Creating a Disability Inclusion Framework: Best Practices and Viable Strategies

CREATING A DISABILITY INCLUSION
FRAMEWORK: BEST PRACTICES AND
VIABLE STRATEGIES
CHARLES COTTER PhD, MBA, B.A (Hons), B.A
www.slideshare.net/CharlesCotter
VIRTUAL (ONLINE) CONFERENCE
4 MARCH 2021

SCOPE OF
PRESENTATION
• Defining the fundamental concepts
• Status quo and challenges and
constraints of disability inclusion
• Developing a Disability Inclusion
Framework – 4 pillars, elements and
implementation process steps
• Enabling and creating a culture of
inclusion
• Raising awareness, changing attitudes,
facilitating participation & overcoming
myths about PWD
• Governance (policy & procedure)

SCOPE OF
PRESENTATION
• The strategic imperative and priority of
disability inclusion
• Disability inclusion: Best practices and
winning strategies
• Disability inclusion: The key principles
& elements of a strategy
• Inclusive and proactive HR and
employment practices
• Awareness and (Management)
Training
• Question and Answer session

CURRENT S.A
REALITY
(2019/20)
• The 20th Commission for
Employment Equity Annual
Report (2019 – 2020), states
that:
People with disability at
top management level
the report showed an
insignificant increase
with numbers showing in
2019 a representation of
1,5 percent, against
(2018: 1,3 percent) and
(2017: 1,3 percent).

DEFINING THE
FUNDAMENTAL
CONCEPTS
• Diversity
• Diversity Management
(of PWD’s)
• Mainstreaming of
disability management
• (Disability) Inclusion

DIVERSITY MANAGEMENT OF PWD’s
• Diversity management must take into consideration the
various forms of disability:
Physical (mobility impairment and chronic illness);
Sensory (visual and hearing impairment);
Cognitive (mental retardation and learning disability) and
Emotional (depression and other psychological conditions)
• As they interact with different:
Workplace demands and tasks;
Attitudes and expectations of employers and co-workers and
Perceptions of PWD’s themselves.

MAINSTREAMING OF AND THE TWIN TRACK
APPROACH TO DISABILITY MANAGEMENT
• Mainstreaming disability in development & humanitarian response is broadly defined as the
inclusion of PWD in all aspects of development and humanitarian efforts.
• It means that disability should be considered in all programming (although disability-specific
actions & programming may also be required)
• The ‘twin track approach’ combines mainstreaming with disability-specific projects needed
to achieve the full inclusion & participation of PWD
• Mainstreaming is simultaneously a method, a policy & a tool for achieving social inclusion,
which involves the practical pursuit of non-discrimination & equality of opportunity.
• Mainstreaming disability is about ‘recognizing persons with disabilities as rights-holding,
equal members of society who must be actively engaged in the development process
irrespective of their impairment or other status.’

DEFINITION OF
DISABILITY
INCLUSION

4 PILLARS OF A
DISABILITY
INCLUSION
FRAMEWORK
• Organizational Culture
• Governance (e.g. policy & procedure)
• Strategy
• HRM and employment Practices

ELEMENTS OF A DISABILITY
INCLUSION FRAMEWORK
 Legislation and Company
Policies (Governance)
 Corporate Social
Responsibility
 Data Availability
 Safety, Facilities &
Technology
 Talent Acquisition
 Awareness & Training

DISABILITY INCLUSION
FRAMEWORK:
IMPLEMENTATION
PROCESS STEPS

ACCOUNTABILITY FRAMEWORK
INCLUDES TWO ALIGNED
COMPONENTS
• An Entity accountability
framework, with 15 common-
system indicators, focused on four
areas:
 leadership,
 strategic planning and
management;
 inclusiveness; programming and
 organizational culture.
• An Accountability scorecard on

ENABLING A
CULTURE OF
INCLUSION
• While there are many ways that companies can encourage
greater inclusivity across the employee lifecycle, an
organizational culture of inclusion builds a foundation so that
PWD feel welcome & valued. There are a few steps organizations
can take to create this culture of acceptance:
 Benchmark. e.g Disability Equality Index (DEI)
 Feedback
 Representation
 Mentorship
 Education
 Adopting Fair Recruitment and Hiring Practices

