Disability inclusion

This week, the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)-funded Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) published an article titled, “Community Partnerships: An Effective Inclusion Strategy,” which includes resources, guidance, and successful case studies for inclusion-minded businesses looking to hire, support, and retain employees with disabilities. This resource provides information on diverse avenues for businesses to connect with and support employees with disabilities, including State Vocational Rehabilitation Agencies, community-based organizations, state and local workforce development systems, and educational institutions and organizations...

A new set of resources from the ODEP-funded Job Accommodation Network (JAN) explores disability in the context of broader diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives. These resources discuss the critical role accommodations play in fostering a disability-inclusive workplace culture and centralize information available to help employers create a more equitable and accessible work environment. They also provide real-life examples of accommodations that were made by JAN customers...

In this blog post, Jill Jacobs, Commissioner on Disabilities at ACL, reflects on Developmental Disabilites (DD) Awareness month by highlighting recent innovations in ACL's DD programs, and the Administration on Disabilities (AOD) goals for the year ahead. AOD's upcoming priorities include continuing to address the DSP workforce crisis, investing in projects to advance equity and reach people with disabilities at the intersections of identity, and continuing to support individuals with both DD and mental health diagnoses. The blog post also shares experiences with disability that the new Commissioner brings to her role.

This report examines data from the Disability Equality Index and identifies forty-five companies with strong leadership in areas specific to disability employment and inclusion. Accenture analyzed their financial performance and found that, on average over the four-year period, these companies had twenty-eight percent higher revenue, double the net income, and thirty percent higher economic profit margins than their peers.