Your workplace will likely have employees with visible or non-visible disabilities, each with different needs. With rampant disability-related biases at work, these persons often shy from revealing them at work. It is no wonder the federal government stepped up to manage these biases.
Every October, the US pays tribute to the accomplishments of specially-abled persons in employment by celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month. This celebration also raises awareness of employment issues specific to persons with disabilities. The effort began in 1945 after Public Law 176 enacted the first week of October as the National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week. Twenty-five years later, Congress extended the week to a month, naming it the National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
With only 21.3% of employed persons in the US alone comprising those with disabilities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employers need to do more to build a disability-inclusive workplace.
9 Steps to Building a Disability-Inclusive Workplace
Building a disability-inclusive workplace goes beyond hiring people with disabilities. The process entails developing long-term strategies and systems supporting an environment for these persons to thrive. The following are 9 steps employers can follow toward building a disability-inclusive workplace.
Provide Physical Accessibility
Post-pandemic, most employees are still working from home. However, this does not qualify remote working as an all-round solution, hence the need for physical accessibility for hybrid and in-person employees.
Standard ways employers can design and modify their facilities to accommodate persons with physical disabilities include:
- Improving lighting and signage
- Widening the doorways
- Accessible restrooms
- Ensuring the sockets are safely accessible
- Providing elevator access and wheelchair ramps
- Accessible parking
- Reducing trip hazards
- Providing accessible workstations, including adjustable desks, seats, and large computer screens
Employers should also define the disability accommodation process and statement to make it easier for their employees to make requests. Sharing this internally with the employees is advisable in case of a current disability or one acquired during their career. An accommodation statement should have phone or email contact methods, and the response on the next steps should be within 24 hours. With a physically accessible space, an organisation demonstrates its commitment to inclusivity, encouraging disabled persons to join them.
Google has its own Disability Accommodations team that is meant to ensure every employee has everything necessary to perform their jobs. The company collaborates to make sure they have developed the right company-wide practices and policies.
Adopt a Person-Centered Approach
A blocked societal design that deprives disabled persons of the opportunity to make decisions on matters impacting them greatly contributes to their loss of independence. Therefore, employers should offer opportunities to listen and gather employee feedback and offer a person-centered approach to addressing their needs. During interviews, employers should discuss the candidate’s needs and whether they can meet them without allowing the limitations to influence whether or not they can hire them.
Northrop Grumman has developed a process to ensure that employees with disabilities receive necessary accommodations, recognising the unique needs of each individual.
Implement Training to Promote Awareness and Education
Another key step towards a disability-inclusive workplace is implementing awareness and educating existing employees. Training workshops and programs will give valuable insights into disability etiquette, awareness, and best practices during interactions. The leadership and management training should be in-depth on handling accommodations and the stigma around employees with disabilities. With the right understanding, you will successfully dismantle biases and misconceptions and create a culture of support and empathy.
Create Accessible Digital Platforms
In the digital world, technological accessibility is key when it comes to inclusion, and employers should strive to provide accessible platforms, assistive technology, and software to help disabled employees remain effective at work. These include captioning services, screen readers, and ergonomic tools. Constant collaboration with the IT department will ensure the selected technologies meet the specific employee needs. In addition, an employer should consider a website accessibility audit to ensure adherence to the guidelines and standards to make sure employees with disabilities can seamlessly interact with your website.
Implement Flexible Work Arrangements
Flexible work arrangements include flexible hours, remote work options, and modified schedules to accommodate employee needs. Employees will be in a better space to manage their conditions through flexible work arrangements while maintaining productivity. Supervisors should also encourage regular and open communication with their employees to ensure customised accommodations.
Offer Policies and Benefits to Support Disabled Workers
Building a disability-inclusive workplace also means engaging in proactive conversations with disabled employees to understand their preferences and needs and implement policies and benefits that support them. These policies include leave policies, accommodations, healthcare, mental health support, and insurance coverage for assistive devices. This way, an employer will create an environment that supports employees’ well-being and success.
Provide Equal Opportunities for Career Development
Career development opportunities are vital to fostering an inclusive workplace. Hence, employers should provide their employees with equal access to mentorship, training, and career advancement, enabling them to reach their full potential. Mentorships are particularly effective, where, as an employer, you can pair a disabled employee with an experienced professional for guidance throughout their journey. Employers should also encourage disabled persons in their organisations to pursue leadership positions for an inclusive leadership team.
Encourage Honest Communication
Creating an inclusive workplace is a journey that constantly evolves towards overcoming new hurdles that pop up every day. Achieving success relies on the vulnerable group, hence the need to encourage feedback from the disabled in your team.
Start by keeping your feedback channels open and create a space where your disabled employees feel comfortable and confident in communicating their concerns and challenges with you. Therefore, whether in a one-on-one meeting or a less formal setting, ensure they understand that your door is always open.
A disability-focused Employee Resource Group is also handy in getting feedback from specially-abled employees and will give them an opportunity to network and get support from those going through similar challenges. Beyond collecting the feedback, ensure you listen to it by making the necessary adjustments and sticking to a purposeful and empathetic inclusivity strategy.
The Procter & Gamble Company strives to embrace digital inclusion and accessibility in the workplace. To promote equal access to communication, they are using subtitles, automatic speech recognition, and audible captioning in software solutions.
Measure Your Inclusion Initiatives
An inclusive workspace is progressive, requiring measurement and evaluation for improvement. Employers should establish performance indicators and metrics to assess their inclusion initiatives. For instance, through feedback mechanisms and regular surveys, employers will get insights into the disabled employees’ experiences and identify the gaps for improvement. Other ways to refine your workplace inclusive strategies include continuous dialogue and seeking input from employees with disabilities.
Embrace Inclusion Year-Round
Building a disability-inclusive workplace is an endeavor that employers should commit to. By creating awareness, accessible technological and physical spaces, providing career development opportunities and flexible schedules, an employer will create a thriving environment for persons with disabilities. Besides benefiting persons with disabilities, an inclusive workplace will enhance overall productivity and give the company a good reputation and organisational culture. Finally, creating a disability-inclusive workplace is an ongoing journey, hence the need for regular measurement and evaluation to ensure you channel your effort towards what works for your current employees.
Author: David Gevorkian – CEO & Founder, Be Accessible Inc
Photo credit: SHVETS production