RAISING AWARENESS,
CHANGING ATTITUDES AND
PARTICIPATION
• Evaluations of disability inclusion in
mainstream development NGOs’ programmes
found that ‘challenging staff and community
attitudes is the key first step to seeing
positive change towards the inclusion of
disabled people in development work’
• Interacting with PWD can result in a positive
change in the attitudes and behaviour of those
implementing programmes and enable them to
better tailor their services to meet the needs of
PWD.
• Bringing disability into the political & social
discourse can create awareness and understanding
of it at organisational, community & institutional
levels, which can promote positive attitudes
towards it.
• Evaluations of disability inclusion efforts by a
mainstream development NGO found that positive
attitudinal change towards children and adults
with disabilities is possible in a relatively short
period.

RAISING AWARENESS,
CHANGING ATTITUDES AND
PARTICIPATION
• Greater awareness encourages
identification of incidence, type and
impact of disability.
• This awareness should encompass
recognition of the diverse experiences of
people with disabilities, and an
understanding of the social model and
the different barriers PWD face.
• Best practices for disability inclusion in
development & humanitarian work
are ‘participatory, actively &
meaningfully involving PWD in all
matters concerning them in the process
of forming policies & programmes’
• It is important to reinforce inclusion
messages regularly with all stakeholders.

OVERCOMING
MYTHS ABOUT
WORKERS WITH
DISABILITIES
• Many concerns cited by employers about hiring
PWD regarding exorbitant costs & additional
supervision required for PWD to ensure high-
levels of productivity, safety & quality are
grounded in misconceptions, rather than
realities.
• These costs can be traded-off by benefits such as
greater innovativeness, improved workplace
flexibility & fewer legal liabilities. Evidence
indicates that inclusive hiring practices can entail
additional economic benefits derived from a
broader and more-qualified talent pool, lower
employee turnover and associated costs, greater
access to diverse markets & marketing/public
image opportunities that help with business
growth.
• Since many supervisor concerns are grounded in
misconceptions, training and senior-level
commitment are key areas for improvement.
• Change comes from the top down & staff look to
management & policy to determine how highly
their organization values inclusive workplace &
hiring practices.

OVERCOMING
MYTHS ABOUT
WORKERS WITH
DISABILITIES
• By equipping supervisors, HR & others in a
leadership function with the needed skills to
understand & implement effective
employment strategies for PWD, employers
can go a long way in overcoming barriers to
diverse hiring practices.
• Contemporary qualitative research has
demonstrated that the very act of
promoting employees with disabilities into
management positions can have positive
effects in terms of workplace perceptions of
disability .
• These studies also noted that barriers
continue to exist for PWD in senior
positions, citing what the others refer to as
“conditional identities,” through which
openness about disability can be a difficult
path to navigate for such individuals.
• This research establishes that managers
with disabilities contribute to inclusive
environments by “confounding established
notions of disabled people only working in
peripheral employment roles”

SPECIFIC, INCLUSIVE
HR POLICIES
• Commitment to Inclusion at All
Organizational Levels
• HR strategies and oversight constitute an
essential resource for on-job supervisors
• Rather than localizing organizational readiness
concerns at the supervisory level, employers
should acknowledge that commitment at all
levels of an organization is critical.
• Training opportunities and resource capacities
should be made available to all levels of the
organization.
• Well-equipped, appropriately focused HR
teams lead to better informed supervisors,
which lead to decreased stigmatization of
PWD as well as tangible benefits such as
increased employee satisfaction and
productivity, decreased turnover, and reduced
long-term costs due to training, hiring, and
accommodations inefficiencies.

