business
Melissa Lamson Consulting

Beyond The Label

...and still cranking 'em out for Ekso Bionics...

 

This one generated a ton of conversation, especially on the Ekso Facebook Page.

 

Life On Wheels

LOW2 Cover
 
Second Edition

Still the definitive guide for people living fully with a mobility disability.

Order a signed copy now.
Your Big Chance!

Soon I'll be in the Los Angeles (early March) and New York (early April) areas to speak.

Here's your chance to have me in to speak or train without having to bear travel expenses!
 
(Contact me really soon and you might even get a break on my standard fees.)

Here's my current schedule.

Email or call me. 415.491.4280.
 
Modern Disability

Gary Karp head shot in black suit

Gary Karp
Author / Speaker / Trainer
 
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