Understand Disabilities in the Workforce

Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you’ll be able to:

Describe different populations within the disability community.
Name three things companies can do to create a welcoming environment for employees with disabilities.
Explain why it benefits businesses to ensure disability considerations are part of their equality strategy.

Introduction

Think of the last time you transitioned jobs. The process was likely exciting as you anticipated your new role. But chances are, it also came with a bit of anticipatory nerves, emotions, and perhaps even feelings of overwhelm or imposter syndrome.

Now, imagine you went through that job transition without being able to clearly communicate with your hiring manager. Or imagine that during the interview process, you had no way of actually getting to the office for a team meet-and-greet. These are the types of situations people with disabilities deal with every day when transitioning jobs. Other examples include when an interview is conducted on a video conferencing service that doesn’t support closed captioning, or when an office building isn’t properly equipped for people who use wheelchairs.

Populations Within the Disability Community

Before we dive into ways to make the work environment more welcoming and accessible to all, let’s start by talking about different populations within the disability community. It’s important to note that these are simply general groupings to help contextualize our discussion, but that no two people have the same lived experience.

Every disability can be represented on a spectrum, and people’s experiences and choices vary within those. For instance, one person who is deaf might prefer to lip read, another might use adaptive devices, and another might prefer strictly to use sign language. When engaging with people with disabilities, it’s important to seek to communicate with them in a way that aligns with their preferences and their specific experiences.

In general, disability communities include (but are certainly not limited to):

Sensory disabilities, such as blindness or hard of hearing
Speech disabilities, such as articulation or aphasia
Mobility, and body structure disabilities, such as ambulation or fine motor control
Cognitive disabilities, such as dyslexia or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Seizure disabilities, such as photosensitive epilepsy
Psychological and psychiatric disabilities, such as depression and anxiety (can sometimes be non-apparent)
Chronic Illness, which can impact a person’s energy levels, balance, and other functions, and may require adjustments to the working day, travel schedules, and time in office.

By reimagining your workplace culture to include these communities, you’ll help ensure that all employees are able to fully represent themselves at work, and you’ll benefit your company.

Create a More Welcoming Environment

When you design your workspaces with accessibility for all in mind from the start, you ensure that everyone has the same opportunity to bring their best selves to work.

Note: As we explore the following best practices, we’re speaking from an US centric perspective. Every country approaches accessibility differently, so be sure to also seek out educational resources in your own country if you work outside the United States.

A woman sits behind a desk, interviewing a young man holding a cane.

One of the worst things you can do is simply assume that someone wants assistance, just because they might appear to have a disability. To better know when and how to assist, consider asking questions such as, “Let me know if you need anything,” or better yet, “Will you need any assistance or accommodations?”.

Here are a few things to be mindful of when engaging with people in different disability communities.

Individuals with Mobility and Body Structure Disabilities

Make sure not to touch a person’s mobility equipment.
Be considerate about physical contact, especially if there’s possible pain, balance, or post-traumatic stress issues.
Direct your conversation to the person, rather than to an assistant, interpreter, or companion.
Pull up a chair to sit at eye level with the person, if it’s natural.

Individuals Who are Blind or Low Vision

If possible, verbally identify yourself, and acknowledge when you leave a conversation or the room.
If you’re serving as a sighted guide, offer your arm or shoulder to the person, rather than grabbing on or pushing. Describe the setting and environment.
Don’t pet or talk to service animals. If you like, ask the person if there is a time you may interact with the animal.
Offer to read information, if the timing feels natural.

Individuals Who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

Make sure to have the person’s attention before beginning to speak to them. For instance, you might use a hand signal or gentle touch on their arm.
Whenever possible, speak directly to the person, rather than to the interpreter if they use one. Keep your eyes on the individual when they’re responding to you.
If possible, maintain eye contact and speak in normal tones. (Shouting doesn’t help and can actually make it more difficult to lip read.)

Individuals Who have Speech Disabilities

Ask the person to repeat what they said if you’re having trouble understanding.
Be patient, resist the urge to finish the person’s sentences or speak for them, even if you feel like you’re helping.
If you’re still not able to understand what they’re saying, explain that the conversation isn’t working and suggest a new method of communication, such as writing.

Individuals Who have Non-Apparent Disabilities

If you sense that something is off in a conversation, try to be mindful that the person could also have a non-apparent disability such as a mental health disability, cognitive or learning disability, autism spectrum, mild hearing loss, ADD/ADHD, or post-traumatic stress. To be accommodating, try moving the conversation to a quiet area, finding a way to rephrase what you said, or change the pace of your conversation. You can also ask people about their preferred method of communication, in order to accommodate any needs in this area.

Business Benefits

Having disability considerations as part of your efforts to provide equal opportunities and experiences for all is just good business. The disability community is large and likely already part of your workforce and candidate pool, so you need to plan ahead to ensure everyone has equal opportunities to succeed, thrive, and do the best work of their careers. In addition, maintaining fair, consistent, and accessible hiring processes keeps you compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) hiring laws. (This is, again, US-specific; be sure to research and adhere to any hiring laws in your own country.)

At Salesforce, we believe that creating a workplace that works better for everyone is a critical step in delivering our higher purpose to drive Equality for All. That’s why it’s so important that everyone understands how to create equal and welcoming work environments that employees and candidates with disabilities can fully participate in—especially with more people working remotely than ever before.

In the next unit, we cover how to identify and remove barriers to accessibility.

Time Estimate

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