In Episode 6 of The Accessibility Ally Podcast, Corrie chats with Liza Arnason, founder of ASE: the Community Foundation for Black Canadians with Disabilities. Together, they unpack the complex ways ableism shows up, especially when layered with racism, sexism, and other forms of systemic oppression.
They explore the importance of using an intersectional lens when talking about disability justice. Intersectionality means recognizing that people experience disability differently depending on parts of their identity, like race, gender, class, and sexuality. These overlapping experiences shape what kinds of barriers people face—and what kind of support they need.
People with disabilities already face challenges in getting hired and promoted. Add in being a woman, and the chances drop further. Now add race, and suddenly, many people are not even considered. In some cases, Black women with invisible disabilities report not being believed when they disclose their disability, or being told they don’t “seem disabled.” Black women also face stereotypes such as being perceived as aggressive or “loud”, when in fact other non-racialized coworkers will express themselves the same way and are not given the same labels. Layering these stereotypes, along with having a disability, lead to many missed opportunities, and continued under representation in the workplace.
Many people with disabilities turn to business ownership out of necessity, however they often struggle to get access to loans, grants, and mentorship. Traditional business programs don’t always meet people where they’re at, especially if they need accommodations or come from marginalized communities. There’s also a lack of support for those running social enterprises or community-based projects, which are common among disabled entrepreneurs.
Throughout the episode, Liza highlights the emotional weight of constantly having to “prove you belong.” Whether it’s being left out of leadership, underpaid for equal work, or tokenized on diversity committees, the pressure of always being evaluated is draining. The word ‘tokenize’ in this context means being chosen to be apart of something specifically for the colour of your skin. Black women and men are often tokenized when they are asked to be apart of something just for how they look, usually to meet a diversity requirement for a decision-making group.
How can allies help?
Corrie and Liza talk about the importance of taking action; using your voice when others are being excluded even if you’re not directly affected. It means speaking up when intersectional perspectives are missing. And it means letting go of the fear of “getting it wrong.” Mistakes are part of learning. What matters most is the willingness to listen, reflect, and keep showing up.
Liza challenges organizations to look inward. Who’s leading? Who’s at the table? Who’s missing—and why? Disability justice isn’t just about policies or checklists. It’s about shifting culture, redistributing power, and valuing lived experience, especially from those most often left out.
To build a truly inclusive future, we need to move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions and create space for the full spectrum of human experience.
What to take away?
Humans all have complex experiences in life, and intersectionality is an important way to understand the barriers people in your workplace may be facing.
Here is what you can do:
Personal (Individual Awareness + Reflection):
Educate Yourself Regularly
Read about ableism, racism, and other systems of oppression—especially through an intersectional lens. Prioritize works by Black disabled thinkers and activists.
Interpersonal (Relational + Team-Based Actions):
Start Conversations
Bring up intersectionality, disability justice, and accessibility in team meetings and informal chats. Normalize these conversations.
Structural (Policy + Culture + Power-Shifting):
Offer Ongoing Accessibility Training
Regularly train your team on accessibility, ableism, and intersectionality—not as a one-off, but as a part of your culture.
Head to the Resource Hub to watch a video about how intersectionality helps businesses thrive.