Addressing Ableism and Building a More Inclusive Workplace
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, a month dedicated to celebrating the contributions of people with disabilities in the workforce and promoting disability inclusion. One in four people in the US has an ADA-defined disability, meaning each person currently employed likely has colleagues with disabilities and regularly provides services for people with disabilities. Aging also increases disabilities as members of the workforce age and adapt. As an organization working every day to help job seekers with disabilities not only secure employment but also long-lasting careers in their field of interest, we see the barriers to employment firsthand. Disability inclusion is an essential step toward equal employment, but we will not get there without addressing the most significant systemic barrier to employment: ableism.
What is ableism? Ableism is a system of advantage and discrimination based on ability or perceived ability. The impacts of ableism on disabled employees and job seekers come in various forms, and often, employers are unaware of ableism in their workplace and the barriers it creates for their employees and the overall success of their work.
To help address ableism in the workplace and ensure equity and opportunity for employees with disabilities, let’s look at three action steps workplaces can take to challenge ableism, increase accessibility, and build an inclusive workplace for all.
Ensure you have an updated Reasonable Accommodations Policy & Procedure. This goes beyond having a policy that merely checks the legal boxes to one that ensures equity in the request process. Many workplaces have no policy or an out-of-date one. For those who do have one, there are often unnecessary barriers built into the reasonable accommodation request procedure that make receiving requests more difficult and time-consuming. For example, requesting medical documentation to confirm an individual’s disability. We encourage workplaces to ensure they have an up-to-date policy and procedure that makes the process equitable and removes as many barriers as possible. Fun fact: Did you know that over 50% of workplace accommodations cost zero dollars? In many workplaces, the fear of accommodation costs prevents accommodations from being openly discussed or encouraged.
Provide training on ableism and disability inclusion for employees. Whether this is training employees to help customers and clients with disabilities or providing managers with the tools to support employees with disabilities, these trainings can boost understanding, teamwork, and outcomes beyond the immediate intended impacts. Did you know that workplaces that provide disability inclusion and ableism training to their employees see higher employee retention and revenue? Providing education on disability inclusion can help your workplace excel in all areas.
Complete an accessibility audit. The first step to increasing accessibility and inclusion for employees with disabilities is understanding what accessibility already exists. Many employers might not realize how much accessibility is already incorporated into their workplace, so this can be a valuable way to identify next steps. Remember, creating a workplace focused on disability access fosters a more inclusive and welcoming environment for everyone, similar to the curb-cut effect. The curb-cut effect describes how curb cuts were added to sidewalks to improve access for wheelchair users; however, society quickly recognized that this feature benefited others beyond wheelchair users, such as parents with strollers, delivery drivers with dollies, and travelers with roller luggage. The curb-cut effect applies to all areas of disability access, meaning knowing where to start your accessibility efforts can increase access for everyone in your workplace!
We know that building a disability inclusive and accessible workplace can feel overwhelming and knowing where to start can be difficult. Our hope is that this blog post has given you tangible next steps in your inclusion journey. To learn more about disability inclusion, ableism, and accessibility in the workplace, click here to learn more about EPIC’s Training & Consulting work.