Assume I can. So maybe I will.

Welcome to Mostly Unlearning, a newsletter that amplifies accessibility and disability voices towards more impactful commercial and human outcomes.

Today's edition is short and sharp because our family has COVID, and I'm prioritising looking after each other.

Two recommendations and two asks this week

• Watch the CoorDown video for World Down Syndrome Day. Watch it twice.
• Read or Listen to Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
• Join me, Chris Morgan, OLY and Natalie MacDonald for a LinkedIn Inclusion Matters Live event for Neurodiversity Celebration Week
• Even if you can't make it, please add a question to the post.

I’ve been laid up in bed all week with COVID. As a person with a disability, a case of COVID comes with extra worries. Last time I had significant complications and didn't know how permanent they would be. They took 3-4 months to resolve.

This time things are panning out a little better. The good thing about being bedbound is more time for reading. I love reading actual books. I’m prioritising rest and recovery, as well as reading, writing, (and mindlessly scrolling Instagram.)?

Enjoy watching this video, and hopefully see you all next week.

“Assume that I can, so maybe I will”

This video by CoorDown has blown up my socials with tags, messages and all over my feed.

And for good reason. This video is nothing short of brilliantly done. The way it prompts you to reconsider what a disabled person, in this case, someone with Down Syndrome, is capable of.?

#AssumeThatICan #WDSD24 #WorldDownSyndromeDay #EndTheStereotypes

What struck me was my assumptions, even as a disability advocate. The video makes points to both strangers serving them in a bar and their closest advocates - parents and teachers.

It might make a bartender uncomfortable to serve a Marg to someone with Down Syndrome. That discomfort is on the bartender, acting on it is discrimination.

Hidden Potential by Adam Grant

“Character is your capacity to prioritise your values over your instincts”

I’ve just finished Adam Grant’s new book, Hidden Potential. Adam Grant’s book resonated with me, particularly the journey I have taken since I acquired a disability and eight years later when I had my daughter.

I’ve learnt to walk three times in my life - once when I was a baby, then again at 27 following complications from spinal surgery and most recently after a c-section and spinal surgery during a pandemic lockdown.

Despite being disabled for eight years before I had my daughter, I rarely spoke of myself as disabled. Since having her, I've found my hidden potential as a disability advocate and accessibility change-maker.

This book helped explain how that happened - character, comfort in discomfort, asking for advice rather than feedback, embracing the discomfort of getting lost, competing against myself, focusing on the distance I've travelled and teaching what I'm learning (hello newsletter readers!). It can be liberating to find words for your experience and be reminded that you're not alone.

He inspired the name of this newsletter.

Speaking of teaching what you're learning....

Join Me Online

Next week, I’m speaking with Chris Morgan, OLY , and Natalie MacDonald about how to drive inclusion in the workplace and beyond. Join us for an Inclusion Matters LinkedIn Live.

#InclusionMatters #NeurodiversityCelebrationWeek

This is my first time doing something like this, and I’d appreciate your support.?

• Register to join, next Wednesday 1pm AEST.
• Even if you can't make it, please ask a question in the comments.
• Or comment on this edition.

Thank you!

Unlearning Prompts

Honestly, watch that video and share the assumptions you realise you have. What did it challenge for you - about people with down syndrome and/or people with disabilities generally?

Join the unlearning.

You can subscribe to unlearn with me. I'll share what I learn (and unlearn) about accessibility and disability. Together, we will consider the implications for impactful commercial and human outcomes.