How to include people with disabilities in your hiring strategy

Long story short: Expand your definition of DEI when it's time to hire

October 15, 2021 10:19 AM

Employers are already thinking ahead to 2022 and what's in store for business. At the top of their list? Expanding the definition of diversity, equality and inclusion to bring employees with disabilities into the fold.

One in four Americans live with a disability that impacts life activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and at least 20% of the adult population is neurodiverse — which commonly refers to individuals with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism. However, this large population is largely unemployed: around 80% of disabled individuals are out of the workforce.

Organizations like Bank of America, DEI consultancy Kanarys, and Ernst and Young are helping employers understand the benefits of hiring disabled employees and ways to change hiring practices and workplace culture to attract and accommodate these groups. The work starts with the job posting and ends when a workplace is truly inclusive for all.

"People who are different aren’t deficient," says Denise Brodey, a senior contributor at Forbes and founder of Rebel Talent, an organization that works to facilitate conversations between neurodiverse people and their company. "The world is diverse for a reason and embracing it from the very beginning, no matter what shape or form it takes, makes it much more enjoyable and workable for everybody."

See more ways employers can include more diversity in their workforce in this week's top stories.

Want real inclusivity? Start hiring more people with disabilities

COVID has unveiled new opportunities for employees to shine and showcase their talents. But employers need to make some big changes if they want to tap into a population of millions of workers ready to contribute: employees with disabilities.

Mandy Price, CEO and co-founder of Kanarys, a DEI consultancy, works with organizations to reveal gaps in their DEI strategies, and then fills them with education and actionable steps to create more inclusive workplaces. Combating stigma and unconscious bias is a major hurdle she often sees in an employer’s hesitancy to bring on more disabled hires, daunted by the potential cost of accommodations.

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Want real inclusivity? Start hiring more people with disabilities

Tap into talent: Ending the underrepresentation of neurodiversity in the workplace

Being inclusive of neurodiversity — which commonly refers to those with ADHD, dyslexia, dyspraxia and autism — can open up an untapped population of employee talent. At least 20% of the adult population is neurodiverse, yet 80% of those who are neurodiverse are unemployed, according to the Harvard Business Review. And with 10 million job openings looking to be filled, these employees are equipped to bring skills and creativity into a workforce that has largely ignored them.

“People who are different aren’t deficient,” says Denise Brodey, a senior contributor at Forbes and founder of Rebel Talent, an organization that works to facilitate conversations between neurodiverse people and their company. “If everybody was average, your company would be doing really poorly.”

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Tap into talent: Ending the underrepresentation of neurodiversity in the workplace

Bank of America is setting the tone in hiring employees with intellectual disabilities

There are a plethora of stereotypes surrounding people with intellectual disabilities and the value they can bring to an organization. There are also plenty of misconceptions about the impact hiring someone with an intellectual disability can have on a company, including high costs for accommodations and exceptions in the way these employees are treated.

The support services team at Bank of America is made up of more than 300 employees, all of whom have an intellectual disability. Alan Price, a Bank of America employee who has an intellectual disability, has been a member of the support services team at Bank of America for almost four years, and is responsible for a number of different projects, including building home equity kits for clients, coding banking documents and entering credit card application information into the company’s system for approval.

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Bank of America is setting the tone in hiring employees with intellectual disabilities

This CEO is helping companies hire top talent within the disability community

Hannah Olson, the founder and CEO of Chronically Capable, launched the digital job platform in 2020 to help connect folks suffering from chronic illness with top employers offering flexible roles. Since, it’s grown to a community of more than 50,000 workers, with employer partners including Hearst, Levi’s and WhatsApp.

In the past year, Chronically Capable has introduced virtual job fairs that have attracted nearly 2,000 attendees and launched a mentorship program to pair 25 community members with industry experts from organizations including Uber, Microsoft and McKinsey. Now, a partnership with the coding bootcamp Flatiron School will help to bring those with chronic illnesses into the tech industry.

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This CEO is helping companies hire top talent within the disability community