BARK’s Accessibility ERG member, Megan Kennedy, gives us her insight on National Disability Employee Awareness Month!
Megan Kennedy has been at BARK for just over two years as a Happy Ambassador. In addition to being a rockstar employee, Megan is a part of the Accessibility ERG ran by Kendall Moore. This ERG gives a place for employees with disabilities, as well as allies, a chance to make their workplace more accessible for them while bringing awareness to those disabilities that are both visible and not visible to those around them.
Tell us what excites you about the ERG you are a part of at BARK:
The Accessibility ERG excites me because it gives the opportunity for anyone who has any disability to connect with others, make the workplace less challenging and help raise awareness to those who don’t have this extra challenge in their day-to-day life. Disabilities aren’t always something someone can physically see so a lot can fall under “out of sight, out of mind” for those unaffected and we need to bring this up and make it part of a conversation to normalize this for people who may not know much about certain disabilities that people can have.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, tell us why this month is important to you and the value it holds:
Before my disability, I never thought about just how many challenges someone could face when trying to consistently, let alone find, employment. This is especially so when they have needs or challenges that they may need the workplace to recognize or even accommodate for.
To explain briefly, before my injury I worked in restaurants (in almost all positions) and only restaurants for 10 years and rarely changed jobs but found it very easy to find a new one.
After a spinal cord injury in 2014, I was left with a bubble in my spinal cord that (amongst other challenges) left me with severe nerve pain and foot drop (ankle doesn’t work) in my left leg. This drastically changed basically every aspect of my life.
I was unable to return to the job I had before the injury or any type of job where standing, sitting, or bending for extended periods of time is necessary as it raises my pain level to be still for too long. With the symptoms I was having, I doubted being able to return to work ever. After 5 years without work and many changes in my healthcare (including pain management), I was ready to return to work but found it very challenging to navigate how to. I got lucky and my grandma read an article in the newspaper about Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities.
I looked into it and contacted OOD to set up an appointment to discuss if I qualified, how they actually help, and the cost. It turned out that I qualified to receive their services that are completely free. I met with a caseworker who helped narrow down the type of work I could sustainably do and be successful at which was some type of computer work. They then linked me up to go through vocational rehabilitation which helped to update my computer skills and other typical office work. After that training, I was linked up with a job coach. My job coach helped me with creating/updating a resume, searching for jobs, cover letters, and interview prep. (which included how to talk about my 5-year gap that most interviewers would ask about and she would also help me once employed if I needed to bring up needing any accommodations with an employer). We found it very difficult to navigate sites like Indeed as Indeed read that all of my work histories were in restaurants so the only work they would suggest to me were jobs in restaurants.
Eventually, we found BARK on Indeed and I remember my job coach actually being surprised about the questions that were asked in the quiz that employers can set up Indeed to ask when someone selects to apply there. We could tell this would be a fun and exciting job and I remember hoping for BARK to be the one. After a phone interview and an in-person group interview, I received the call that changed my life. I remember sobbing because not only was the job sustainable and fun but I truly had lost hope of a company actually taking a chance and hiring me. BARK was the “horse of a different color” that I needed. I call it my unicorn job. Some people laugh because it sounds absurd but, for me, it’s quite seriously true. I didn’t even need any accommodations!!
Tell us some ways you feel the Accessibility ERG made a change, whether it was in the company or in the community.
Currently, the Accessibility ERG is helping to find out if there are any accommodations that aren’t at BARK yet. For example, we’ve talked about getting evacuation chairs in case of a fire, help the visually impaired navigate our website, and helping the hearing impaired with ensuring all meetings have closed captions. Plus, we are attempting to not only spread awareness to others but to each other, too. [Just last month] we had a free ASL basics class [and are] currently looking for an ASL instructor so we can learn more advanced ASL signs.
What are some ways others can get involved in celebrating and supporting this month?
Others can get involved simply by educating themselves or by seeking out education, joining in on discussions, and being an advocate for people who have any type of disability. We don’t expect those who aren’t affected by a disability to know about what it’s like but through education and effort, they can become a more empathetic and accepting person. You don’t have to have a disability to join the group so allies are welcome!!
About the Accessibility ERG:
Mission Statement: The Accessibility ERG strives for equity in the opportunities for those who identify as having a disability, caretakers of those with disabilities, and allies of the disability community. We aim for a positive, inclusive, and accessible environment for all employees with varying abilities. Our main objectives are to increase disability representation across the company, advance our accessibility to support our customers with disabilities, and make a positive impact on the community and our Bark culture.