HR POLICIES FOR
CURBING
WORKPLACE
STEREOTYPES AND
MISCONCEPTION
• Contemporary literature on the business case for
hiring people with disabilities demonstrates
multiple benefits.
• To overcome the challenge of stereotypes &
misunderstandings about disability in the
workplace, employers can seek to facilitate a
climate of self-disclosure & accountability.
• Successful disability employment strategies often
involve putting systems in place that:
 (a) provide appropriate, organization-wide
training;
 (b) establish accountability, self-disclosure, and
continuous improvement measures/mechanisms;
and
 (c) designate responsible individuals.
• Non-inclusive environments deter employees
from highlighting barriers and systematic
concerns about their workplace, with fear of
reprisal being a primary deterrent.
• Accountability & continuous improvement efforts
are hindered where employees do not feel
comfortable voicing their concerns about
workplace barriers.

THE STRATEGIC
IMPERATIVE AND
PRIORITY OF
INCLUSION OF
PWD’s
• Ensuring an inclusive future of work is part of the 2030
Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.
• Article 27 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities recognises the right of persons with
disabilities to work on an equal basis with others.
• Persons with disabilities and the disability perspective
needs to be central in all future of work related
discussions at global, regional, national and local
levels.

THE 4IR MEGATRENDS OF
THE FUTURE
• The megatrends of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
that will shape the future of work are:
• Technological revolution;
• The new skills that will be required;
• The cultural changes being witnessed in society;
• Demographic shifts and
• The mitigation of climate change.
• Analysis of the five megatrends through a disability
lens has led to the identification of 5 key objectives
for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the
future of work.

FIVE KEY OBJECTIVES FOR
THE INCLUSION OF PWD’s IN
THE FUTURE OF WORK
• 1. New forms of employment and
employment relations integrate
• 2. Skills development and life-long
learning made inclusive of persons with
disabilities
• 3. Universal Design embedded in
development of all new infrastructure,
products and services
• 4. Assistive technologies, existing and
newly developed, to be made affordable
and available
• 5. Measures to include persons with
disabilities in growing and developing
areas of the economy

DISABILITY INCLUSION: BEST PRACTICES
AND WINNING STRATEGIES
• Disability inclusion has moved from a compliance-centric issue to a
business differentiator.
• Organizations experiencing success have aligned inclusion with
their core foundational values, essentially integrating it within
the DNA of the company.
• To begin the journey toward an inclusive culture, HR
professionals can consider three best practices:
 1. Align inclusion with the company’s mission.
 2. Establish a cross-functional team.
 3. Choose a champion

DISABILITY INCLUSION: BEST
PRACTICES AND WINNING
STRATEGIES
• 1. Adapting online materials,
publications and diversity statements to
reflect specific commitment to disability
inclusion;
• 2. Providing holistic, top-down training
opportunities for supervisors, HR, and co-
workers of employees with disabilities;
• 3. Locating productive partnerships;
and
• 4. Developing specific human resource
management principles for hiring and
recruiting people with disabilities.

DISABILITY
INCLUSION: GUIDING
PRINCIPLES FOR THE
STRATEGY
• The strategy is guided by
the following principles:
 Non-discrimination
 Equality of opportunity
 Accessibility
 Respect for disability as
part of human diversity
 Gender equality
 Involvement of persons
with disabilities
 Through their
representative
organizations.

DISABILITY INCLUSION:
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE
STRATEGY
1. Strategic planning &
management
 1.1 Strategic planning
regarding the inclusion &
empowerment of PWD
and their human rights.
 1.2 Coherence,
coordination & knowledge
& information
management.
 1.3 Oversight through
monitoring, evaluation &
auditing.

DISABILITY INCLUSION:
KEY ELEMENTS OF THE
STRATEGY
2. Inclusiveness
 2.1 Participation.
 2.2 Data.
 2.3 Universal design,
accessibility and
reasonable
accommodation.

DISABILITY INCLUSION: KEY
ELEMENTS OF THE STRATEGY
3. Organizational culture
 3.1 Capacity development.
 3.2 Awareness-raising and trust
building.
 3.3 Human and financial resources.

