What can my company do to be more disability-friendly?
There are many ways an employer can improve their practices of hiring and supporting people with disabilities.
The two main categories are:
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Improving your internal support for employees with disabilities
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Actively hiring more people with disabilities
This effort is often called a Diversity and Inclusion Program.
Does "diversity" include disability status?
Yes! People with disabilities are minorities.
Their rights to equal treatment have been a struggle for many years, just like the rights of other minority groups.
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Most diversity programs and quotas overlook this hidden group
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This is the only minority group that anyone can join during their lifetime
We’ll go over all of this in more detail, but here is a run-down of possible goals.
Improving internal support:
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Create a culture of acceptance among all employees
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Encourage people with disabilities (PWD)* to feel free to be open about them
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Create supports like flexible work hours to help PWD be more productive
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Offer other accommodations to people who need them (for example, special computer set-ups or desk placement)
Actively hiring more people with disabilities (PWD)
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Adjust your interviewing and hiring practices (not the standards—just the methods!)
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Open your outreach efforts to target PWD
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Become known as a supportive and inclusive place to work
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Partner with agencies to help you to find and accommodate qualified candidates
* Please Note: We may use the abbreviation PWD to mean People With Disabilities.
This is just to streamline the text. You may see this in the literature, but would not use it in conversation.