Blinded by prejudice? - Thematic meeting of Network USP Inclusive

Have you ever been blinded by prejudice? Very likely! It’s human and can happen to anyone. But what if your prejudices get in the way of including that one good employee in your team? Wouldn’t that be a shame? A candidate in a wheelchair or with a visual impairment might make you think twice, but is that justified?

In this hybrid thematic meeting, we will zoom in on why applicants with disabilities are or are not hired, from both a scientific and a practical perspective. Be inspired by two driven personalities: Dr. Rosanna Nagtegaal – postdoc at Utrecht University and Tjarda Struik – speaker, blindfluencer and mayor-elect with 5% vision. After the meeting you, as an HR professional or manager, will know how to look at applicants with physical or sensory disabilities. Learn what works and what doesn’t. As an attendee with (workplace) disabilities, you will receive tips on how you could communicate about your disability during an (internal) job application. This event is for everyone working at an organisation on (or connected to) the Utrecht Science Park; employees with and without (workplace) disabilities or (psychological) vulnerabilities, managers, (HR) professionals and other interested people.The thematic meeting will be held in Dutch and after the event, there will be an opportunity to talk to other participants and the speakers, drinks will be provided.

Rosanna Nagtegaal

Rosanna Nagtegaal studies what motivates employers in hiring or not hiring applicants with disabilities. She uses this knowledge to better understand and encourage employers to hire more people with disabilities in the future. She is currently conducting experimental research looking at employers’ reactions to different ways of communicating about disability. The resulting data could contribute to how applicants with disabilities can best apply for jobs. “The question is not what employers do, but what causes their behaviour”, Rosanna says. “After all, if we know that, we can start intervening and changing behaviour on those very points.

Tjarda Struik

Tjarda Struik is known as a psychologist, entrepreneur, and local politician. She was recently nominated as mayor of Leiderdorp. She is a passionate advocate for equality, with a specific focus on diversity and inclusion. She often introduces herself by saying, “Hi, I am Tjarda and I am almost blind. “ With this approach, she has inspired her more than 200.000 followers on social media, and she actively addresses subconscious prejudices. Tjarda is driven by a personal mission: she is committed to actively promote inclusion, especially for people with disabilities.

Background thematic meetings

Working with a (workplace) disability or a (psychological) vulnerability is regularly associated with a negative image, stigma, and/or prejudice. In a series of thematic meetings, we want to contribute to awareness of those prejudices in the workplace and change existing perceptions into positive and realistic ones. The thematic meetings ‘Blinded by prejudice?’ follows on from the thematic meetings ‘Psyche and the workplace’ (November 2022) and ‘Working with autism’ (April 2022).