Chapter 4: Promoting Inclusive Culture

Definition and Dimensions of Inclusive Culture

The complete and effective integration of diverse individuals into a workplace or industry

constitutes an inclusive culture. Furthermore, inclusive cultures go beyond the simple or nominal

presence of workers with impairments. They encompass both formal and informal

policies and practices, and involve several core values:

• Representation: the inclusion of people with disabilities in a variety of leadership and

employee roles

• Receptivity: the ability to adapt jobs to the skills and competencies of individuals, respect

for different working styles, and

• Fairness: access to all opportunities, networks, resources, and decision-making processes on

an equal basis.

There are three dimensions/ elements of an inclusive culture:

1. Universal Design

The term "universal design" describes the creation of buildings, areas, communications,

services, and other resources that are naturally accessible to a variety of persons with and without

disabilities, without the need for extra adaptation or accommodation.

2. Recruitment, Training and Advancement Opportunities

Recruitment: Effective recruitment of people with disabilities involves accessible outreach

and hiring practices and targeted recruitment of workers with disabilities. Making sure that outreach

materials, networking and recruitment sites, communications, and application processes all offer a

variety of accessible options or are free of obstacles that might prevent people with disabilities from

participating is essentially what accessible outreach and hiring practices entail. Resources for

employment and outreach should generally be equally accessible to those with disabilities and those

without them. Reaching out specifically to people with impairments is part of targeted recruitment.

An inclusive hiring structure can be created by making general recruitment methods more
accessible, but specific companies may find it difficult to do so, for example when using

inaccessible job fairs that are sponsored by third parties. Employers can therefore find and interview

qualified persons with impairments thanks to focused recruitment.

Training: In order to create an inclusive workplace atmosphere, training is essential. The

first factor is how equally accessible training facilities, events, and resources are to individuals with

impairments. The second issue is how managers, especially middle management, and human

resources personnel are trained to collaborate effectively with all people, including those who have

disabilities.

Advancement Opportunities: Research shows that, like ordinary employees, workers with

disabilities often need access to mentoring in order to have equitable possibilities for promotion and

professional growth.

3. Workplace Accommodations and Accessibility: Policy & Practice

The creation of genuine inclusion for people with impairments depends heavily on policy.

The provision of reasonable accommodations must be properly planned for in workplace policy, in

addition to recruitment, training, and progression. Two indicators of equality can be used to reflect

employee experiences while evaluating the efficacy of current accommodations rules. The first sign

of an inclusive workplace culture is the view of "procedural justice," or how fair, accessible, and

practical the accommodations policy is seen to be by employees with disabilities. The other one is

interactional justice which refers to the experience of feeling that the managers or colleagues with

whom one is interacting are behaving fairly, reasonably and respectfully.

Building inclusive community

An inclusive society aspires to promote and empower everyone's social, economic, and

political inclusion, regardless of their age, gender, handicap, race, ethnicity, origin, religion,

economic status, or other characteristics. An organization can do the following things to create a

more inclusive workplace:

• Interact with Different People

 • Appropriately Connect with Employees

• Create Employee Resource Groups

• Place Importance on Inclusion

• Hold Better Meetings

• Invest in Diversity Training

Characteristics of an Inclusive Community

Interactive: Communities that are inclusive include open, accessible public spaces, as well as

groups and organizations that encourage social engagement and neighborhood activity, such as

festivals honoring local culture.

Diverse: diverse individuals and cultures are welcomed and incorporated into the structures,

procedures, and activities of everyday community life in inclusive communities.

Equitable: inclusive communities ensure that everyone has the resources to live in a decent

environment (such as income support, employment, and suitable housing), as well as the chance to

grow personally and to actively engage in communal life.

Participatory: involvement of all members in planning and decision-making that affects community

conditions and development is encouraged and supported in inclusive communities, including

having a strong voice at high levels of government.

Safe: everyone feels safe and secure in their homes, when navigating the neighborhood and city,

thanks to inclusive communities that uphold both individual and general community safety and

security.

Means to establish inclusive culture

An organization is inclusive when everyone feels like they belong, are respected, valued,

and accepted for who they are as individuals, and when leaders, colleagues, and other people show

their support and commitment so that everyone can perform at their highest level both individually

and as a group. To create an inclusive culture in which everyone feels they belong and is

comfortable expressing their uniqueness there are four key inclusive leadership behaviors:
Empowerment: enable team members to solve problems, come up with fresh ideas, and learn new

skills in order to help them advance and succeed.

Accountability: hold team members accountable for performance-related factors that are within

their control to demonstrate your confidence in them.

Courage: stand up for what you believe is right, even when it means taking a risk.

Humility: admit mistakes, learn from criticism and different points of view, and overcome

your limitations by seeking contributions from team members.

