Guest Author: Andra&eacute;a LaVant, President &amp; Chief Inclusion Specialist | LaVant Consulting, Inc. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/4NjfMGTbQ9aXO4EROSnM"> 
Voting as a physically disabled person has never been an easy process for me. In years prior, I&rsquo;ve had to navigate inaccessible buildings, difficulty&nbsp;accessing the voting booth, and transportation issues just getting to my voting location.
I&rsquo;m not the only one. According to &ldquo;<a href="https://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-18-4" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Voters with Disabilities: Observations on Polling Place Accessibility and Related Federal Guidance</a>,&rdquo; a report conducted by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, nearly two-thirds of the examined polling places on Election Day 2016 had at least one potential barrier including lack of accessible parking, inaccessible paths to the building, steep ramps, or lack of a clear path to the voting area. While most polling places had at least one accessible voting system, only one-third had a voting station that didn&rsquo;t allow people to vote privately or independently.
This year, the pandemic has made voting even more challenging for so many of us. Not only are there general accessibility concerns, but there&rsquo;s even greater concern for those of us with pre-existing conditions as we risk exposure to the coronavirus. For me, this goes beyond exposure at polling locations. As an Arizona resident, I generally rely on public transportation to get around. Right now, using public transportation provides even greater risk of exposure to the virus. In so many ways, voting has felt more and more inaccessible this year. Yet, voting is more crucial now for disabled people than ever before. The outcome of these elections means life or death for so many of us.
<blockquote>
"Yet voting is more crucial now for disabled people than ever before. The outcome of these elections means life or death for so many of us."
</blockquote>
Colleagues and friends have offered promising suggestions for safely accessing voting this year: mail in your ballot, catch an Uber/Lyft, or get a ride with someone. For each, I have a rebuttal&hellip;
As a black woman in a swing state, I feel a profound need to ensure my ballot is counted. In short, I don&rsquo;t trust the mail system to get my ballot where it needs to go. I maintain absolutely NO judgment for those who have voted by mail or in other manners. For me, it was simply important to ensure I went in person to drop my ballot in the box.
As far as other forms of transportation, many people don&rsquo;t realize that most states do not have wheelchair-accessible Uber/Lyft programs. I don&rsquo;t have access to on-demand transportation, nor easy access to anyone that owns a wheelchair-accessible vehicle.
So, with all of this in the forefront of my mind, like many other disabled people, I decided to think through a plan. Here&rsquo;s where I landed:
<ul>
<li>Plan to vote early (to avoid crowds)</li>
<li>Identify my early voting location</li>
<li>Research accessibility of the facility</li>
<li>Rent a wheelchair accessible van (to avoid public transportation)</li>
<li>Pick a date to go with a friend</li>
<li>Vote!</li>
</ul>
I realize that my plan would not work for everyone. Renting a van was costly. Having a friend available to drive isn&rsquo;t an option for everyone. It was about identifying a plan that worked for me.
On voting day (October 24), I was pleasantly surprised to encounter a very accessible experience. Parking and access to the building was easy. For the first time, I was able to use a voting machine that I could access on my own. Poll workers were incredibly helpful and what joy it brought me to physically place my ballot in the box.
I hope that my successful voting experience is not an exception to the norm, but that all 38.3 million people with disabilities who are eligible to vote in this year&rsquo;s election will have the knowledge and resources they need to ensure their voice is heard.

Navigating voting as a disabled person is challenging. Learn about accessibility issues and solutions for a safer voting experience.

