Approximately 20% of the world’s population, which equates to more than one .3 billion people, have a disability, according to a recent article published by the World Health Organisation. This has led to a lot of discussion about how to create an inclusive environment within your business to ensure that those with disabilities are as well supported as any member of staff. As an NDIS Provider on the Gold Coast, we always love to see positive steps being taken to raise awareness and promote growth in this area. December 3rd was also International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and we were delighted to see several articles explaining how companies can support their disabled workers.
1. Not Just Level Entry
Over the last few years, we have seen quite a lot of progress in companies choosing to hire people from the disabled community; however, this always tends to be at level entry positions. There is a distinct underrepresentation at the management level, with very few people with disabilities taking leadership roles. This is an area that will be focused on by the largest network of leaders across the globe, known as the Valuable 500; they have made a commitment to disability inclusion that has seen them launch generation valuable. This initiative is focused on bringing more people with disabilities into management and leadership positions.
2. KPI Reporting
While there is a massive range of key performance indicators used in reporting to gather metrics and target performance and value, there is no standardised performance indicator for those with disabilities. This needs to be addressed in a transparent way, and again the Valuable 500 is playing a role here, working with the London stock exchange group and Allianz to report on disability data disclosure.
3. Understand the Power of Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity is a term that can be applied to the population as a whole, but it is increasingly used in connection to those on the autistic spectrum disorder or who have other neurological conditions such as learning disabilities and ADHD, as confirmed by the Harvard Medical School. It is hoped that companies can begin to see neurodiversity as a valuable asset to the team. There is research to evidence that groups with members who are termed neurodiverse have a higher rate of creativity and innovation. This is thought to be an invaluable skill for companies as they address an ever-changing world.
4. Use Innovation
Another reasonably new term is inclusive design. Products are being targeted to be more inclusive so that anyone with a disability can still access socio-economic life. This includes things like intelligent assistance, autonomous vehicles and screenless Braille computers. Windows brings an update from Microsoft that includes many innovations to bridge the gap between the world and those with inclusive needs. This includes voice access control for computers, natural voices federation, captions from audio content and more. Microsoft and other large companies have the power to lead the way, so it is good to see that they are taking things seriously.