There are five stages in establishing inclusive culture:

1. Consider what you want to achieve and what the benefits will be

2. Undertake an inclusion review of the workplace

3. Decide where work is needed and create an action plan

4. Communicate the plan with staff and put the plan into action and

5. Review, monitor and evaluate the plan’s impact and use what you find to plan future action

Inclusive values

Most crucially, inclusion is understood as putting inclusive beliefs into practice. In order to

combat exclusion and encourage participation, one must be committed to certain principles. There

are seven pillars of inclusion:

• Access explores the importance of a welcoming environment and the habits that create it.

• Attitude looks at how willing people are embrace inclusion and diversity and to take

meaningful action.

• Choice is all about finding out what options people want and how they want to get involved.

• Partnerships look at how individuals and organizational relationships are formed and how

effective they are.

• Communication examines the way we let people know about the options to get involved and

about the culture.

• Policy considers how an organization commits to and takes responsibility for inclusion.
 • Opportunity explores what options are available for people from disadvantaged

backgrounds.

Indigenous inclusive values and practices

Indigenous inclusion is characterized as a situation in which indigenous people are fully

welcomed and encouraged to participate in all facets of organizational life. It also includes

enterprise-wide workplace policies and it is a place where management and staff cherish diversity,

the spirit of reconciliation has been embraced, and calls to action have been meaningfully

responded to. It is also a place where leadership and staff are receptive to indigenous people, their

experience, and outlooks. Some features of indigenous inclusion include:

• Included in the organizational culture and accepted as a key skill is inclusion;

• Companies discuss the successes and experiences of their organization with inclusion and

how it has improved performance;

• Promoted and upheld are human rights and obligations. Employees are free from worries

about fundamental equity issues;

• Indigenous people are hired and kept on board in every department of the company,

including top leadership and executive positions;

• Through the organization's supply chain, Indigenous people and companies have benefited

financially and in terms of jobs;

• High levels of employee involvement among Indigenous people are evident and felt across

the organization;

• Leadership may have adopted an inclusion policy framework or statement and has put in

place the resources necessary to support its Indigenous inclusion strategy;

• The organization's mission and vision are inextricably linked to indigenous inclusion.
Chapter 6: Legal frame work

Concept of legal framework

Disability discrimination has a long history, and people with impairments frequently aren't

allowed to participate in society or get their human rights. Discrimination can take many different

forms, from limiting educational possibilities to subtler manifestations like segregation and isolation

due to physical and social constraints. The repercussions of discrimination are especially noticeable

where economic, social, and cultural rights are concerned, such as in the areas of housing, work,

transportation, cultural activities, and access to public services. The limitations placed on the

disabled's ability to exercise their human rights are frequently the result of exclusion, restriction, or

preference. For example, when the disabled are denied access to reasonable accommodations

because of their limitations, their ability to do so may be severely constrained. Numerous cultural

and societal obstacles must be removed in order for people with disabilities to freely exercise their

fundamental human rights. Additionally, society as a whole must be encouraged to adjust its

attitudes and foster greater understanding of disability. "All human beings are born free and equal in

dignity and rights," states the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For people with disabilities

all around the world, though, this is far from the truth. This is due to the fact that the living

situations of people with disabilities are always worse than those of other residents. They are

frequently excluded from and stigmatized in a variety of spheres of life, including political,

economic, social, and educational engagement.

International and national legal frameworks in relation to inclusiveness

International legal framework

International organizations, like the UN General Assembly and the ILO, a specialized

agency of the UN, have worked to address the issue of PWDs having equal access to employment.

The majority of the initiatives led to the approval of resolutions, proposals, and conventions with

various legal implications. Conventions provide a binding legal impact, whereas so-called "soft

laws" like resolutions, declarations, and recommendations do not.

However, this does not necessarily imply that they are chosen for no reason because they may help

raise awareness, shape future development, and support national policy goals. The principles of

equality and non-discrimination are incorporated into international human rights instruments to

defend the rights of people with disabilities. The rights of people with disabilities are protected by a

number of international legal frameworks pertaining to them that are based on the ideas of equality

and non-discrimination. The following are some of the major international legal frameworks that

support inclusion of people with disabilities and vulnerabilities.

A) 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Article 26

• Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary

and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and

professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be

equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.

• Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the

strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote

understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and

shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.

• Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their

children.

B) The UN Convention on Rights of the Child, 1989 Extracts from Articles, 2, 28 and 29

• Article 2: Without discrimination of any kind, States Parties shall uphold the rights

outlined in the current Convention for every child under their jurisdiction, regardless of

the child's or his or her parent's or legal guardian's race, color, sex, language, religion,

political opinion, national, ethnic, or social origin, property, disability, birth, or other

status.

• Article 28: States Parties recognize the right of the child to education and with a view to

achieving this right progressively and on the basis of equal opportunity, they shall, in
 particular: (a) Make primary education compulsory and available free to all; (b)

Encourage the development of different forms of secondary education, including general

and vocational education, make them available and accessible to every child;(c) Make

higher education accessible to all;(d) Make educational and vocational information and

guidance available and accessible to all children; (e) Take measures to encourage regular

attendance at schools and the reduction of drop-out rates.

