Category Archives: General Info

An excellent resource (and writer): Cerebral Palsy Guidance and Alex Diaz-Granados

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Alex Diaz-Granados, Miami-based freelance writer, online reviewer, aspiring novelist and regular contributor to Cerebral Palsy Guidance

Alex Diaz-Granados, Miami-based freelance writer, online reviewer, aspiring novelist and regular contributor to Cerebral Palsy Guidance

Added Sept. 2023 – an excellent resource (link) on cerebral palsy from the Birth Injury Center.

As a career development and diversity (all areas but with an LGBT – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) deep expertise, I often get community contacts via people who discover my website and blog. One particular recent fascinating contact is Alex Diaz-Granados, a writer for the website “Cerebral Palsy Guidance.” Since “people with disabilities” is one the critical diversity constituencies in need to more full inclusion, I discussed cerebral palsy, including its intersection with the LGBT community, with Alex.

STAN: Alex, can you give me a brief description of what Cerebral Palsy Guidance is about?
ALEX: Cerebral Palsy Guidance (CPG) is a website that provides information about cerebral palsy (CP), a disability that affects approximately 764,000 children and the adults in the U.S. alone. CPG was created primarily as a resource for parents of children with CP to give them information about the disability, what treatments are available, what kinds of medical and legal assistance exist, and to dispel some of the myths that surround CP. That having been said, though, we also want to reach the general public and increase awareness about cerebral palsy, which is the most common movement disorder that affects kids.

 

STAN: Wow, 764,000 people affected is a huge number! Alex, Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and how you got involved in this work?
ALEX: Well, I’m a Miami-based freelance writer, online reviewer, and aspiring novelist – and I happen to have cerebral palsy. I was a preemie, and I acquired CP shortly after birth when a nurse placed me in an incubator – and took a bit too long to turn on the oxygen supply. It was only a momentary lapse, but thus, there was some damage in the motor control region of my brain. Luckily, I fell in love with the written word as a young boy, and I decided that I’d be a writer when I was 14.

As to how I got involved with CPG: I was asked to write a blog for the site in January of 2016. I was writing movie and book reviews for the now-closed Examiner.com at the time, plus I was gearing up to start writing my first novel. But CPG’s chief writer, Leigh Egan, emailed me not long after the New Year and asked me if I would like to be a regular blogger and share with readers what it’s like to live with CP. I’m not a researcher or a legal expert, mind you, but I do know about the challenges of daily existence as a disabled person in 21st Century America. So, I said “yes,” and here we are.

 

STAN: Alex, could you tell me more about the intersectionality of Cerebral Palsy with being LGB or T? Why is this important to discuss?
ALEX: I’m not LGB or T, but some of my friends are, so I am aware of the challenges they face today. I can identify with the LGBT community’s struggles to gain acceptance in a society where some people still believe that sexual orientation is an anomalous “lifestyle” or “choice” rather than an innate trait. People with CP, whether they’re gay or straight, are still sometimes looked upon as freaks or “damaged” individuals who should be shunned. Disabled people, of course, aren’t vilified or – as in the Pulse shooting in Orlando – targeted by zealots as LGB and T people are, but we still face discrimination and mockery. Look at that disabled New York Times reporter that President-elect Donald Trump made fun of during the campaign. Trump scornfully mimicked his physical disability because he didn’t like the man’s reporting or his probing questions! So for me, the intersectionality of individuals with CP and the LGBT community isn’t about sexual orientation. It’s about human rights.

 

Alex Diaz-Granados (second from the left) enjoys a dinner party for a close friend

Alex Diaz-Granados (second from the left) enjoys a dinner party for a close friend

STAN: What can allies do to educate themselves about the Cerebral Palsy / LGBT intersection and what actions can they take?
ALEX: I think that dialogue and participative interaction is the best way for people to understand each other. I’m not sure that disabled people in general have a negative worldview about the LGBT community – some people with CP are LGB or T, too. Maybe a small percentage of individuals with CP may have some prejudices about gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender persons, mostly because of their religious upbringing, but others, especially millennials, are more accepting. But by and large I think both groups (disabled and LGBT) get along well.

 

STAN: How can people learn more?
ALEX: If anyone wants more information about cerebral palsy, its causes, treatments, and what resources are available, there is Cerebral Palsy Guidance. CPG is one of the best sites on the Web, with well-written and researched articles by a dedicated staff. You can find it at https://www.cerebralpalsyguidance.com/

 

STAN: Thank you for the insights, Alex. Keep up your great work and I look forward to staying in touch and seeing your first novel.

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NOTE: FYI – here is a link to Alex’s LinkedIn Profile to learn more about him.

My Three Hot Human Resources Areas for 2017!

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With the tremendous focus on transgender employees in the workplace, I have added transgender woman and outstanding consultant and trainer Elaine Martin to my team.

With the tremendous focus on transgender employees in the workplace, I have added transgender woman and outstanding consultant and trainer Elaine Martin to my team.

Of course I do need to write a self-serving blog now and then, touting how my areas of expertise are going to be super hot in 2017. Actually, I do believe in what I am writing. Here are some of the areas where I do have a deep expertise which I believe are going to be major areas within HR in 2017, and I hope my clients old and new will not hesitate to contact me to discuss how I can assist them in these areas.

AREA 1: Transgender employees in the workplace. With many more well known transgender people visible in the world (Laverne Cox, Chas Bono, Caitlyn Jenner, Janet Mock…), with government contract regulations needing to include transgender protections, and with more companies covering gender transition medical costs, more people are now fine about transitioning in the workplace. Does your company have the right policies in place to support transgender employees? And do you have a plan to educate coworkers and company leaders when one of your employees goes through transition? Do take my 12-question Transgender Diversity Organizational Self-assessment.

Blog author Stan Kimer on the phone presenting a power point presentation on his innovative career mapping offering over the phone to a prospective client.

Blog author Stan Kimer on the phone presenting a power point presentation on his innovative career mapping offering over the phone to a prospective client.

AREA 2: Talent / Career Development. I keep hearing in workshop after workshop that one of the top challenges for HR is recruiting and retaining top talent. Replacing and onboarding a departing employee is very expensive, with costs between 75% and 150% of annual salary. One major reason people leave is because they feel their company is not doing enough to help them develop their skills and talent. I offer an innovative yet proven career mapping methodology that has received rave reviews from my clients that use it. It can easily be clipped on to whatever learning activities you currently have and costs only a few dollars per employee. Link to read an outside article about my process from Ziprecruiter and Take my 11-question Skills and Career Development Organizational Self-assessment.

AREA 3: General Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Execution. Even though my deep expertise is in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) diversity (see AREA 1 above,) I am conversant in all areas of diversity and keep on top of the ever changing diversity landscape. Key diversity topics now include Global Multicultural Competence, Generational Diversity, Diversity of Thought and more. And to begin 2017, I have a new alliance partner, Kannetic, with an application platform developed with an expert panel of nearly 100 diversity experts (including myself), which provides insight into the impactfulness and effort required to implement various concrete diversity and inclusion actions. No charge one hour demonstration and mini planning sessions will be available to my clients over the next month – contact me to schedule yours! First listing under business affiliations / partnerships.

Knowledgeable consultants with deep expertise in an area and /or with innovative processes and tools can truly help catapult you to HR success in 2017. As a consultant, my goal is to make you as an HR leader shine! So please contact me soon for a no-charge initial consultation to discuss your needs and my offerings in any of these areas: [email protected] or call 919-787-7315.