Personal and institutional challenges aside, people with disabilities are faced with economic troubles–big—bigger than anybody—including disabled or non-disabled. The harsh reality of post-COVID-19 notwithstanding, we now-made worse by the global pandemic– live in a very, very competitive time where individuals, firms, and the government are looking for inventive ways of achieving economic efficiency.
We all want to achieve more with less. That’s a good thing and there’s nothing wrong with that.
As members of the disabled community, we may have more to worry about, particularly in countries like Nigeria and others that are dealing with systemic corruption and civil unrest.
We are almost always a minority in whatever locale we inhabit. We struggle with high unemployment rates, low access to education, and difficulty engaging within the larger, non-disabled communities. Yet, the world is changing incredibly rapidly. Cultures and communities and individuals within nations are now experiencing economic and socio-cultural development and ecological sustainability at a remarkable level.
We, the people with disabilities, have a responsibility to stay as much competitive and evolve like other nations and other people.
What is needed to be done to stay competitive in a job market that has become highly, insanely cutthroat and aggressive isn’t rocket science.
We might not need a doctoral degree to launch into our economic future. And neither might we need a radical shift in government policy and legislation to get us our dream job. While those may be useful in some way, the race to the top begins with us. Right from within us. From us.
Every other institutional challenge may be secondary, depending on the quality of our personal tools and resources.
Here are the key tools and resources PWDs need to take part in the survival race more effectively. Here are 7 key principles to live by.
- Understand the current socio-economic reality. We now live in a knowledge-based economy where it has consistently proved that the more we know and can do, the better off our life is going to be. The jobs of today and tomorrow, don’t be surprised, would be performed in the parlour, at the family’s dining table, on the kitchen table. Whatnot.
- You must be a voracious reader. You must constantly keep your ears to the ground. You must be driven by the need to know more, to read more, to write more, to think more, and to reflect more. You have to know a lot about a lot of things. Today, a little knowledge can be very dangerous.
- No longer the Gold Standard is the formal education. Your Degree and Certificate are no longer enough to compete successfully for the jobs of today and tomorrow. Have you considered getting the skills that are trending in today’s world? Everything is going digital. coding, electronic designs, as well as the development of digital content are just some tiny bits among numerous high-skills jobs of tomorrow. Raise the bar a bit higher. Do something out of the ordinary.
- Build up your networks. Your network is your worth. You need wonderful, productive people and associates in your life. The more effort you put into bettering your life, the truer, more amazing people you automatically attract to yourself. Attract the best folks. Nurture your relationships and enjoy a good social life. You are going to need it.
- Improve your communication skills. Consider speaking and writing with more clarity and specificity. Those are essentially the key to effective communication. Effective, artful communication skills will enhance your self-confidence and likability and take you to places unimaginable.
- Refine your mindset. You need the right perspective. You need a mindset that is broad, forward-looking and reflects what’s possible in a society that has become highly cynical. There’s nothing fundamentally wrong with you. You are just as good, as beautiful, as bright as anybody. Don’t let them tell you otherwise.
- Don’t follow the crowd. Just because an attitude or a habit is popular doesn’t make it the best. In fact, popular culture is the wrong culture–most of the time. They will bankrupt you. Go and do what pleases you as long as you know the significance of what you are doing. Do something out of the ordinary. Start a business when everyone says it’s crazy. Go back to school when you hear them say, it’s too late. Granted that you will encounter great challenges, you can win if keep fighting.
- God. Everything about your life, the current circumstances surrounding your life, your current dynamics, they have spiritual significance. Either force is at play. Yet, God trumps the power that’s holding you back. Stay away from those who tell you there is no God and those whose actions may reflect that. Keep off. Amidst all the uncertainties and calamities that abound, there’s a power far, far greater than what may be. Seek this Force, do his will, and have a perspective about the scheme of things, including how you fit in the larger scheme.