Over the past few years, the way we think about diversity, equity, and inclusion has thankfully evolved to encompass more than just gender.
Let’s begin by defining ableism:
Ableism can be conscious or unconscious, individual or systemic. It’s the overarching factor that encompasses almost every barrier or challenge that folks with disabilities face in the workplace. The workforce has preconceived notions about people with disabilities, and focuses on what we’re not able to do as opposed to what we can do. In other words, when society looks at people with disabilities, what they actually see is often just the reflection of their own bias.
Key barriers to employment and retention:
Folks living with disabilities face significant barriers across the entire employee lifecycle. Below are just a few examples of how ableism can create barriers in the workplace-
- Biases in the hiring process
People with disabilities struggle significantly more than people without disabilities when it comes to finding a job. Hiring managers, usually unaware of their unconscious biases, tend to take a more pessimistic view of the work abilities of candidates with disabilities, regardless of the candidate’s qualifications.
- Fear of negative judgment
Many employees with disabilities have to juggle multiple fears when they enter the workforce. For one, there’s the everyday fear of being ridiculed, underestimated, and bothered by colleagues, who may possess an implicit bias against folks with disabilities. But on top of that, there’s the fear that their disability status can affect high-stakes situations like performance reviews and promotions.
- Lack of accessibility in workplaces
From hiring to performance reviews, accessibility barriers exist across the employee lifecycle. For example, many electronic job boards and company websites have poor digital accessibility features, thus excluding folks such as those who… [i.e. have vision issues, limited mobility functions, etc.].
There are so many tools for accessibility that employers do not use or do not implement to make it easier to hire people with disabilities. The absence or availability of wheelchair ramps, automatic doors, and assistive technologies such as Braille devices can be the sole deciding factor in whether or not somebody can work at a given company.
- Unwillingness to provide reasonable accommodations
Given the actual price of providing accommodations, why are workplaces apprehensive about investing in them? Lack of awareness (e.g., not understanding the actual cost and benefits) and implicit bias (e.g., the belief that the cost of accommodation isn’t “worth it”) are two very likely explanations.
Understanding and addressing these barriers
Despite common misconceptions, most working-age folks with disabilities want to work. It’s just that ableism has created barriers that have forced many in the community to remain underemployed, underutilized, and in poverty. Oftentimes, we think of barriers as challenges that individuals overcome, but it’s time to flip this script. We, as a collective, must intentionally and actively break down barriers. If you’re looking to build a better world, both in and outside of the workplace, a commitment to disability rights and inclusion is nothing short of necessary.
People living with disabilities are more capable and talented than you probably think. Hiring people with disabilities is a good deed … and good publicity for your company. Disability is an important component of healthy diversity. Disabled workers are actually more dedicated and less likely to turn over than non-disabled workers. Hiring more workers living with disabilities is good for the economy, because it increases productivity and reduces spending on disability-related government benefits.