“…although huge progress has been made towards equality across boundaries of gender, race and sexual orientation, one aspect of D&I is too often neglected: disability.” (Do Your D&I Efforts Include People with Disabilities?)
Today is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Outside of my role as Co-founder at Peeplcoach, I have the privilege of chairing the board of WATCH Disability Services. Today’s focus on persons with disabilities has me reflecting on all the leaders who receive coaching and leadership development from Peeplcoach, and whether we give adequate consideration to persons with disabilities in diversity and inclusion programs.
I would strongly suggest that the answer is simple: we do not.
In fact, research indicates that “although 90% of companies claim to prioritise diversity, only 4% consider disability in those initiatives.”
So, here are my thoughts on what might lie behind these numbers and why we, as business leaders, often overlook persons with disabilities:
- No voice (or a quieter one): Many disabilities reduce or eliminate the ability for someone to ‘have their say’ or ‘put their best foot forward’ compared to other employees or candidates.
- Changes: In some cases, organisations will need to make changes to the physical workplace or business systems and processes to include a person with a disability as a team member. Such changes may require investments of time and cost, such as adding wheelchair access.
- False assumptions and generalisations: Leaders may falsely assume or conclude certain limitations about a person with a disability.
- For example, an employer might incorrectly assume a candidate’s cognitive functioning is impaired due to observing a physical disability.
- We may also falsely assume that a candidate does not have a disability when it is not visible or disclosed.
These three reasons for excluding persons with disabilities in our diversity and inclusion programs are not a complete list. They are my reflections and observations from my career in leadership, coaching, and limited involvement in the disability services sector.
SO WHAT?
If you are a business leader at any level, there are two reasons why I believe this topic deserves your attention and action:
- It is the right thing to do. We rightly focus on various groups in society that are systemically disadvantaged and/or under-represented to ensure they receive fairer support. The numbers suggest that persons with disabilities may need this support the most (based on the 4% consideration figure referenced above).
- Talent attraction and retention. The cost of hiring and retaining the brightest talent in organisations is a consistent theme discussed by leaders in our coaching programs. Your team could benefit significantly by considering talented candidates with disabilities. Additionally, talent retention could be enhanced as the wider employee base perceives the company more positively for doing the right thing.
Today, as you review your talent pipeline, succession planning, and recruitment needs, ask yourself: have you considered all candidates or employees objectively and equally, or only those who are “more like you”?
