Worldwide Business with kathy ireland®
March 12, 2021
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Around age three, Kruti’s mother noticed that Kruti was not responding to very soft sounds, which resulted in consulting an ENT specialist. Shah was formally diagnosed with mild to moderate hearing loss. Shah was recommended to not wear hearing aids, as this loss could be compensated by lip reading and sitting in the first row in classes. Moreover, due to concerns with the stigma associated with wearing visible bulky hearing aids, the provider’s concerns resulted in bullying and alienation on Shah’s psychological, social and emotional well-being.
At age sixteen, Shah was fitted for hearing aids and noticed a huge positive change in her communication. Shah was thrilled that she did not have to work as hard as before to focus in class and communication with others.
Shah was working at an academic health system as a hospital pharmacist and during the COVID- 19 pandemic, when mask use became a necessity. She found herself struggling to hear patients and colleagues. During Disabilities Employee Resource Group (DERG), a few of the other employees brought up the challenges with communication due to masking. The members of the deaf/hard of hearing community at RUSH collectively advocated to acquire clear masks, which happened to be the Communicator™ Mask.
Shah’s biggest strength is to be inclusive, as described by her friends and colleagues, and she owes that strength to being hard of hearing. Due to her own experience of feeling excluded at times when growing up, she is a strong advocate for being inclusive, so no one must go through what Shah went through as a child.
“As a pharmacist, woman, mom, and proudly disabled person, you will see me advocating for making our healthcare equitable, education more accessible, workplaces more inclusive, and celebrating disability as diversity,” said Shah. Kruti can be seen speaking at conferences, on the YouTube channel of Breaking Barriers with RK, Docs with Disabilities Podcast, or marching with disabled community, all of these actions to normalize, embrace and celebrate disability for the future generations to come.
Shah wants others to know that it is AWESOME to be different! Take time to learn about your intersectionality and how your unique experiences make you who you are. Life is about learning to take pride in your identity as well as being open and aware of others’ intersectionality.
There is a power in belonging to a community! Shah is grateful to be a part of DERG at RUSH, Disability Lead, AMPHL, Docs with Disabilities team, DEIA committee of Illinois Council of Health Systems Pharmacy, and DEIA communities of healthcare. These professional communities helped her embrace her identity and make her a disability advocate. Shah hopes to break down barriers to normalize disability of all kinds, and to foster belonging and authentic conversations.
For other features about Kruti Shah, see the links below.
OpEd in Newsweek:
https://www.newsweek.com/beyond-awarenessact-power-disability-inclusion-opinion-1785223
https://www.rush.edu/news/making-communication-clearer-during-covid-19
Impact of Inclusion on Mental Wellness written by Kruit Shah:
As a clinical operations pharmacist, I take pride in being an integral part of the interprofessional healthcare team, playing a vital role in managing the medication therapies of patients. However, exactly 3 years ago, when the global pandemic hit, a national state of emergency was declared and a universal mask mandate went into effect, I, having hearing loss, felt anxious, traumatized, and vulnerable doing my job as a pharmacist. Masks, although important for public safety, became a barrier to reading lips and facial expressions, which are crucial components of processing auditory information, especially in those who are hard of hearing or deaf. I found myself at a huge disadvantage compared to others in my team who were fully hearing. The muffled sound of a person speaking behind the mask left me feeling unintentionally excluded and isolated. It felt unfair, frustrating, and exhausting day in and day out to guess and second- guess what I was hearing in a conversation. Channelizing this energy into advocacy for clear masks proved to be successful when 9 months later, we finally had access to clear masks. Clear masks became a tool that gave communication access to employees, patients, and visitors with hearing disabilities making them feel valued, respected and included. This is just one example, among many, where RUSH strives to provide an accessible platform for individuals to thrive.
Incorporating disability in diversity ensures inclusion and belonging. Together we can prioritize inclusion and mental wellness.