Voting, Disability & Inaccessibility: My Journey to the Polls

Women make up more than half of the world&rsquo;s population, and yet, according to an article in Fortune, <a href="https://fortune.com/2021/06/02/female-ceos-fortune-500-2021-women-ceo-list-roz-brewer-walgreens-karen-lynch-cvs-thasunda-brown-duckett-tiaa/">women occupy less than 10% of executive positions</a> worldwide. That&rsquo;s a problem not only for women in the business world but also for companies and consumers around the globe. 
The simple reality is that we are all diminished by the relative dearth of women at the top of the corporate ladder. This article explores the reasons why women should pursue C-suite positions. 
<h2>Overcoming Imposter Syndrome</h2>
On the surface level, of course, the reasons why women should go for executive positions in business are obvious. They&rsquo;ll earn a significantly higher income. They&rsquo;ll enjoy more professional prestige. They will have enormous career mobility and a vast array of professional opportunities unfolding at their feet. 
These, however, are only the obvious and perhaps most immediate perks. Other advantages of pursuing a top-level leadership position may be less apparent but are likely far more meaningful. 
No matter the industry, a large number of women in business suffer from &ldquo;imposter syndrome,&rdquo; the pervasive and often debilitating sense that their best simply isn&rsquo;t good enough. Perhaps even worse, imposter syndrome leads people to believe that their successes, their accomplishments, are meaningless, a freak of chance rather than the manifestation and outcome of true talent and diligent effort. 
When you have imposter syndrome, you believe, whether you are consciously aware of this belief or not, that you and your accomplishments are fraudulent. That self-perception typically elicits one of two types of responses. 
Either you drive yourself relentlessly and mercilessly to delay the inevitable day when you are finally found out and you lose everything, or your lack of belief in yourself prohibits you from striving for more. Thus, you never aspire for the C-suite, because, in your heart of hearts, you don&rsquo;t think you belong there. 
Women, and women of color, in particular, have been found to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200724-why-imposter-syndrome-hits-women-and-women-of-colour-harder">suffer disproportionately from imposter syndrome</a>. This may come as no surprise given the traditional dominance of men, especially white men, at the highest echelons of the corporate world. Historically, companies have been led by men, and a corporate culture shaped by &ldquo;masculine&rdquo; traits, such as aggressiveness, competitiveness, and dominance. 
Heteronormative and patriarchal gender norms have historically counseled cooperativeness, compromise, and, yes, even submission, from women. These are characteristics that hardly spell success in the business world, at least according to traditional paradigms. 
A recent report by YPO on the issue of <a href="https://www.ypo.org/ypo-reports/gender-equality-in-the-c-suite/">gender equality in the global workforce</a> found that while 51% of male executives aspired to a senior leadership position early on, only&nbsp;one-third of female business leaders report having begun their careers with such ambitions. 
The researchers suggest that societal norms have served to temper women&rsquo;s career goals and, by extension,&nbsp;implicitly and explicitly characterize the C-suite as the proper provenance of men. It is little wonder, then, that women should experience imposter syndrome, that they should consciously or unconsciously perceive their success to be at once false and temporary. 
<h2>Behaving Your Way to Success</h2>
As pervasive as imposter syndrome may be, it can be overcome. Indeed, pursuing an executive position is probably the surest antidote for imposter syndrome, particularly when self-doubt takes hold. 
This is why it is imperative for women in business to always be future-focused, not only for their organization but for their own careers. Even in the earliest stages of their careers, women should be defining the trajectory they want their professional path to take. Ideally, this process would include partnering with management to <a href="https://onlinemba.montclair.edu/how-to-grow-within-a-company/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">formulate a strategy for growth within the company</a>. 
And once you have that strategy in place, you have to pursue it to the hilt, acquiring the training and <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/7-essential-soft-skills-for-getting-and-keeping-a" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">honing the essential soft skills</a> that make a leader. In other words, vision, when supported and affirmed by action, builds self-confidence and a sense of belonging in the halls of power. As those attributes grow, the effects of imposter syndrome inevitably decline. 
<h2>Redefining How Business Works</h2>
Every woman who aspires to the C-suite does more than simply cultivate her own career. She also systematically models success for other women and traditionally marginalized groups. At the same time, she reshapes what the corporate world looks like and, quite literally, how it works. 
When a female executive enters the C-suite, she establishes it as her own, and, in so doing, she chips away at the long-standing assumption that the executive office is the domain of men. 
However, women change the dynamics and culture of the C-suite not just by their presence but also by their ideas, values, and lived experiences. Female leaders, for example, bring new <a href="https://lucidspark.com/blog/understanding-voice-of-the-customer" rel="noopener" target="_blank">perspectives on the &ldquo;voice&rdquo; of the consumer</a>, who they are, what they want, and how they are to be served. &nbsp;
 After all, women aren&rsquo;t just half of the global population, they are also half of the global market, and yet their purported needs and interests have been defined and served almost exclusively by men. Women in senior leadership enable the executive suite to enjoy a much more accurate, holistic, and comprehensive view of the market &mdash; and there are few things more important to a corporation&rsquo;s success. 
<h2>The Takeaway</h2>
For centuries, women have played subordinate roles in business, that is, when they have been admitted into the corporate world at all. Even today, men represent a highly disproportionate number of senior executives. If a sea change for gender equality in the workforce is to occur, more women must pursue C-suite positions. Doing so will mean more than advancing her own career. It will, inevitably and systematically, inaugurate a shift in corporate culture and will revolutionize the way businesses operate.
&nbsp; 
Content Contributor:
Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is interested in better living through technology and education. She loves traveling to beautiful places and is frequently lost in a good book. <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/ddtAhqjuRJGpTsY3S4lA" width="230" height="231">

Explore why women should pursue C-suite roles and overcome imposter syndrome to transform corporate culture.