• Article 29: States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to: (a)

The development of the child‘s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to

their fullest potential; (b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental

freedoms; (c) The development of respect for the child‘s parents, his or her own cultural

identity, 151 language and values, for the national values of the country in which the

child is living, the country from which he or she may originate, and for civilizations

different from his or her own; 120 (d) the preparation of the child for responsible life in

a free society; (e) The development of respect for the natural environment.‖ Article 23

focuses specifically on children with disabilities and positively affirms their right to a

―full and decent life‖. However, it has weaknesses because it makes the rights of

children with disabilities ―subject to available resources‖ and focuses on ―special

needs‖ without defining this. This article needs to be considered in the context of the

underpinning principles of the UNCRC, plus Articles 28 and 29 on education that apply

to all children.

C) The World Programmed of Action, 1982 and the Standard Rules, 1993 the World

Programmed of Action Concerning Persons with Disability

This was born out of the 1981 International Year of Disabled Persons, a pivotal year for

disability rights. The following was stated in the World Program of Action, which laid

the groundwork for inclusive education:

 1. The education of disabled persons should as far as possible take place in the general

school system.

2. Responsibility for their education should be placed upon the educational authorities

(Note, in many countries the education of disabled children was under the authority

of other ministries such as health or social welfare, or none at all)

3. Laws regarding compulsory education should include children with all ranges of

disabilities, including the most severely disabled

D) World Education Forum, Dakar, 2000

For the World Education Forum in April 2000, more than 1,100 participants from 164

nations gathered in Dakar, Senegal. They adopted the 2,000-word Dakar Framework for

Action - Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments, which was endorsed by

everyone from teachers to prime ministers, scholars to decision-makers, non-governmental

groups to the leaders of significant international organizations. Education For All: Meeting

Our Collective Commitments-this was the text adopted by the World Education Forum

Dakar, Senegal, 26-28 April 2000 7. ―We hereby collectively commit ourselves to the

attainment of the following goals:

1. expanding and improving comprehensive early childhood care and education,

especially for the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children;

2. ensuring that by 2015 all children, particularly girls, children in difficult

circumstances and those belonging to ethnic minorities, have access to and complete

free and compulsory primary education of good quality;

3. ensuring that the learning needs of all young people and adults are met through

equitable access to appropriate learning and life skills programs;

4. improving all aspects of the quality of education and ensuring excellence of all so

that recognized and measurable learning outcomes are achieved by all, especially in

literacy, numeracy and essential life skills.

National legal frameworks

In terms of Ethiopia's legal and policy papers, there aren't any that specifically address

disabilities until the imperial edict that established the rehabilitation agency in 1971. Therefore, it is

safe to say that "disability was not a subject of law or policy before 1991." This is due to the fact

that Ethiopia's policy and legal consideration of PWDS rights became more serious following the

adoption of a new constitutional order in the nation. The majority of international agreements and

declarations defending the rights of people with disabilities have been ratified by Ethiopia. National

laws regarding the rights of people with impairments also exist. Varied international and local

policy texts present these various national and international policies, conventions, and declarations.

The key national legal frameworks linked to defending people with disabilities' rights in engaging

in various aspects of life are included in the table below. The following are some of the major

national legal frameworks that support inclusion of people with disabilities and vulnerabilities.

A) Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia-1995: Article 41(5) of the

Constitution

B) Proclamation concerning the Rights to Employment for Persons with Disabilities- No.

568/2008

C) Framework Document- 2009: provides for Special Needs Education (SNE) in Technical and

Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

D) Labor Proclamation, No. 377/2003, amended by Labor Proclamation No. 494/2006

E) The Federal Civil Servant Proclamation- No. 515/2007

F) Building Proclamation- No. 624/2009: provides for accessibility in the design and

construction of any building to ensure suitability for physically impaired persons.

G) Proclamation on Definition of Powers of Duties of the Executive Organs of the Federal

Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, No. 691/2010: This provides for conditions of equal

opportunities and full participation of persons with disabilities and those living with

HIV/AIDS.
 H) Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP) 2010-2015

I) National Plan of Action of Persons with Disabilities -(2012-2021)

J) The Federal Civil Servant Proclamation (Proclamation -No 1064/2017: Article 13/2 of

proclamation no 1064/2017

K) Labor Proclamation-1156/2019:

L) Organization of Civil Society Proclamation -No. 1113/2019

M) Advertisement Proclamation -No. 759/2012

N) The Ethiopian Building proclamation -No 624/2009

O) Developmental Social Welfare Policy 1997:

P) The FDRE Education and Training Policy of 1994: This document recognizes that special

attention must be provided for those with special needs. However, it does not have any clear

recognition for reasonable accommodation

Q) The FDRE Education and Training Policy of 1994: This document recognizes that special

attention must be provided for those with special needs. However, it does not have any clear

recognition for reasonable accommodation

Chapter 7: Resources Management for Inclusion

Resources for inclusion