Seven ways to support people with disabilities in the workforce

Picture of Relay Resources Relay Resources : Dec 9, 2025 10:00:00 AM

Note: The following article was published at Fast Company on November 21, 2025.

This October marked the 80th anniversary of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Introduced in 1998, NDEAM aims to bring awareness to the systemic barriers of entry that disabled people still encounter when looking for and maintaining employment.

Though around for decades, NDEAM is just as important today, as the world is constantly changing. About half of Gen Z respondents in a 2023 survey identified as neurodivergent, and many people in this generation are more open and up front about requiring accommodations.

If you want to attract a younger generation of workers, you need to start by implementing accessibility features for neurodivergent people and people with other types of disabilities. Many people born after the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 are perfectly comfortable requesting a sick day off to attend to their mental health needs, something previous generations were less likely to do. Making your workplace a safe place for disabled workers not only introduces you to an untapped talent pool, but it also gives you a competitive edge with the emerging workforce.

THE VALUE OF INCLUSIVITY

Anyone can acquire a disability at any time, and in fact 80% of all disabled people acquired their disability in their later childhood years or as an adult. Only 20% of disabled people were born with a disability. Disability is a normal part of the human experience and should be a standard consideration for all companies.

Being disabled or neurodivergent should not be a barrier to employment. In fact, most people with disabilities are not limited by their disability itself; they are limited because of inaccessible environments and society’s discriminatory attitudes towards them. With new technologies and virtual options for meetings and remote work, there are many ways your company can keep workplaces inclusive for people with disabilities.

Companies that champion disability inclusion outperform companies that don’t, and also have the added benefit of increased retention and improved morale. The problem is often not with the disabled person themself, but with the systems not built for them and not set up for their success.

A CHECKLIST FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Even though National Disability Employment Awareness Month has passed, it is always the right time to focus on and celebrate the value of inclusive workplaces and the talent that disabled people bring to the workforce. Curious about where to start? Here are seven ways to embrace people with disabilities in the workplace:

Start a disclosure campaign. Raise awareness by asking an executive who may have a disability to champion a disclosure campaign. This can show how many employees are already in your workplace with a nonapparent disability such as diabetes, mental health issues, chronic pain, or autoimmune diseases.

Implement inclusive hiring practices, such as accommodations built into the hiring process. Candidates feel more comfortable if they see accommodations and accessibility options listed in job descriptions.

Implement universal accommodations and assistive technology, such as default captions in live meetings, ergonomic chairs and keyboards, soft lighting, height-adjustable desks, and quiet spaces. The Job Accommodation Network notes that the average cost of accommodations is only around $300.

Offer flexible work arrangements. For example, allow people to work from home on certain days or work part-time; many disabled people work better in their own environments.

Value the unique talents of all employees. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Finding the ideal roles for your employees to shine will elevate your workforce as a whole.

Actively work to avoid ableism and promote a culture of belonging. It starts at the top. By creating a culture of belonging rather than exclusion, employees feel safe and welcome to disclose their disabilities and be their authentic selves in the workplace, leading to greater retention and higher employee morale.

Organize and advertise employee resource groups. These are internal groups with shared identities. Corporations today, including Amazon and S&P Global, have many employee resource groups that provide support and encouragement to groups in the workplace.

Let’s commit to building workplaces that attract and support disabled workers. By committing to elements in the checklist above, we can work towards a vision of a world in which everyone belongs.