Leading Companies in Disability Inclusion are Twice as Profitable
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) occurs every October and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).
This monthly observance dates to 1945. The goal is to shine a spotlight on — and raise awareness about — disability issues in the workplace, including accessibility, hiring, training, advancement and retention.
As President Biden points out in this year’s proclamation for NDEAM:
- “During National Disability Employment Awareness Month, we celebrate the talent, impact, and legacy of people with disabilities across our Nation by working to make our country stronger, more prosperous, and more just. And we recommit to ensuring people with disabilities have every opportunity to pursue the American Dream.”
CEOs across corporate America need to comprehend that disability employment can lead to greater company profitability.
During NDEAM — and every month — companies of all sizes should consider this: People with disabilities represent a vast pool of untapped talent in a competitive global labor force, particularly with the domestic unemployment rate at historically low levels.
According to DOL, “leading companies in disability inclusion” make (watch video):
- 2.6 times more in net income.
- 2 times more in economic profit.
- 1.6 times more in revenue.
Employer Responsibility
If increased profitability is not enough of an incentive for employers to have a disability-friendly workforce, there’s also the issue of voluntary compliance with applicable federal, state and local laws.
Companies are responsible for complying with the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), which prohibits employment discrimination against applicants and workers with disabilities (whether intentional, unintentional or subconscious).
The ADA is enforced by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), where I worked for two decades during my career of federal public service.
But it’s not just the private sector which needs to make improvement in disability employment. Even the federal government has more progress to make in order to be a model workplace.
The ADA — which was passed by bipartisan majorities in Congress — covers both physical and mental disability impairments, the latter of which are often hidden from public view.
Hidden disabilities include depression, anxiety disorder and a host of other mental health issues affecting tens of millions of Americans and their families.
Mental impairments, or psychiatric disabilities, receive even less attention by the business community compared to more obvious physical disabilities.
Demographics
It’s notable that disability cuts across racial, gender, ethnic, religious and age-based lines. There’s no demographic group of citizens which excludes people with disabilities.
More than one in four adults in the United States have some type of disability, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. That accounts for 28.7 percent of the population.
- 13.9 percent of U.S. adults have a cognition disability with serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
- 12.2 percent of U.S. adults have a mobility disability with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
- 7.7 percent of U.S. adults have an independent living disability with difficulty doing errands alone.
- 6.2 percent of U.S. adults are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing
- 5.5 percent of U.S. adults have a vision disability with blindness or serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses.
- 3.6 percent of U.S. adults have a self-care disability with difficulty dressing or bathing.
Too many companies still ignore people with disabilities in the hiring process, despite their proven talent, merit and ability to do the job.
Disability Discrimination
Even progressive employers which hire persons with disabilities may fail to retain, train and advance this overlooked segment of the workforce due to unlawful discrimination.
Employment bias against persons with disabilities is based on myths, fears, stereotypes and other artificial barriers. Corporate America cannot claim to champion workplace diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) on one hand, while ignoring qualified people with disabilities on the other.
Rather, CEOs and corporate executives must recall that DEI always includes disability. You cannot have one without the other. However, the lingering stigma of disability discrimination must change if savvy employers want to maximize the best available talent.
Disability discrimination remains a persistent problem, despite broad efforts by the federal government and disability rights groups to promote voluntary compliance.
Of the more than 80,000 annual charges in U.S. EEOC’s private sector caseload, allegations of disability discrimination accounted for 29,160 in 2023 (fiscal year), or 36% (a percentage which has been steadily rising over the past decade).
Moreover, the EEOC has increasingly been suing private employers — including class action litigation — after finding disability discrimination occurred and being unable to reach a voluntary resolution through mediation and conciliation.
Unfortunately, disability discrimination is still a pervasive problem in the employment context, despite incremental gains over the decades to level the playing field.
The Takeaway
In essence, disability awareness alone is not enough.
The business community should fully embrace proactive prevention of disability discrimination through open communication, community outreach, education and technical assistance to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA,
Disability discrimination against qualified employees and applicants may result in federal government investigations and litigation, in addition to that of private plaintiffs.
This only leads to wasted time, added business costs and negative publicity for employers — all of which can damage the brand image, while jeopardizing bottom line productivity and profits.
Employers must remember that employing people with disabilities and voluntarily complying with the law simply makes good business sense.
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Thank you for this informative and positive article. I enjoyed reading it.