Description of Image: Black background On the left is an African American female with a white off the shoulder shirt in a wheelchair. Then Queens On A Roll in Gray Letters with a purple outline with a crown on the Q. The word Roll looks like a wheelchair and the word podcast in Gray Letters with a purple outline in all four corners
In this episode, I am explaining the reason behind my long absence away from the podcast and I am giving my opinion on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion In The Workforce. You Don't Want To Miss it! So Come Roll With Us!
Description of Image: Black background On the left is an African American female with a white off the shoulder shirt in a wheelchair. Then Queens On A Roll in Gray Letters with a purple outline with a crown on the Q. The word Roll looks like a wheelchair and the word podcast in Gray Letters with a purple outline in all four corners
In this episode, I am explaining the reason behind my long absence away from the podcast and I am giving my opinion on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion In The Workforce. You Don't Want To Miss it! So Come Roll With Us!
(Instrumental Music) You gotta Dstackz Beat
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Wooo Queens On A Roll, Woohoo Queens On A Roll
(Instrumental Music) Powerful Queen On A Roll
(Instrumental Music & Singing) Beautiful Queens, Queens, Queens On A Roll
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(Instrumental Music) she's educating and inspiring everyone that has challenges
Queens, Queens On A Roll.
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(Instrumental Music) She's educating and inspiring everyone
and having fun she's Queens On A Roll
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Come Roll With Us, OO Who Come Roll with Us
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(Instrumental Music & Singing) Wooo Queen On A Roll, Wooo Who Queen On A Roll
(Instrumental Music & Singing) Ooo Queens, Queens, Queens & Bells Chiming
Hey Everyone! And Welcome Back to Queens On A Roll Podcast
This is Latavia here and before we get into today's episode
I have a few announcements to make but first
(It's time for roll call sound effect)
I would like to say Thank
You to Shontae Usman and Eric Green for their
donations to Queens On A Roll podcast.
You guys are awesome in supporting
the podcast and supporting me.
Thank you for believing in me.
Thank you for believing in the podcast.
I greatly, greatly, greatly appreciate your support.
(Cheering Sound Effect)
(Delayed Beat Sound Effect)
And I would like to say thank you guys for
supporting me because I know I have been on a
hiatus and it's been a minute since I put out
an episode, and that is because your girl has been
experiencing so many deaths between her friends and her families.
And most recently, it's actually with a heavy
heart that I have to announce that one
of my previous guests Ismael Santos, sadly passed
away on January 26 of this year.
I've known him for 29 years.
His daughters and I went to United Cerebral Palsy and it
was there my mom and him became fast friends.
He was truly a dear family friend
and like a second father to me.
My prayers and condolences go out
to his family and friends.
Rest in peace, Mr. Santos.
I love you so, so much and I really, really miss you.
So I have been struggling with so many deaths
guys that it's just been hard to keep up
with the podcast and hard to maintain.
But I'm hanging in there, I'm doing well.
And like I said, I thank you
so much for all of your support.
I have missed you guys so much.
And I'm back now, so thank you so much again for just
supporting me in this time off that I needed to take.
And we are still on a roll.
We're still rolling.
(Sad Piano Music Instrumental)
So I decided to resume episodes this week because
I really needed to get something off my chest.
You know how in the workforce
they tout diversity, equity and inclusion?
Well, where is it?
It is time for another episode of
(I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired when is change gonna come sound effect)
Alright Let's Roll!
(Instrumental Music)
So I'm so sick and tired of being sick and tired
of diversity, equity and inclusion being something we
tout but not live by in the workforce.
And what I mean by that is they
say they are inclusive, diversified, and all about
equity, but there is little to no action
to display these concepts in the workforce.
In my opinion, and from my personal experience, it
is nonexistent especially in the workforce and I know
other people would agree with me in the ably
different community because this is something we all discuss
at one point or another.
Inclusion in the workplace is a joke!
I became an independent contracting speech language
pathologist or slp not because I wanted
to but because I needed to.
Because not every school is handicapped accessible and if
I needed to take off because my chair broke
down it would need to be approved.
So to avoid all of that, I
decided I would be my own boss.