Why Women Should Go For C-Suite Positions | Getting Hired

Why Women Should Go For C-Suite Positions

Part 1: Understanding Disability
Many employers do not know where to begin when it comes to creating disability-inclusive workplaces. In order to implement the most inclusive hiring practices, the best place to start, is fully understanding what a disability is, what the landscape is like, and some facts that might not be known.
Disability 101: Back to Basics
What is a disability? According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),&nbsp;<a href="https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an individual with a disability is</a>&nbsp;defined &ldquo;as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.&rdquo; The ADA qualifies disability as a legal term, not a medical one, helping secure equal opportunities and civil rights for persons with disabilities.
You may not even realize that certain disabilities, limitations, or illnesses &nbsp;are actually disabilities that may need employer accommodation.
To help further this understanding, we&rsquo;ve provided some examples below &ndash; (this is NOT a full list, however, a full list can be found on the Job Accommodation Network&nbsp;<a href="https://askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a><a href="https://askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">.</a>)
AIDS/HIV
Allergies
Alzheimer&rsquo;s Disease
Amputation
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)/Lou Gehrig&rsquo;s Disease
Anxiety Disorders
Arthritis
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Auditory Processing Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Bladder Impairments
Brain Injuries
Cancer
Cerebral Palsy
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Pain
Cognitive Impairment (Intellectual)
Color Vision Deficiency (Color Blind)
Deafness or Hard of Hearing
Depression
Developmental Disabilities
Diabetes
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Glaucoma
Heart Conditions
Hearing Loss
Hepatitis
Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
Huntington&rsquo;s Disease
Kidney Diseases
Learning Disabilities
Lyme Disease
Liver Disease
Lupus
Mental Health Impairments
Migraine Headaches
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Muscular Dystrophy
Parkinson&rsquo;s Disease
Personality Disorders
Physical Disabilities
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Pregnancy
Psychiatric Impairments
Quadriplegia
Sickle Cell Anemia
Skin Disorders
Sleep Disorders
Speech-Language Impairments
Spina Bifida
Spinal Cord Injuries
Stroke
Stuttering
Thyroid Disorders
Wheelchair Use
As you can see from the list we&rsquo;ve provided, along with most recent statistics,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2018/p0816-disability.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">1 in 4 Americans have a disability</a>. While many disabilities are visible, such as blindness or low vision, paralysis, or other physical disabilities,&nbsp;more than 70 percent of disabilities are non-apparent, such as cancer, autism, diabetes, PTSD, or depression.&nbsp;Additionally, more than 80 percent of disabilities are acquired throughout an individual&rsquo;s lifetime.&nbsp;Examples include long-term injuries due to an accident, diagnosis of an illness, decreased vision, hearing, or mobility.
Disability &amp; Employment
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is almost twice that of individuals without disabilities, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/odep/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">7.7 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed</a>, compared to 3.7 percent of people without disabilities. This isn&rsquo;t only about education levels either &nbsp;&ndash; persons with disabilities who have attained at least a bachelor&rsquo;s degree are still three times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2018/labor-force-characteristics-of-people-with-a-disability/home.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">less likely to be employed</a>&nbsp;than those without a disability.
For an in-depth look at these topic areas,&nbsp;<a href="https://go.careercircle.com/candidate-experience-for-job-seekers-with-disabilities" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">download our eBook, &ldquo;Understanding the Candidate Experience for Job Seekers with Disabilities.&rdquo;</a>
For more resources and guidance on Understanding Disability, contact the CareerCircle team.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.

Understand disability basics to create inclusive workplaces. Learn about Disability 101 and improve hiring practices.

The Candidate Experience Blog Series Part 1: Understanding Disability

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Staff Writer

143 Articles

Voting, Disability & Inaccessibility: My Journey to the Polls

Why Women Should Go For C-Suite Positions

The Candidate Experience Blog Series Part 1: Understanding Disability