PROACTIVE VS REACTIVE
HR PRACTICES
• In many cases, inclusive HR hiring can help create
familiarity with the workplace barriers & needs
experienced by prospective employees with
disabilities.
• The broader theme from the literature indicates that,
rather than engaging in reactive HR practices,
employers should develop “strategic human
resources management principles”.
• Other similar best practices for attracting and
retaining talented employees with disabilities include
having HR members & supervisors engage in periodic
performance-based discussions with employees to
help identify barriers, accommodations & other needs.
• Also conducting exit interviews for employees leaving
the organization to help “identify patterns and
themes” which may be useful in improving future
outcomes.

AWARENESS AND
TRAINING
Disability Orientation
Disability Sensitivity
Training
 Forums: external &
expert speakers
 PWD-inclusive
languages
 Training for HR, leaders
& team members
 Disability-specific
programs

MANAGEMENT TRAINING - EQUIPPING SUPERVISORS WITH
THE TOOLS TO SUPPORT INCLUSIVE WORK ENVIRONMENTS
• Adequate supervisor training, resources & information continues to be a key strategy
for improving employment outcomes for PWD, to reduce unconscious bias by
facilitating an inclusive work environment.
• Inclusive workplaces both improve employment outcomes for PWD & also help to
alleviate any misconceptions or stereotypes that supervisors feel towards PWD.
• Some best practices for supervisor training include not only engaging in company-wide
“education programs aimed at ensuring inclusive practices for people with
disabilities,” but also engaging HR managers in developing such programs, rather than
participating in a more passive fashion.
• Also hiring HR professionals based on their capacity & knowledge in workplace
inclusion issues (i.e., utilizing HR management as diversity leadership teams on the
issue of disability—a function largely appropriate and typical of HR departments)

MANAGEMENT TRAINING - EQUIPPING
SUPERVISORS WITH THE TOOLS TO
SUPPORT INCLUSIVE WORK
ENVIRONMENTS
• Supervisor uncertainty often has its roots in inadequate training.
Therefore, training is crucial.
• Research has shown that even periodic two-hour workshops for
supervisors can result in greater self-disclosure & stronger
communication between supervisor and employee. The additional
skills that supervisors report help them deal with the complexities
of job modification, workplace integration & re-integration.
• Training can lead to positive outcomes in reducing bias amongst
supervisors, creating greater efficiency & success in providing
accommodations, facilitating strong communicative practices.
More specifically, employers should be sure that supervisors are
trained in:
 legal requirements of procedures for reasonable accommodations;
 disability etiquette and awareness;
 overcoming stereotypes and other attitudinal barriers and
 targeted hiring, retention and return-to-work strategies.

BEYOND COMPLIANCE: A BUSINESS CASE FOR
INCLUSIVE HIRING AND RETENTION
• This implicates a broader thematic shift in the recent literature on inclusion: “shifting the paradigm from
complying with legal mandates to the business case for diversity”
• Previous research shows that supervisors who work in inclusive workplaces tend to rate the performance of
PWD as equal to that of their peers without disabilities, and recent literature only adds to the growing
body of evidence that employers themselves benefit from inclusive practices, with benefits including “the
ability to retain quality employees, increased company profitability, and an avoidance of costs
associated with hiring and training a new employee”
• The literature also demonstrates that “providing accommodations in order to retain employees is shown to
improve organizational culture and climate”.
• Accommodations or productivity enhancers, are helpful for all employees, not just employees with
disabilities. Organizations committed to inclusive practices can expand utilization of accommodations to
create a culture of responsiveness.
• Supervisors who work with PWD are less likely to lack the requisite knowledge or feel the same levels of
discomfort about managing PWD.

LEARNING
ACTIVITY
• Group Discussion:
By referring to the 4
Pillars, describe how
you can develop a
Disability Inclusion
Framework at your
organization.

CONCLUSION
• Summary of key points
• Learning “take-ways”
• Questions
• Don’t deprive your
workplace from the
potential and talent of
PWD.

DR CHARLES COTTER’S CONTACT DETAILS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
PRESENCE
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• Email address: charlescotterhrdconsultant@gmail.com
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