Companies mistakenly bundle management with authority, forcing top performers onto a management track to gain influence. Separate them. Define management's role as coordination and context-sharing, allowing senior individual contributors to drive decisions without managing people.

Non-disabled employees closely observe how their company handles disability accommodations. Fair and supportive processes create psychological safety for the entire workforce, boosting retention as employees see a potential safety net for their own future needs.

Effective delegation of decision-making authority is impossible without first ensuring leaders are deeply aligned on organizational objectives. When individuals are empowered to make choices but pull in different directions, the result is a quagmire, not progress. Alignment must precede autonomy.

The belief that simply 'hiring the best person' ensures fairness is flawed because human bias is unavoidable. A true merit-based system requires actively engineering bias out of processes through structured interviews, clear job descriptions, and intentionally sourcing from diverse talent pools.

A common misconception is that accommodating employees means accepting lower output. The correct approach is to maintain the same performance, attendance, and safety standards for everyone, but to provide different tools and methods—the accommodations—to help employees meet those standards.

Companies that for years claimed remote work or flexible schedules were unreasonable for disabled employees instantly implemented those exact policies for everyone during the pandemic. This exposed that the barriers were never about feasibility but about corporate willingness and systemic ableism.

The need to hide personal circumstances ('covering') is not exclusive to underrepresented groups. White men may cover being a single dad or having a special needs child. Highlighting this universal experience helps frame psychological safety as a benefit for everyone, not just a minority issue.

DEI initiatives face resistance when historically privileged groups don't understand the systemic barriers ('the fence') others face. Proactively explaining why some need more support ('rocks') is crucial to show it's about fairness, not preferential treatment, ultimately benefiting everyone when the fence is removed.

Salaried, remote professionals can often self-accommodate. The disability employment crisis is concentrated among lower-wage workers whose jobs require physical presence and are subject to more rigid management, as 90% of accommodation requests come from the lower half of the pay scale.