We are pleased to share that Neurowrx Member Katherine Breward has published a new book on workplace inclusivity, available now through Sage Publications.
About the Book
The book, Guide to Disability and Inclusion in the Workplace, is intended for HR students, business managers and owners, and HR practitioners. It would also be useful for members of the disability community seeking to self-advocate in workplace settings. The book provides practical, realistic how-to advice for accommodating a range of disabilities in the workplace, including chapters on neurodiversity, psychiatric and learning disabilities, intermittent impairments, as well as physical, mobility, and sensory disabilities. Importantly, the book addresses the overall working environment and is not just focused on job tasks. For example, it includes content about effectively managing peer perceptions in contexts in which accommodations may be perceived as perks, how to combat non-conscious prejudices, and how to foster a broad culture of inclusion.
Inclusive design is considered in the context of building and job design, but also in the context of policy development, recruitment and selection, onboarding, and even health and safety programs. A chapter on real-world cases is included for applied practice, and the appendix includes helpful checklists that HR practitioners can use when engaged in activities such as job analysis, conducting accommodation interviews, and creating disability management plans. While legal rights and responsibilities are explained, the book goes well beyond the notion of legal compliance to fully embrace truly inclusive, human-centered workplace practices.
About Katherine Breward
Katherine Breward is an Associate Professor at the University of Winnipeg. She holds degrees in Sociology, Adult Education, an MBA, and a PhD in Organizational Behaviour from the Richard Ivey School of Business (Western University). Prior to her academic career, Dr. Breward spent 15 years in industry in the high-tech sector. After almost five decades spent as part of the undiagnosed/misdiagnosed cohort of "Lost Girls", her life was changed by the realization that she was autistic, which made the world start to make a little more sense.
Her research focuses on disability accommodation in the workplace, with particular attention to accommodating neurodiversity and psychiatric impairments. Dr. Breward's research appears in the Canadian Journal of Disability Studies, the Case Research Journal, the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, the Palgrave Handbook of Disability at Work, the British Journal of Management, and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal. When not engaged in research she enjoys teaching her signature course "Leadership and Fairness in Complex Organizations", serving on the Board of LevelItUp (an agency that helps newly graduated people on the autism spectrum find employment), tending to her fruit orchard, and reading inclusive science fiction and fantasy novels.