Disability pride month is coming. How would you rate your organisation for disability inclusion?

In today’s volatile business climate, diversity and inclusion have become cornerstones of corporate responsibility and competitive advantage. Yet, when we have reviewed diversity equity and inclusion plans and policies, we often find that disability inclusion is often overlooked, or it is a footnote in the plan without any funding identified.

That said many organisations have begun their disability inclusion movement by:

• Initiating employee reference groups
• Conducting culture audits
• Seeking feedback from their stakeholders.

But… diversity, inclusion and equity is more than demographic data and statistics, it’s the “firsthand experiences” of your employees and customers. It’s the feeling of “I belong’ and “I am welcome here”. And this is where it gets tricky.

Disability Pride Month is coming up in July. This doesn’t tend to garner a lot of attention in Australia, but it does provide an excellent opportunity to fully understand where you are in your disability inclusion journey and plan your next step.

Click the link below and spend 3 minutes identifying where you are currently at or better yet, get your boss to also complete it to see if you are on the same page with your strengths and weaknesses.

How inclusive is your business for people with disability? (scoreapp.com)

Summary of our visit to the Impact Australian Disability Network Conference

Supporting Potential were privileged to meet so many passionate disability inclusion allies at Impact 2024, hosted by the Australian Disability Network. The conversations with this group were passionate, robust and itching to make positive action but many acknowledged that it was difficult to get their broader organisation invested in the drive for change. One of the fabulous presenters, Caroline Casey, Founder of the Valuable 500, suggested that to get change you need to follow the money.

• The disability dollar is largely an untapped market in Australia. We know that products and services designed with accessibility in mind, not only appeal to consumers with disabilities but also improve usability for all consumers. This universal design approach can lead to product innovations that differentiate your brand in the marketplace.
• Inclusive companies often report higher employee satisfaction and lower turnover rates. Employees in an inclusive environment feel valued and are more likely to remain with a company long-term.
• Many leaders also understand that demonstrating commitment to diversity and inclusion enhances your company’s reputation, aligning your brand with social responsibility and ethical practices that are increasingly important to consumers, investors, and partners.
• Organisations are often eligible for tax incentives, grants, or subsidies for companies that hire people with disabilities and invest in creating accessible environments. Additional funding is often available to support training programs and to adapt workplaces to be more inclusive, offsetting initial costs.

Supporting Potential has reviewed the Australian websites of over 250 public and private organisations. Over 150 of those organisations didn’t have a specific Disability Inclusion Action Plan (or alternative disability specific positive action documents of a different name). Of the 100 private Australian organisations, 33 didn’t even have a publicly available diversity and inclusion plan. Some of our observations include:

• A single statement on websites talking about how important inclusivity and accessibility is
• Selective focus areas such as women, pride or reconciliation. Very rarely does disability take centre stage.
• Often diversity and inclusion is hidden deep in the dark depths of a website and takes lots of looking and mouse clicks.

For those organisations beginning their disability inclusion journey, our suggestion is to start with the endpoint, not a broad, wishy-washy statement, such as:

• We want people of ‘all abilities’ to feel included and valued.
• We embrace diversity and strive to create conditions that provide everyone with an equal opportunity to thrive.
• “Make diversity, equity, and inclusion part of everything we do—from how we build our products to how we build our workforce.”

Firstly, they scream ‘tokenism’, but my main focus with these disappointing inclusion statements is:

Based on what agreed-upon metrics? Based on what agreed upon timeframes? Based on who’s version of success?

Start small and appreciate where you are at now. Build tangible action items. Learn from Simon Sinek, Disability inclusion should be viewed as an infinite game, defined as “known and unknown players, the rules are changeable, and the objective is not to win—the objective is to keep playing, keep perpetuating the game”.

Our recommendations to start your disability inclusion journey. Start small but start public.

What are three definitive actions you can accomplish in the next quarter? It might be:

• Write and publish a reasonable adjustments policy, then track the data.
• Start telling people in your job ad what the recruitment process looks like so they can understand if they will require an adjustment.
• Implement a guaranteed interview process for those that request reasonable accommodations.
• Survey people with disability on how your organisation could better serve them.
• Conduct an independent disability inclusive review to pinpoint your baseline and highlight your easy opportunities to make great progress.
• Initiate role specific training about how to support disability inclusion.
• Conduct leadership training on identifying and managing common attitudinal barriers to success with inclusion objectives.
• Get support to build a systematic approach to understanding your current situation, the desired future, in line with your organisational strategic plan, and then the tangible strategies to bridge the gap between the two

Investing in disability inclusion is your key mechanism to enhancing your resilient, adaptive, and innovative company.

You will stand out, not just for what you sell, but for commitment to making a positive impact on the world. Join us in leading the change toward a more inclusive everyday experience, where disability is not a barrier but a valued perspective that drives us forward.

Let’s discuss how we can transform your business through the power of inclusion. Contact us today to start your journey towards becoming a leader in disability inclusion Contact – Supporting Potential

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