Inclusivity is more than just a buzzword. It needs to be a workplace culture complete with supportive structures and benefits. DSV Consulting‘s guest writer Don Lewis explains how you can create a more inclusive culture by providing programs that allow employees with disabilities to feel comfortable and valued in your workplace.
Create an Action Plan for Inclusivity
Offer opportunities like career planning, internship programs, and more. You should also make sure that your website can work with assistive devices, so newly hired employees with disabilities have access to company information.
Budget for reasonable accommodations in the workplace by consulting with a qualified disability consultant who will help you develop reasonable accommodations for your premises and facilities. These are just a few ideas for how an employer can support new hires with disabilities in the workplace.
A great way to communicate your emphasis on inclusivity is by creating a pamphlet for new applicants detailing why employees with disabilities should work for your company and how you’re committed to creating an inclusive culture. You can use an online pamphlet template to design a unique and eye-catching pamphlet. Choose from a variety of templates and then customize it with your own copy, images, and designs. Best of all, you can do all of this for free!
To help better equip yourself with the skills you need in a contemporary workplace, consider returning to school by earning a business bachelor’s degree online. You can choose from a number of specializations to help refine your skills. Best of all, earning a degree is easier than ever with flexible scheduling.
Benefits You Can Offer to Attract Disabled New Hires
It’s crucial that employers understand the needs of those with disabilities when taking on new hires. This is an underserved market and can be a way to attract new talent. There are simple accommodations you can make, like making sure your website is accessible for people who have impaired vision or providing job coaching for applicants with learning differences. Some other ideas to consider include:
- Offer internships for potential employees with disabilities.
- Offer employment opportunities for individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
- Provide reasonable accommodations in the workplace.
- Offer flexible work hours.
Pinnacle suggests not being afraid to think outside of the box to provide a welcoming environment in your company.
Accommodations You Can Provide to Attract Disabled New Hires
The best way to attract a new hire with disabilities is to offer incentives to make your company more appealing. As part of setting a constructive tone as a leader, you’re showing everyone how to create positive change from the inside-out. If you want to appeal to someone with ADHD, for example, consider open and flexible office spaces, which offer good options for those who need extra stimulation.
For people with dyslexia, include some color coding for different areas and provide plenty of opportunity for collaboration. And for those who have hearing or visual impairments, provide video conferencing-based work programs so they can work remotely. Other good practices include:
- Creating a more inclusive culture, as CIO magazine points out.
- Making sure the website can work with assistive devices.
- Offering career planning opportunities.
- Creating internship programs for those with disabilities.
- Budgeting for reasonable accommodations in the workplace.
- Ensure workplace safety by removing potential hazards.
- Revamping recruitment process.
Moreover, you can gain a considerable advantage over other companies in your industry by welcoming applicants who might have been previously excluded from these businesses.
Teaching Others How to be Inclusive
Often, people do not adopt inclusive practices because they are not aware of how inaccessible things are. Help your entire business to understand how to be inclusive in language, technology, and physical environment. This does not mean pointing out the person with disabilities in the room and making them your example. It means fostering a culture of learning, accepting, and growing. Look into training you can offer your employees to increase their awareness and to further your inclusive practices.
This group think and communication can be actively conveyed by scheduling walking meetings. As Iowa State University notes, “a walking meeting serves as a time and space to inform, collaborate, discuss, and plan along with a few added benefits.
This alternative approach incorporates movement into the workplace, promotes healthy lifestyles, connects people, and enhances productivity.” And if the area around your workplace is conducive to taking strolls and has a high Walk Score, all the better! Try adding some walking meetings to your weekly routine.
Many members of the disabled community are eager to work. Increased awareness of disability, and an increase in accessible technologies are bringing more of this valuable population to the workforce. Embrace this change and take the time to learn more about how to make your business inclusive.
About Don Lewis
Don Lewis created Ability Labs to help family members of people with disabilities. When Don’s son, Randy, was a junior in college he was in a terrible motorcycle accident and suffered severe head trauma among many other injuries. Randy’s physical and cognitive abilities changed, but he’s still Don’s favorite person in the world. Through Randy’s journey, Don has learned a lot about how different life is for people who are differently-abled. Don believes that everyone is special and no one should be defined by their unique abilities. He hopes Ability Labs will inspire others to promote or even adopt this way of thinking.
About DSV Consulting LLC
DSV Consulting LLC is a management consulting and merchant banking firm dedicated to helping emerging businesses achieve their growth goals. Our team has over 45 years of experience working with businesses across a variety of industries, including custom software development, training, merchant banking, private equity, and oil & gas.
Our management consulting services are tailored to each client’s specific needs and are designed to provide long-term value. Our merchant banking services draw on our extensive network of professionals in fields such as accounting, auditing, and securities law to provide comprehensive support to our clients.
In addition to our core services, we also offer fundraising support for almost every project we work on. If you’re an emerging business looking for support in achieving your growth goals, we’d love to help. Contact us today to learn more.