Becky Kekula’s Impactful Work is Not Just a 9-5

Becky Kekula’s son just recently entered the world but—little does he know—his mom is doing everything in her power to make sure it’s a world where he is granted the same opportunities as everyone else. As the Director of the Disability Equality Index® (DEI) at Disability:IN, the leading nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion worldwide, Becky’s day-to-day is centered on all matters related to the DEI, a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions towards disability inclusion and equality. But Becky’s impactful work isn’t just from 9-5. Her work on educating the world about people with disabilities spans across TEDx Talks, public speaking engagements (over 350 to date), and board member roles across numerous organizations working towards the same vision. Her passion for influencing change behind the scenes in the entertainment and news media industries manifested into DisABILITY In Media, which focuses on positive disability inclusion storytelling through social media. Leaders With Disabilities Urge Brands and Agencies to ‘Let Us Tell Our Own Stories’ How did you get to where you are today? From the early beginnings, personal and professional networking has been really important to me. I grew up with dwarfism. I chose to embrace my height difference from an early age. In my community, I was an active participant in sports, the student council and honor society. I was always eager to practice sharing my story wherever I could. During college, I started to gain a passion for influencing change behind the scenes in the entertainment and news media industries. I spent three and a half years working in the Equity and Inclusion department at SAG-AFTRA, the world’s largest entertainment union. At SAG-AFTRA, I supported the implementation of a national diversity plan of action to achieve accurate representation of those groups historically excluded from the entertainment and news media. I also founded DisABILITY In Media, which focuses on positive disability inclusion storytelling through social media. Tell us about what you are doing now In my current role at Disability:IN, I’m responsible for managing all things related to DEI. I also currently serve as Employment Chair of Little People of America (LPA) and am a member of the Board of Advisors for the National Center on Disability and Journalism (NCDJ) at Arizona State University, Allworthy, Positive Exposure, Understanding Our Differences, and Verizon’s Disability Advisory Board. Advocate for yourself and it will lead to greater happiness.Becky Kekula How do you foster strong professional relationships as you grow in your career? I truly believe that no seed goes unplanted. I try to stay in close contact with those who I meet with similar interests and career aspirations. It may be 10 years before we find a professional way to collaborate and that’s okay. What’s one way you’ve invested in yourself that’s had the most impact over the course of your career? What about within the past year? Since I launched my public speaking business in 2012, I’ve practiced sharing my story anywhere and everywhere I can get in front of a professional audience. Since it was harder to travel over the past year, I stumbled upon a podcast guest Facebook group and made a conscious effort to be a guest on as many podcasts and virtual panel discussions that align with my passions for advancing disability inclusion and equality worldwide. How do you view work-life integration, especially now, and what advice can you share with others who may be struggling with it? I must be honest that when you do work that you love, the lines are very blurred. I’m so passionate about the work that we do at Disability:IN and public speaking. I’m learning as I go. Two months ago, I gave birth to my first child, Jackson. He also has dwarfism like his parents. From my perspective, it makes the work that we do at Disability:IN even more important since I don’t want him to struggle to find a job as an adult. However, from this point forward, work-life balance will be more important than ever before. I want to be present for both my family when I need to be and perform my best during the times when work is the focus. Becky recently became a first-time mom to Jackson. Can you recall a situation where you've dealt with typecasting in the workplace? And what advice do you have for other women on how to overcome typecasting at work? When I was working at the talent agency, the only way to get promoted from being an assistant to an agent was to go through a rigorous agent trainee program that was not very accommodating to many petite women or people with disabilities. An alternative opportunity wasn’t offered to me. If I were to do it all over again, I would say that if there’s not an opportunity for growth in your current job, start planning your next move as early as possible. Target a workplace that has women leaders, inclusive values that align with yours and the opportunity to present more opportunities for growth. What’s one tip you can share or something you’ve learned on how to handle salary negotiations or raises? It’s important to know your worth. The first decade of my career was spent having very low paying jobs with long hours while living in cities with high living costs. After that experience and truly “paying my dues,” I wanted to make sure that my next move included a comfortable paying job that I love outside of cities with high costs of living. You must charge what you think you’re worth. Advocate for yourself and it will lead to greater happiness. Who has helped you in your journey and how did they help shape your career? Four people have really helped shape my career: Christy Haubegger was my first boss at CAA. As a diversity practitioner, she had an idea of the disability discrimination that I had faced and advocated for my employment since she knew I was a hard worker.The late Sir Ken Robinson, a British author and speaker who gave three very popular TED talks on the importance of creativity in education, provided advice as I launched my public speaking business and prepared for my first and second TEDx Talks.Adam Moore recruited me to work for him in the diversity department at SAG-AFTRA. He was the first boss to offer constructive feedback that allowed me to grow as a person and professional.Jill Houghton is my current boss and a fearless leader in the disability inclusion space. Our passions for advancing disability inclusion in business worldwide align so well, and she has supported my growth since the day that we started working together. What’s the single best piece of advice you’ve ever received? “If you’re having a bad day, try dressing up tomorrow and you’ll feel better.” I can attest that this really works. Overall, my friends have observed that I dress up a lot and it really does help me maintain confidence. Another reason is that I don’t have to alter above the knee-length dresses and they’re easy to wear as a short-statured person. What does success mean for you? Success is when people who I care a lot about remind me that I’ve positively impacted their life in some way, shape or form through the work that I do advocating for disability inclusion in all aspects of society. How to Avoid Just ‘Checking the Box’ on Disability Inclusivity in the Workplace

Women Trailblazers

Becky Kekula’s Impactful Work in the Disability Space is Not Just a 9-5

From her TEDx Talks to her work at Disability:IN, Becky is taking powerful steps to create equal opportunities for all

Luz Corona

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