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.

One in four Americans live with a disability that impacts life activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and of that population, just 17.9% are employed, compared to 61.8% of individuals without a disability, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data.

As employers look to ramp up their hiring efforts, grow and execute their diversity initiatives and build an inclusive workforce that works for all, there’s a massive opportunity to tap into the disabled community, says Mandy Price, CEO and co-founder of Kanarys, a DEI consultancy.

“As we talk about a diverse workplace, it’s not just diversity in terms of gender and race, but in terms of disability and a lot of other attributes that make up someone’s identity,” Price says. “Disabilities are nothing to be ashamed about, so we can’t shy away from talking about it in order to help people thrive like any other employee.”

Read more: Want to make more diverse and inclusive hires? Time to think beyond race and gender

At Kanarys, Price 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.

“There are a lot of misconceptions around the cost of accommodation for people with disabilities, versus the benefits that are actually brought on. But 31% of the accommodations cost absolutely nothing, and the rest typically only cost $500 per employee,” Price says. “So there's this perception that the employer is going to have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars and make all of these costly repairs when that's just not true.”

COVID has actually helped overcome this hurdle, since many employees are working from home, an arrangement disabled employees have been requesting from their employers for years, says John Register, a speaker and board member for Kanarys and the American Association of People with Disabilities.

“A lot of the forward thinking that businesses did to adapt during the pandemic were things that people with disabilities have been saying for a very long time,” Register says. “Now everybody's working from home. Everybody has adapted to new technology and new ways of doing things and how we show up.”

Read more: How to create equity among in-person and at-home workers 

With those limitations lessened, disabled employees now have more opportunities open to them — if they know where to look, Price says. Often, a job posting may include language that excludes a disabled individual before they even have a chance to submit their resume.

“Conventional recruiting methods, or the way even interviews are conducted with people with disabilities, often excludes them,” Price says. In her work consulting with other companies, she identifies job postings that list skills that aren’t actually necessary for the job, like lifting heavy objects, or listing time limits on how long an interview will last.

“Sometimes an individual with autism or a different disability needs to have questions provided to them ahead of time, or be given extended time in an interview,” Price says. “There needs to be some tweaks of knowledge and education of HR teams to really be up to date on ensuring that you’re being open.”

John Register, speaker and Kanarys board member

Register says there’s a business payoff to learning these lessons. Employers with more inclusive disability hiring practices report 28% higher revenue and 30% higher profit margins, according to research from Accenture.

“People with disabilities show up, they're more present. They take less sick days and they're more productive and the numbers show that,” Register says. “This really has an economic impact and it adds to your bottom line.”

Still, employers can fall into the trap of using disabled employees as a token of their DEI agenda, an experience Register has had first-hand. As an amputee, Register has committed his career to speaking about disability inclusion, and has implemented DEI programs at many organizations. But when he asked for a director role on one such team, he was passed over.

“I asked for the directorship and I was pushed to the side, and this is what happens within business structures and in the workplace,” he says. “We can’t wait for people to give us power. We can’t wait in line for people to come around. We have to educate and relearn and have the conversation.”

Register says people with disabilities need to see other disabled employees succeeding at their organization, something that can benefit people in management and able-bodied employees, too. Workplace diversity will happen more naturally and people can bring their authentic selves to the table.

“When businesses are able to really allow the talent to show up as they are, your organization takes off,” he says. “The diversity is there, and not just because you’re filling the blanks but because you have the best people there for the job.”