Many HR experts predict that corporate diversity, equity and inclusion efforts will increasingly broaden to encompass more communities in the coming years. However, new research finds significant work remains to create more inclusive, accessible workplaces for one particular group of employees: those who are disabled.

Earlier this year, Deloitte Global surveyed 10,000 employees who have disabilities, chronic health conditions and/or are neurodivergent in workplaces across 20 countries, including the U.S. Its Disability Inclusion@Work survey paints a picture of persistent issues with workplace accessibility, varying levels of comfort with disclosing disability status and widespread hesitancy in asking employers for workplace accommodations.

However, researchers point to a number of actionable steps that HR can facilitate to help enable and accelerate disability inclusion at work.

“Despite companies being more aware of the importance of disability inclusion, this survey shows that much still remains to be done,” says Emma Codd, Deloitte Global chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer.

Where disability inclusion at work is lacking

Codd says a number of factors are creating an “access gap” that HR needs to address to make disability inclusion at work a reality. These include:

Accessibility issues

The survey found that nearly half (48%) of respondents who work from home at least some of the time say their home is more accessible than their employer’s premises. Also, about 60% of respondents have been unable to attend some kind of work-related event due to accessibility challenges.

Nearly 40% were unable to attend a work event outside of the workplace due to the venue’s lack of accessibility; 33% have been unable to attend one or more events at their workplace due to a lack of accessibility; and 26% have been unable to socialize outside of the workplace with colleagues due to lack of accessibility at the chosen venue.

Diversity in self-identification

While many respondents experience different levels of difficulty with certain activities—such as walking, seeing, hearing, concentrating and communicating—they do not always identify as being a person with a disability or chronic health condition or as someone who is neurodivergent.

Although nearly nine in 10 respondents have chosen to disclose their condition at work to at least one person or through a human resources information system (HRIS) or self-identification program, many choose not to share their disability, neurodivergence or chronic health condition with all of their colleagues. Employers looking to promote disability inclusion at work, therefore, may not have a full picture of the conditions their workforce is dealing with.

Inaccessibility of accommodations

One-quarter of respondents who have disclosed a condition to their employer have asked for workplace accommodations. Seventy-five percent have refrained—of those, 43% believe they don’t need any; 20% cite fears that their supervisors would perceive the request negatively, and 11% feel discouraged by a negative experience at another company.

Meanwhile, many of those who have requested accommodations have had their requests denied. Almost three-quarters of respondents who requested an accommodation have had at least one request rejected; these respondents say they were told that their request was costly (41%), too difficult to implement (30%) or that it was unreasonable (29%).

The most frequently rejected requests reported by respondents are those that likely attract cost—alternative communication methods, access to assistive software solutions and coaching for specific issues. Conversely, the most frequently accepted requests are those with lower price tags, such as the ability to work from home when needed, adjustments to work schedules, the ability to take frequent breaks and access to private working spaces.

However, the survey found that many employees with disabilities are resistant to accommodations like working from home. Nearly 40% of those surveyed are concerned about missing out on professional opportunities, while others cite concerns that colleagues would think less of them if they asked for such an accommodation or that their supervisor would prefer them to work in the office.

5 strategies to promote disability inclusion at work

“Organizations have a responsibility to support their employees and create an environment where everyone feels included and can reach their full potential,” says Elizabeth Faber, Deloitte Global chief people & purpose officer.

Faber offers five steps employers can take for sustainable progress on disability inclusion at work:

• Make disability inclusion a visible leadership priority, including at the board level, accompanied by meaningful actions. Encourage senior leaders to role model inclusion, which in turn can help enable people with disabilities, chronic health conditions or neurodivergent individuals to thrive and succeed at work.
• Provide roles that help enable strengths and train managers and leaders on the importance of disability inclusion.
• Embed accessibility into the career lifecycle, including in the “moments that matter.”
• Recognize the importance of providing workplace accommodations when they are needed—and create an accommodations application process that is clear, timely and stigma-free.
• Promote a disability-inclusive culture by directly addressing non-inclusive behaviors and enabling all employees to report issues without concern of retaliation.

“To build more disability-inclusive organizations, leaders need to remove barriers and provide opportunities necessary to help support all employees succeed in their careers,” Faber says.

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