Part 2/6:
One leader recounted how, for the first time in an open forum, they openly discussed having a family member with an intellectual disability. Previously, such topics were often considered private or "kept in the closet," reflective of societal stigmas surrounding disability. This particular leader hails from a city in the northern region and revealed that sharing this aspect of their personal life marked a significant shift in their comfort level and how they perceived and interacted with their family member. By normalizing conversations about disability at work, they experienced a profound change in the way colleagues and the leader themselves talked about, socialized around, and saw the person with the disability—moving from silence and stigma toward understanding and acceptance.