How can you mentor team members with disabilities to develop their careers?

Get inside their world. To mentor team members with disabilities, start by digging deep into their needs. Ask about how they roll — communication, learning, work style. Don't tiptoe around it; be direct. Let their preferences guide you. Listen, don't just hear. Respect their quirks. Ask about their career dreams, strengths, and where they need a boost. It's not about preaching equality; it's about understanding and lifting them up. Be the ally they need, not the boss they fear.

Leaders should work with each individual to create a personalized development plan. Outline clear goals, milestones, and actionable steps to support their professional growth.

You can mentor your team members with disabilities to develop their careers by understanding their needs. When you can understand their needs you know their strengths as well as their limitations. By knowing this you can assist them and mentor them in a more effective way.

Truly spend time with them. Listen AND hear what they have to say. Ask thoughtful and appropriate questions to gain clarity about how their disability impacts them (don't assume anything). Set expectations but also, ask them what expectations they have of you as the mentor. Find ways to help them feel safe, seen, heard, and appreciated.

There's a tendency to view someone with a disability differently; therefore, taking a human-first approach to discovering a person's needs is imperative as it removes any biases that may interfere with the process. Regardless of a person's circumstances, every individual desires to have their needs met.

Advise mentors to leverage video conferencing, online collaboration tools, or social media for mentorship sessions, content sharing, and tracking progress.

Establishing alliances from the onset creates a clear path forward and allows everyone to get on the same page regarding expectations. Clarity at the beginning of a relationship leaves less room for confusion later.

I don't share this often but I have Keratoconus (eye condition) and the best work places I have been a part of have allowed me to work autonomously whilst trusting me to meet deadlines and have my work done on time. Sometimes this involves me working at 2am when there is no light and I can avoid the pain that light brings or writing and scheduling posts on my phone instead of staring at my laptop until my eyes give out. Trust goes a long way for people living with disabilities because it allows us to figure out the best way to work whilst not compromising on quality.

When people have autonomy in creating systems that work best for them, they do their best. Having this sense of autonomy builds confidence and trust that you'll get things done in a manner that works best for you. The ultimate goal is empowering people in this manner and having them work within a larger team framework.

Most important in fostering trust in any relationship and specifically at work is to first educate ourselves about the limitations as well as strengths of our team members. If a person with disability joins the team, first learn about their disability, and their struggles, then put yourself in their shoes to think of solutions to help them feel safe, comfortable, and valued. Recognize what they are good at, applaud that, celebrate that, and take the focus away from reminding them of their limitations.

Any trusting relationship is formed and developed through each individual having trust in themselves. To build internal trust, it requires a commitment to self-exploration and honesty. As a mentor, it's imperative to guide others through their process of self-exploration and acknowledge them for their gifts along the way.

As a mentor, I would want to invest in the relationship and learn more about the disability. I wouldn't want to ignore it, make them uncomfortable, or assume that I know how it impacts them. I would want to be inclusive, compassionate, and supportive as the mentor. Sometimes being a great mentor requires a personal touch.

The best mentors understand that the mentorship process is a give-and-take in which both parties learn and grow from one another to maximize the relationship's potential.

Be mindful of the Hidden Disabilities of your team-member and their preference on how open they want to be about it with wider audience.