When you are new to all things disability inclusion, it can be a challenge to find your starting point. There are so many questions: what are the best practices? Which policies should you establish? Are there examples? This article provides a brief introduction to disability inclusion strategies.
The organization Be You summed up disability inclusion as "the appreciation that everyone is unique, no matter their abilities." Through disability inclusion, people respect those with disabilities and give them the support they need to thrive.
Disability inclusive companies will integrate people with disabilities, differences, and diverse needs into the company culture. They succeed by implementing reflective practices and policies.
Disability inclusion requires training, collaboration, mentorship, executive-level support, a method to measure improvement, and a culture built to evolve and incorporate the lived experience of others.
Organizations that work to adopt inclusion without training are essentially waving the white flag before the first shot. At the end of the day, if staff does not know what steps need to be taken to accomplish the organization's objectives, the initiative will fail. A significant first step is to incorporate inclusion training, which can encompass people-first language, disability etiquette, and accessible customer service, etc., into existing employee training programs and orientation for new members.
Secondly, invest in the workforce. Great companies do this, understand the benefits, and often never look back. This can look like mentoring programs or continuing education initiatives.
Organizations should also develop processes to ensure that accommodations and assistive technologies are available as needed. Consider creating employee resource groups to incorporate unique lived experiences into company policies and initiatives. And don't be afraid to be transparent with both wins and losses throughout implementation − ultimately, it's the only way the organization can collectively grow.
Finally, having the ability to measure success is critical. Without objective and measurable milestones baked into the initiative, organizations are ultimately (still) only "striving" for an aspirational idea. This can mean many things, but at a minimum, adherence to the Americans with Disabilities Act, creating opportunities for dialogue, making sure all workspaces and tools are accessible, and ensuring employees with disabilities have access to the same opportunities as those without disabilities is critical.
Organizations should also establish policies that support the initiative, which may include EEO, Non-Discrimination and Harassment Policy, Complaints and Grievance Process, and an Accessibility Policy (which should demonstrate the organization's commitment to accessibility).
Movie theater group AMC developed the FOCUS (Furthering Opportunities, Cultivating Untapped Strengths) program to hire people with disabilities. The corporation worked with experts in the academic, disability rights, and job creation fields to create a disability-tailored hiring process. Accommodations such as modified applications, longer training timelines, and "visually simplified" job ads allowed the theater giant to double its number of employees with disabilities.
IBM created a fund specifically to finance reasonable accommodations. They also made baseline standards for their product accessibility and a mandate to assess that accessibility continually. In addition, the company created an app that enables employers to request job accommodations.
UPS Air Group created the Coalition for Workforce Diversity, which works with companies and agencies to hire and retain people with disabilities. They also created a Coalition Steering Committee, in which senior leadership ensures that the coalition works smoothly. The company established a resource group for employees with disabilities, and they used agency employee referral programs and agency assistance with hiring processes and disability sensitivity training. At one point, disability nonprofit Harbor House awarded UPS the distinction of "Employee of the Year."
Start small, build on your momentum, and continuously incorporate feedback from all employees. Consider adopting models for accessibility to measure your success along the way. And remember, inclusion is a journey, not a destination.