Turning advocacy into action: Meet the first accessibility coordinator at Fairview
Advocacy has always been a part of Tjay Middlebrook’s story. He lost his hearing at a young age and grew up surrounded by generations of family members who were deaf or hard of hearing. That meant he learned sign language – and how to advocate for himself – sitting around the kitchen table.
“We really had to learn how to support ourselves, interpret for ourselves and how to present ourselves in a world that wasn’t always accommodating for us,” he said.
This was well before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted in 1990. That’s when Middlebrook entered community college to study political science and eventually got a master’s in business, cementing his passion for helping those living with disabilities find the resources and support they need. He’s gone on to work for several non-profits and the City of Saint Paul. He then became a program manager for the Deaf, DeafBlind and Hard of Hearing State Services Division of the Department of Health and Human Services in Minnesota.
Now, he joins M Health Fairview as our health system’s first accessibility coordinator. Middlebrook will work with hospitals and clinics providing resources, training and tools for them to accommodate their patients with disabilities. We sat down with Middlebrook to learn why this work matters so much to him.
What does it mean for you to help people with disabilities find the support they need?
I remember working with a college professor who was losing her hearing, and she was terrified of losing her job since she’s required to give presentations. She felt herself being so limited until I helped her find the tools that were out there to help her. I knew about these tools, she didn’t. Seeing someone who has disabilities get the help they need, their world lights up when they realize the door doesn’t have to close on them.
It honestly gives me a sense of peace.
Healthcare is complicated – how will you help people with disabilities navigate the system?
You know, I’ve been a patient in the past when the healthcare system failed me. It can be very frustrating, and it makes the whole process overwhelming. That’s something I’m really looking forward to changing.
Right now, we are taking a comprehensive look at how Fairview accommodates individuals with both visible and invisible disabilities. Really examining the patient journey from start to finish. Everything from scheduling an appointment to making a phone call to checking-in —all the way down to receiving care and being discharged from the hospital.
One hypothetical example of a change we might make is helping clinics and hospitals create accessible wayfinding maps with symbols and voice over prompts to help people find their way around while feeling more independent and comfortable.
When we can identify any gaps – whether it’s education, tools, or workflows – and make our health system more responsive and inclusive for everyone, not only patients with disabilities would benefit from this but all patients as well.
You mentioned invisible disabilities. What does this mean?
It’s easier to see someone in a wheelchair and understand they will need accessible doors and paths, things like that.
But other disabilities are harder to see. Take me, for example: I’m hard of hearing, but I can talk so people sometimes assume that I must not have trouble hearing. But that’s not the case. When I use tools like auto-captioning during online meetings, they’re helpful but not foolproof because the software doesn’t always pick up everyone’s speech precisely.
Another example is someone with a sensory processing disorder. They may appear fine and fully functioning, but internally they could be fighting with this disorder that others can’t see. To help, we just need to start by asking “what do you need?” “How can we support you?” so we can better understand how their disability affects them. We need start including those with invisible disabilities in the conversation because when we don’t, that’s when we fail them.
What’s something you want others to know about the experience of someone living with a disability?
Even though we have our differences, we are still a part of this world.
Accessibility just means we have the same opportunities and tools as everyone else to be successful.
And to those who are living with disabilities, I want them to know that access is on the way. We want to destigmatize these disabilities. The more we can understand what people are going through in their lives, the more empathetic we can be. And more empathy means better care.
