I’ve made colleagues wear glasses with the lenses taped over

22 December 2022

What do equal opportunities mean to you?

‘To me, it means that everyone can take part, no matter what. That everyone can fulfil their dreams, irrespective of religion, gender, physical or mental disabilities, skin colour, whatever. It means not feeling restricted by the ‘norm’. The modern Western norm that we ourselves have created. We have preconceived ideas about who can do particular jobs or fulfil particular roles. We must let go of these preconceptions.’

Have you ever experienced inequality?

‘Sure. At school, during my internship and at work. I would have loved to train as a nurse. But I couldn’t do the course because they couldn’t arrange for the software and exams to be modified to suit my needs. So the course simply wasn’t open to me. I recently had to do exams for the Financial Supervision Act for work. But that turned out to be inaccessible for me too. What’s more, I had to go to an office at an agreed time, and sign up 10 days in advance. People without a disability can sign up 24 hours beforehand, and sit the exam whenever they want. I managed to do the exam in the end, but the facilities for disabled persons were fundamentally flawed. That's not exactly what I call equal opportunities. And those are just two examples. I could mention five or six things every day where people with disabilities are faced with discrimination of one kind or another, though not all at work. So many situations widen the gap between ‘us and them’. It’s such a pity, both for those concerned and for society. It's no good preaching about inclusion: we need deeds not words.’

How do you deal with inequality?

‘I can shout it from the rooftops so that everyone will hear me, but they won't understand. So I prefer a more practical approach in smaller groups. I talk to managers and colleagues at the bank and tell them what visually impaired people need in order to do their work properly. And I tell them that they are perfectly capable of doing their work properly too. I’ve had colleagues make a cup of tea wearing glasses with the lenses taped over, to show them what it’s like to be visually impaired. And I’ve passed on a good tip to lots of people with poor sight: stick gemstone stickers from HEMA on your keyboard to help you find the right shortcut keys. My keyboard is decorated like a Christmas tree. I can’t see which stickers I’m attaching, but I know they’re pink, red, dog faces, babies... Colleagues who see my keyboard for the first time always look amazed. When I explain why the stickers are there, I can see their perspective gradually shifting… That’s why it’s so important to explain. We should step into each other’s shoes more often.’

Why are equal opportunities important?

‘Because it’s better for everyone and everything. Societies and organisations that are enriched with different perspectives will perform better. It’s been shown that companies that strive for diversity and inclusion, where it’s ingrained into the culture rather than just an objective, perform thirty percent better.’ 

How can we achieve equal opportunities?

‘By closing the gap between what we say and what we do. Compared with other organisations, ABN AMRO is definitely on the right track. I’m on the committee of the B-Able staff network, a bank-based network for staff members with a disability. The B-Able programme enables the bank to help people with poor job prospects. Thanks to this programme, more people with disabilities are finding jobs at ABN AMRO. That’s obviously fantastic. ‘But the next step is possibly just as important: adequate guidance towards, and in, their chosen job. Some colleagues with an occupational disability are given professional guidance and coaching, but not all of them. A lot of the people currently providing this guidance are doing it ‘as an extra duty’, and don’t always know exactly how they can help. That makes things even more difficult for people with a disability when they start a new job. When I first came here, I had problems installing the right software. My poor vision and lack of software were making it almost impossible for me, but I didn’t know who to ask for help. One of my colleagues finally sorted it out for me. It took him two days. Really great. ‘Equal opportunities means looking at things from different perspectives, maintaining awareness of these perspectives and ensuring that the bank as an organisation is accessible to everyone. In every way, from accessible software to baristas. Not long ago, we had a signing barista in our office. He was deaf, so we quickly learned which signs to use when ordering our coffee. A great example of turning inclusive thoughts into inclusive actions.’