IN PLAY: Chad E. Turner, MS

Chad E. Turner, MS, has a unique superpower that most accounting and finance professionals don’t. That’s because Turner, who serves as director and global head of account analysis product in Global Transaction Services at Bank of America, was diagnosed with a hearing disability at age seven, giving him one of his greatest strengths.

“I never saw my hearing loss as a weakness—it’s made me better at what I do,” Turner says. “I think that’s why accounting was a good fit for me, you have to ask a lot of questions, and I’ve been doing that since I was very young because of my hearing disability.”

In school, Turner always had to sit at the front of the class so he could hear better. “I would hear things that my classmates missed because I had to pay more attention than them,” Turner explains. “I was always raising my hand for clarification. In fact, some classmates would say ‘I’m glad you asked that because I wouldn’t have thought to ask that question.’”

As a person with a disability, Turner also says his experiences have afforded him the ability to be a more empathetic professional. “Within the disability community, you recognize that there’s no one definition for disability. Every disability is different, and every person with a disability has a different experience,” Turner explains. “My own experiences have helped me appreciate these differences and recognize those differences whether I’m dealing with clients, coworkers, or others in the profession.”

Of course, Turner’s hearing disability has come with challenges, some of which came early in his career at a time when technological support was limited. While working for PwC, Turner recalls a specific moment with his phone. “I was very discouraged after being on a lot on conference calls that day—I couldn’t hear what the other people were saying and kept asking them to repeat themselves. So, that night I went home, found a headset with a volume switch and attached it to my office phone.”

Turner would soon learn, however, that his problem with the phone wasn’t as unique to his disability as he originally thought. The next day, he found three people at his desk using his phone. “It turned out that nobody else could hear either, but nobody said anything about it. Within a week, everyone in the office had volume switches,” Turner laughs. “I’ve learned throughout my career that if you have an issue, whether you have a disability or not, speak up—chances are, you’re not the only one.”

For Turner, his ability to speak up and advocate for change goes well beyond his own experience. Throughout his professional career, Turner has served as a board member for numerous nonprofit organizations that serve the disability community, including Access Living of Metro Chicago and Disability LEAD. He’s also served on a task force for the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago to help update disability guidelines and increase outreach to the disability community, and he served as a governing member ambassador for the Chicago Zoological Society, helping the Brookfield Zoo make changes to their exhibits and programs and increase outreach.

At Bank of America, Turner serves as one of the tri-chairs of the business resource group (BRG), Disability Action Network (DAN), where he’s able to speak to different groups about the resources that are available for people with disabilities and help them network with other organizations and businesses.

Turner says that BRGs, like DAN, are a great way for organizations to help and empower people in the disability community, but stresses that they only go part of the way. “The real key is to focus on the person, not the disability. Organizations need to recognize that everyone’s skill set is different,” Turner says. “People with disabilities bring a very strong set of skills and work ethic to the table. They show that through their actions and by working hard. I’ve met with people with disabilities whose efforts to just get into the office are more work than most people do all day.”

Yet, despite these day-to-day challenges, Turner encourages others like him to see their disability as a superpower. “Harness that power and energy into what you’ve learned. Don’t be afraid to ask for help and ask questions. I’ll bet you 99% of the time that question hasn’t been asked and you’ll untangle something—you never know where those questions will lead you.”

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