During #NationalManagementTrainingWeek last August 2025, Keynote Speaker Dustin Giannelli🦻🏼 shared a term I had sadly never heard before: “Diversabilities.” And it stopped me in my tracks, I wrote it down immediately.
For years, we’ve often defaulted to the word disability, and I’ve often searched for a replacement term in the sea of terms, that truly resonates with me since disability has, to me, been a label that focuses on what a person cannot do. But diversabilities reframes the narrative entirely. It highlights the wide range of human differences in abilities, physical, cognitive, developmental, learning, social/emotional, neurological, and functional, and emphasizes the unique strengths and potential each individual brings to the table.
From Disability to Diversability - The language we use matters. The word disability has historically carried stigma, reinforcing a narrative of limitation. The term diversability shifts the focus to ability, contribution, and value.
This perspective is not about ignoring challenges; it is about recognizing capability. Everyone has strengths and areas of opportunity (as some would call weaknesses), and individuals with diversabilities are no different. In fact, their lived experiences often cultivate resilience, adaptability, and creativity that enrich workplaces and communities.
Why Diversabilities Matter in the Workplace - Inclusive workplaces do not just benefit employees with diversabilities, they benefit everyone as Dustin also shared during his session. Organizations that embrace diversabilities:
- Tap into diverse perspectives that fuel innovation.
- Build cultures of respect and belonging, which strengthen retention and engagement.
- Demonstrate that they value all contributions, creating a workplace where every employee feels “their dignity is intact”.
Shifting from “disability” to “diversability” is not just semantics. It is a leadership decision that can transform culture.
The Human Element of Managing People - As leaders, HR professionals, and managers of people, our role is to create environments where individuals are recognized for their humanity first. When we focus on diversabilities, we are reminded to look at the whole person, not just a diagnosis, label, or limitation.
This aligns with the heart of Transforming the Human in Human Resources®: building workplaces that honor dignity, foster inclusion, and empower every employee to thrive.
Let’s commit to language and practices that elevate, not diminish. By recognizing diversabilities, we acknowledge that our workplaces are stronger, richer, and more innovative when every human difference is seen as an opportunity, not a deficit.
When we honor diversabilities, we don’t just change terminology. We change lives.
Together, we are Transforming the Human in Human Resources® by embracing the human element of managing people.
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