Feb. 28, 2022

Limb difference, disability and workplace diversity – with Ruth Rathblott

For 25 years, Ruth Rathblott hid her limb difference. She doesn't hide it anymore. As she explained in her recent TEDx Talk: when she stopped hiding, she found freedom. Ruth has been a leader in nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years, with 15...

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Beyond 6 Seconds

For 25 years, Ruth Rathblott hid her limb difference.

She doesn't hide it anymore. As she explained in her recent TEDx Talk: when she stopped hiding, she found freedom.

Ruth has been a leader in nonprofit organizations for more than 25 years, with 15 years at Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, and more than eight years as CEO of the Harlem Educational Activities Fund. She currently serves as a Board Member of The Lucky Fin Project. She speaks about inclusion and diversity, the gifts of being unique and the freedom that comes with accepting your differences.

During this episode, you will hear Ruth talk about:

  • Her decision to start hiding her limb difference as a teenager, and how it impacted her mental and physical health for decades
  • The people in her life who encouraged her to stop hiding and start sharing her personal experience with disability
  • The chance encounter in a store where she first learned about the wider community of people with limb differences
  • How people have reacted to seeing her limb difference – and how kids react differently than adults
  • Her mission to convince companies to include disability in their definitions of workplace diversity 

For more about Ruth and her work, follow her on LinkedIn and check out her website www.ruthrathblott.com.

Watch Ruth’s TEDx Talk: When I stopped hiding, I found freedom

 

Watch the video of this interview on YouTube!

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Click here for the episode transcript.

 

*Disclaimer: The views, guidance, opinions, and thoughts expressed in Beyond 6 Seconds episodes are solely mine and/or those of my guests, and do not represent those of my employer or other organizations.*