History is full of examples of innovations springing from the minds of people with disabilities. Yet, the disability community is consistently overlooked and undervalued, as reflected in their collective higher cost of living, lower salaries, and fewer job opportunities. 

That’s why the Dallas Regional Chamber hosted a discussion with Toyota Motor North America and the National Organization on Disability (NOD) to rethink the role disability plays in modern society. 

Understanding what you cannot see  

While morning cardio, getting ready for work, and having back-to-back calls in the office may be a typical start to the day for some people, for a Toyota engineer named Gabriel Marciano, that would cause extreme fatigue and pain. So much so that he’d be worn out for the day and in danger of falling. So, he tries to conserve energy when he can—like using a golf cart or a scooter to get around. 

“Now I use my FOLD&GO electric wheelchair—I used it to get into Ross Tower and while talking to people before the DRC event started,” he said. 

Marciano has a genetic disorder called mitochondrial myopathy, which disrupts his body’s ability to produce energy. He also sustained a brain injury in 2022, which also brings on fatigue.  

A Toyota employee for more than ten years, his current day job involves quality compliance, recalls, and customer service campaigns. But he also created a lift for motorized wheelchairs that can weigh upwards of 300 pounds. Like many innovations, he was trying to solve a problem he had firsthand experience with, which he talked about at the DRC. 

“I look fine. And before my diagnosis, I remember being told to ‘push myself’ because everyone thought I just wasn’t trying hard enough—and I’d pass out. It wasn’t until my diagnosis that I learned that over time, I damaged my heart from doing that.” 

That’s when he learned to conserve his energy by using a mobility device in place of walking everywhere. 

“I spend a lot of my time explaining,” said Marciano. “Like when I’m giving presentations—I use it to get from my car to the building, but then I walk up to the podium. People without disabilities have said to me, ‘Man, how do I get one of those?’ and I have to explain my medical history. Using the mobility device is not a choice for me—I would LOVE not to have to use it.” 

Latosha Herron Bruff, SVP Opportunity & Impact, Dallas Regional Chamber [Photo: Dallas Regional Chamber]

The smart business decision is not necessarily an easy one 

Toyota prides itself on being intentional when it comes to including the disability community. What does that look like? Creating space in manufacturing facilities for assistive and mobility devices, as well as thinking through other accommodations that will enable people to do their jobs. 

“At Toyota, we’re intentional about establishing a working team of stakeholders related to disability matters,” said Chris Nielsen, EVP, Supply Chain, and chief quality officer, Toyota North America. “We have a great resource in the National Organization on Disability, which helps us incorporate strategies that tell all employees we’re committed to their professional growth.” 

President and CEO of NOD, Beth Sirull, points to two common things that often stand in the way of disability inclusion: the nature of disability and money, both of which are easily addressed. 

“Just look at autism—it manifests a little differently in everyone, so their need for accommodations won’t be the same,” says Sirull. “There’s also a perception that making accommodations will be cost-prohibitive, but the average one-time employer cost is minimal.” 

In fact, according to a Job Accommodation Network survey, more than half the employers that responded reported modifications cost nothing to implement. And those with a one-time expenditure noted a cost of $300. 

Beth Sirull, CEO, National Organization on Disability [Photo: Dallas Regional Chamber]

Bringing the invisible into the light 

“The best thing organizations can do is suspend all assumptions and work with each employee individually,” says Sirull. 

Mandy Noerper is the national director of programs at a Dallas-based agency called ConnectIDD, which bridges organizations with the disability community. She draws on professional and personal experience as someone with autism and advises others.  

“When I say I have autism, potential employers usually assume I’m techy,” says Noerper, laughing. “I’m not coding … but my memory is tough to beat. For example, I can quote Texas Workforce Commission policy and tell you its exact location in the document.” 

She says too often, employers’ consideration of accommodations starts and stops with products—a special keyboard or chair, maybe a screen reader. Plus, language baked into the ADA gives employers a legal out.  

“It says employers must provide reasonable accommodations, but there’s no definition for what reasonable looks like. It is one hundred percent at the discretion of the business to determine that,” says Noerper. 

More events like the one at the DRC, attended by ConnectIDD’s Director of Operations, Shay Feeney, would be helpful to the business community, so it knows what disability inclusion really entails. 

“It’s about having the right leadership in place,” says Feeney. “It’s about true education—not just giving the employee the ADA form and expecting them to know what they’ll need for the entirety of their tenure.” 

“We know this isn’t ‘one and done’—disability is complicated and can evolve over time. We try to create a culture where employees feel supported when disclosing a disability or requesting a modification at any time,” added Mark Templin, EVP and COO, Toyota North America. 

Voices contributor Nicole Ward is a data journalist for the Dallas Regional Chamber.

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