Okay! Another typical August summer weekend and I’m Scott Savoy welcoming you to our desk.
Today, our president Donna J. Jodhan shares a very serious and concerning piece with her readers.
Please give this one a read and by all means! Share your opinion with us.
Write to Donna at donnajodhan@sterlingcreations.ca
Happy weekend everyone!
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The Troublesome Truth About Tokenism
By Donna J. Jodhan
Why Are Persons with Disabilities Really Included in Advisory Groups and Committees?
In recent years, organizations, institutions, and governments have touted their commitment to inclusion, equity, and diversity—buzzwords that often ring hollow in the experiences of those they claim to uplift.
Among the most affected are persons with disabilities, who are increasingly being invited to join advisory groups and committees. On the surface, this looks like progress. But peel back the carefully constructed veneer, and a troubling question emerges: is this inclusion genuine, or merely tokenism dressed in progressive language?
The inconvenient truth is that many of these appointments are performative. Too often, persons with disabilities are brought in not for their insights, lived experience, or expertise, but to check a box—to fulfill legal obligations or funding requirements tied to the appearance of diversity. The presence of a wheelchair at the table or a captioned screen in a meeting does not equate to authentic inclusion, especially when the voices of those individuals are routinely ignored or sidelined.
Committees and advisory boards love to showcase their diversity in press releases and annual reports. Yet when the time comes to make decisions, the very individuals they’ve “included” are often left out of meaningful conversation. Input from members with disabilities is dismissed, undervalued, or treated as anecdotal rather than expert.
Proposals that challenge ableist structures or require significant change are quietly buried under bureaucracy.
This dynamic sends a clear and corrosive message: “You’re welcome here—as long as you don’t ask us to change.”
There is, however, an alternative to this empty performance—one grounded in genuine respect for the lived experiences and adaptive expertise that persons with disabilities bring. Disability is not a deficit; it is a different way of navigating the world, often with hard-earned ingenuity, resilience, and insight.
Including people with disabilities should not be about optics; it should be about tapping into a deep well of problem-solving, innovation, and community wisdom.
So why are more and more persons with disabilities walking away from these groups and committees? The answer is simple: they’re tired of being used. They’re exhausted from shouting into the void, watching their contributions ignored while their presence is paraded around as proof of inclusion. They’re done with being “the disabled representative” and are choosing, instead, to invest their energy in spaces that respect and value their voices.
True inclusion doesn’t happen by filling a seat. It happens when that seat comes with power, influence, and respect. Until organizations start listening as intently as they recruit, until lived experience is valued as expertise, and until disability representation stops being symbolic and starts being structural, the cycle of tokenism will continue.
It’s time we stopped congratulating ourselves for doing the bare minimum—and started asking whether inclusion without impact is inclusion at all.
I’d like to leave you with this for your consideration.
“Outnumbered on the Pedestal”
Scene Description:
In the center, a lone figure of a person from a marginalized group stands on a small pedestal. The pedestal is narrow, slightly cracked, and elevated—but precariously so. The person looks uncomfortable, their posture uncertain, as dozens of spotlights shine directly on them, casting long shadows behind.
Surrounding the pedestal is a large crowd of corporate-looking figures (men and women in suits), all in grayscale or muted tones, standing confidently on level ground. They appear to be clapping or pointing at the figure, smiling approvingly—but their expressions feel performative, almost rehearsed.
In the background, a mural or wall displays slogans like “Diversity Matters” and “One of Us” in big bold letters—but they appear faded, chipped, or partly peeling away.
Scattered on the floor around the pedestal are broken name tags and checkboxes labeled with things like “Inclusion,” “Representation,” and “Visibility.” One checkbox is hastily ticked off with a red marker.
Symbolism & Message:
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Pedestal = the superficial elevation of a token individual without meaningful inclusion.
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Spotlights = performative attention rather than genuine support.
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Crowd = the dominant group applauding themselves for inclusion.
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Faded slogans = the erosion of authenticity in DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) efforts.
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Broken checkboxes = tokenism masquerading as progress.
Image = Under harsh overhead spotlights, a blind woman in sunglasses and a charcoal skirt suit balances on a cracked stone pedestal, holding a long white cane tipped red, while a crowd of near-identical executives in dark suits encircle her clapping and grinning; the stained concrete wall proclaims ‘DIVERSITY MATTERS’ on the left and ‘ONE OF US’ on the right, and shattered floor slabs labeled ‘Inclusion’, ‘Representation’ and a ticked checkbox for ‘Visibility’ lie at her feet, highlighting performative diversity and tokenism.
To learn more about me as an award winning sight loss coach and advocate visit www.donnajodhan.com
