By Beth Butler, Executive Director, Disability:IN North Carolina
As the Executive Director of Disability:IN North Carolina I am proud to share with you that on October 29th, 2018, Accenture, in partnership with Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) published a groundbreaking report that confirms companies that are inclusive of talent with disabilities outperform their peers. FINALLY, a report that confirms the business case many of our member companies have experienced for years.
The study reveals four key actions that organizations can take to attract, hire, retain and advance diverse talent:
- Employ: Organizations must ensure that persons with disabilities are represented in their workplace. Beyond hiring, employers should implement practices that encourage and progress persons with disabilities.
- Enable: Leaders must provide employees with disabilities with accessible tools and technology and/or a formal accommodations program.
- Engage: To foster an inclusive culture, organizations must generate awareness-building — through recruitment efforts, disability education programs and grassroots-led efforts (for example, an employee resource group).
- Empower: Organizations must create empowering environments for employees with disabilities through mentoring and coaching initiatives, as well as through skilling/re-skilling programs, to ensure that they continue to advance and thrive.
This research further validates that companies leveraging the DEI have also achieved significant performance improvements. It’s time for more companies to use this tool to their advantage. Please read the report and share it with your networks: www.accenture.com/pwd.
One question remains, “Are you IN?” Join us in 2019 as a member/sponsor of Disability:IN North Carolina and begin the journey to disability inclusion for all!!