Brandon Farbstein: It’s your job to determine your worth, not other people

This morning I received a call from a multibillion dollar company offering me $25 to appear in their upcoming campaign around disability inclusion.

I of course respectfully declined. This unfortunately is an all too common occurrence with companies reaching out wanting to do something disability related only to find their budget is nonexistent or pennies compared to what they allocate for other programs.

A few hours later an email came across my inbox from an even bigger company with the largest offer I have received to date.

The moral of the story is other people don’t get to determine your worth – that’s your job. We all need to learn when to walk away and stand Ten Feet Tall in the value we provide.

It is not enough for a company to say it has inclusive and equitable practices especially towards people with disabilities. It is time they walk the talk.

The disability community represents over 15% of the global population, making it the largest minority group. Step up and stop using us as props in order to appear inclusive – our worth is not any less than any other human being.

Two important issues that need to be considered when consulting people with disabilities are compensating them for their input and ensuring that those who are consulted have the necessary expertise.

It is time to start paying people with disabilities and their parents for their advice and input. Corporations and government agencies have become all too accustomed to thinking that people with disabilities have all the time in the world to provide free input. This is both inaccurate and inconsiderate. ~ Janice Lintz, Founder/CEO Hearing Access & Innovations