Companies have many reasons for becoming more disability-friendly.
Reasons include:
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Supporting the culture in the company (which leads to happier more productive employees)
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Supporting diversity and inclusion goals or corporate responsibility strategy (part of overall company goals)
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It supports the company's public image (which attracts both talent and customers)
But these figures might surprise you:
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57% of organizations in the study by the Institute for Corporate Productivity hired people with intellectual disabilities because they found good talent matches for open positions. Companies that hire for this reason are more likely to be "high-performing".
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43% stated that their reason for hiring people with disabilities was that it"produces measurable or observable business benefits."
How does this translate into your goals?
Your goal may be to find a certain type of hard-to-find talent, to start the process by hiring one person with a developmental disability, or to improve corporate culture or image. Either way, it's helpful to articulate your reasons along with your goals. And if you start with your company's overall needs and goals, that can inform your diversity and inclusion efforts.
As you know, any policy is more likely to be effective if it's aligned with your company's goals.
Here's what you can do:
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Click to open this Sample Needs Self-Assessment Form. It will walk you through some things to think about to help identify and articulate your goals.
Sources: Employing People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Institute for Corporate Productivity, Disability Employment and Inclusion: Your Guide to Success, Workplace Initiative