Disability:IN, an organization that works with the American Association of People with Disabilities to promote disability inclusion in business, recently released the 2024 Disability Equality Index (DEI), an annual look at disability inclusion practices.
By the numbers. Now in its tenth year, the 2024 DEI was informed by a survey for which 538 US companies submitted. While one-quarter of the US workforce has a disability or health condition, according to BCG, the index found that just 4% of employees at participating companies identify as having a disability. That number has changed little since 2019, when 3.7% identified as disabled.
This year’s report also found that companies are adopting more measures associated with disability inclusion for workers. Some 93% of companies now have a disability-centered ERG or affinity group, a 25% increase since the first index in 2015. The majority of companies (60%) inform job candidates of accessible interview accommodations, and more than 90% include disability-centered information during onboarding and have a company-wide accommodation policy, although these figures are largely unchanged over the last two years.
Companies are also becoming more likely to track disability representation data. Nearly one-half (45%) of companies now publish diversity reports that include disability data, double the rate in 2022. However, disabled worker hiring goals appear to be declining, down to 52% from 60% in 2022.
Gaps in reporting. Despite the report’s breadth, it doesn’t provide a complete picture of employers’ inclusivity efforts. For example, while the DEI asked companies if they have “flexible work” options (99% said they do), it didn’t ask what they entail. Dell, for example, received a perfect score, even though its RTO policy precludes remote workers from receiving promotions, which advocates say could hurt disability inclusion efforts.
The DEI has come under some scrutiny because of gaps like these, Mother Jones reported last year. Some companies that regularly receive perfect scores have faced discrimination suits in recent years. Microsoft, for instance, scored a 100 on this year’s index, but recently agreed to a $14 million disability and FMLA leave discrimination settlement. In late 2023, a former Amazon employee who is disabled was awarded $1.2 million after a jury found the company failed to intervene after repeatedly reporting being bullied, the San Bernardino Sun reported. (Both Microsoft and Amazon are Disability:IN corporate partners.)
When asked about these discrepancies, Jill Houghton, CEO of Disability:IN, told HR Brew that lawsuits are not factored into scores, “because the benchmark is designed to assess and promote the presence of inclusive workplace policies and practices.”
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Kole Petersen, a student journalist and disability self-advocate, argued in a three-part critique for Catalyst News earlier this year that the organization relies too heavily on company surveys and should solicit perspectives from employees, including those who are disabled.
“The big thing that they should do is pivot from a self-reporting technique to a more holistic, well-rounded, complete reporting style where they give testimonies from their disabled employees,” Petersen told HR Brew. Otherwise, he said, the index feels more like “inclusion washing, where it’s a label saying that they’re inclusive to disabilities, but the label doesn’t nearly tell the full story.”
While Disability:IN publishes a list of the best places to work based on their DEI score, Houghton stressed that it’s not meant to be a tool for disabled workers and job-seekers.
“The disability equality index is a tool that is designed specifically to help these multinational corporations, to help them identify actions that they need to take to advance disability inclusion,” Houghton said.
Big picture. Disability:IN consistently suggests that companies are making progress towards disability inclusion, but the reporting gaps leave room for questions, and disabled talent still face barriers to success.
While more disabled people are participating in the workforce than ever, the disability unemployment rate has risen slightly over the last year. Disabled workers also earn less than their non-disabled counterparts, and 34% of disabled workers have experienced discrimination and harassment at work, versus just 25% of non-disabled workers, according to BCG.
“I don’t think CEOs need to be convinced that offering people with disabilities an equal opportunity to compete for work is the right thing to do,” Ted Kennedy, Jr., co-chair of the DEI and a healthcare lawyer at Epstein, Becker, Green, told HR Brew. “They just want to better understand how to do this…What are the best practices? How do we make our company more accessible?”
Kennedy said that he hopes companies will continue adopting more disability inclusivity practices, and is optimistic about the future. “When I lost my leg to cancer...many parents with children with disabilities would not talk about them,” Kennedy said, noting that things have changed drastically since the ’60s and ’70s. “I’m encouraged that people are coming forward, identifying proudly as a person with a disability, not being ashamed to talk about their mental disability or non-apparent disability, and that’s a great thing.”