Inspirational TED Talks on (dis)Ability and Work

(Selection by Sandra Feliciano)

Pinned TED Talk: From Disability to Ability | Nathan Farrugia

Empower – A social enterprise that connects enterprises and people with disability to provide jobs and empowerment. Nathan believes that people, not organizations, make a difference in today’s world. He is executive director of Empower; creates, develops and sustains employment opportunities for persons with a disability. Nathan is also a director of many other charities and non-profit foundations in Malta. He is an avid sportsman, philanthropist, and entrepreneur. He owns a business, Ultimate Performance – level UP! in executive training, events management, and consultancy. As a philanthropist, he has raised funds for projects locally and internationally, set up a social enterprise and supported organizations with a range of causes and projects.

Pinned TED Talk: Why I hired a workforce no one else would | Randy Lewis

In a world where those with mental and physical disabilities are seen as “disabled,” what would it take to not only have those individuals contribute, but to also give them the same expectations, goals, and work at the same wage as those without disabilities? Can we actually design a system so creative that we can demand the same results from those with disabilities as those without disabilities? What could that system possibly look like and could it actually create value for a company? A disability employment advocate, Randy Lewis joined Walgreens in 1992 as a divisional vice president in logistics and planning. Living within the world where technology and creativity combine, Randy designed and opened the the first distribution facility of its kind to employ a significant number of people with disabilities (more than 40% of the workforce has a cognitive or physical disability.) Drawing inspiration from his autistic son, Randy has become a speaker and author on the topics of incorporating those with disabilities into the workforce, receiving numerous awards for his volunteer work and advocacy.