If inclusion was a real thing, every place
would truly be accessible and contingencies would be
put in place for you to work.
And actually contingencies are put in
place because we have the ADA.
(It's Fun Fact Time Sound Effect)
According to ADA National Network reasonable accommodations is
any change to the application or hiring process,
to the job, to the way the job
is done or the work environment that allows
a person with a disability who is qualified
for the job to perform the essential functions
of that job and enjoy equal employment opportunities.
Some accommodations are, change the job task, provide reserve
parking, improve accessibility in a work area, change the
presentation of tests and training materials, provide or adjust
a product, equipment or software, allow a flexible work
schedule, provide an aid or a service to increase access,
reassign to a vacant position.
(Cartoon Stair Climbing Sound Effect)
So if jobs are required to provide reasonable
accommodations, why do we still have to advocate
for things like a table and an assistant?
It is not right and it is not fair.
And you know what makes me even more frustrated?
When you start a new job and have to
get acclimated to the new job and the new
job responsibilities while advocating for what you need.
While our colleagues don't have to
worry about that at all.
It is super frustrating to me and it needs to change.
I don't know how we can change it.
But I can tell you this employers it starts with you.
If you hired someone who was ably different sit down with
them before they start the job and ask them what are
they going to need to perform the job to the best
of their ability and you execute that plan.
The plan may include an accessible ramp so
that they can get to the work area.
The plan may include changing the work
space around so it accommodates them.
The plan may include assistive technology.
The plan may include an assistant, whatever
it is that, that person may need.
You execute the plan, you get things in place
before they start their job so that when they
walk in on the day of their first day
of employment they do not have to worry.
Do I have everything that I need to make sure that
I perform my job to the best of my ability?
That is something that we all worry
about and we all stress out about.
Am I going to have everything I need to
make sure that I am successful at this job.
And that is super frustrating to have to have that in
the back of your mind while you are getting adjusted to
a new job, maybe a new position, who knows?
And I know, at least for me, I would just like
for once to not have my disability thrown in my face
or have to be a factor in decisions I make.
It is exhausting and frustrating.
I just want to be normal.
And I know normal is a relative term, but
I just want to have normal job worries.
Is that too much to ask?
(Instrumental Music)
So I usually end my episodes
with the quote of the episode.
But since it is the last day of
Black History Month, Happy Black History Month, everyone!
I decided to talk about a prominent person in
Black history, and that person is Paul Revere Williams.
According to npr.org and architectural digest.com,
Paul Revere Williams was born in
Southern California in 1894.
He was the first black architect to become a member
of the American Institute of Architects in 1923, and in
1957, he was inducted as the AIAs first Black fellow.
Although his commission's numbered in the thousands, Williams standouts
include homes for icons like Carrie Grant, Lucille Ball,
Tyrone Powers, and Frank Sinatra, along with everything from
an addition to the Beverly Hills Hotel to the
Los Angeles County courthouse and even the Beverly Hills
outposts of Saks Fifth Avenue.
He also designed notable structures
in France and Colombia.
He was a graduate of USC.
Williams was a prolific design mind who left
behind plans for an equally impressive number of
unrealized projects when he died in 1980.
And some of the things that we use in houses today,
such as a patio as an extension of a home, and
retractable screens, those were some of the designs that he put
into his homes that we still use today.
So I think that's amazing.
And he did all of this despite the fact that
he faced significant prejudices simply because he was Black.
So kudos to you, Paul Revere Williams, for persevering
through your challenges and leaving us with a legacy.
Thank you so much!
(Cheering Sound Effect)
So that is all I have for you today, folks.
Thank you so much for listening.
Thank you so much for sharing.
Thank you so much for subscribing.
Please continue to run our numbers up, and
if you have any questions for me, you
can reach me at queensonaroll. podcast@gmail.com.
Again, my email is queensonaroll. podcast@gmail.com.
And if you would like to donate
to Queens On A Roll, I have a patreon account.
There is four tiers up there for you to choose from.
I would greatly appreciate your support.
All right, guys, see you next week!
We are rolling out!
Bye!
(Instrumental Music)
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