Memo to CEOs: Leading Companies in Disability Inclusion Are Twice as Profitable

As the USA observes National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), CEOs and C-Suite executives 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 important factor when hiring workers:

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 the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL): “Leading companies in disability inclusion” make:

2.6 times more in net income.
2 times more in economic profit.
1.6 times more in revenue.

NDEAM occurs every October and is sponsored by DOL’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). This monthly observance dates back to 1945. The 2024 theme is: “Access to Good Jobs for All.”

The goal of NDEAM is to shine a spotlight on, and raise awareness about, disability issues in the workplace to foster diversity and inclusion.

Some of the issues highlighted during this monthly observance are accessibility, hiring, training, advancement and retention of employees with disability impairments.

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.”

“We recommit to ensuring people with disabilities have every opportunity to pursue the American Dream.” — President Biden

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.

In addition to private sector companies, the federal government likewise needs to make improvements in disability employment if it wants to be a model employer.

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 disability impairments receive even less attention by the business community than physical disability impairments which are more obvious.

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 (CDC).

People with disabilities account for about 61 million people or 28.7 percent of the U.S. population, says the CDC.

The CDC highlights the following breakdown of people with disabilities:

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, 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.

CEOs and corporate executives must recall that workforce diversity always includes employees with disabilities. 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 job bias charges in the 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 and being unable to reach a voluntary resolution through mediation or conciliation.

Disability discrimination is still a pervasive problem in the employment context, despite incremental gains over past 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.

Corporate America has a responsibility to promote voluntary compliance with the ADA, in addition to applicable state and local laws.

It’s vital for employers to be mindful of the fact that disability discrimination against qualified employees and applicants may result in federal government investigations and litigation, in addition to that of private plaintiffs.

Disability discrimination is detrimental to the employer community because it results in wasted time, added business costs and negative publicity— all of which can damage a company’s brand image, while jeopardizing bottom line productivity and profits.

Companies must remember that employing people with disabilities and voluntarily complying with the law simply makes good business sense.

What do YOU think? Please share your comments below…

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This article was first featured in the October edition of the American Diversity Report.

_________

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: I’m a former communications executive and spokesman for the U.S. EEOC. You can learn more about me here. You can subscribe to my weekly politics newsletter on LinkedIn here.

—

This post was previously published on medium.com.

***