Inclusive Onboarding: Navigating the Integration of Disabled Talent into the Professional Tapestry

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The above picture shows a woman in a wheelchair shaking hands with a man in a chair, both at a work desk.

Inclusive Onboarding: Navigating the Integration of Disabled Talent into the Professional Tapestry

Hiring people with disabilities (PWDs) is a great way to bring new talents to your team and foster workplace inclusivity. But before doing so, check if your company can support their special needs. Adjust your work policies and guidelines to create a safe, welcoming space for disabled individuals.

To jumpstart the process, review your onboarding policies. A common mistake many employers commit when hiring PWDs for the first time is recycling the same onboarding processes. They end up scaring away their new hires by accident. 

Here are some changes you can make to improve your onboarding process before working with PWDs. 

Brief Your Team on Inclusive Language

Many people without disabilities still use non-inclusive language. Some use offensive terms by accident, while others casually throw around slurs. Either way, ignorance doesn’t excuse the use of hurtful language.

Before bringing PWDs into your team, make sure you brief your employees on inclusive workplace communication. Tell them what they can and can’t say. Small yet impactful changes like using respectful phrasing go a long way in preventing ableism and discrimination.

Also, reprimand employees who violate your new communication guidelines to ensure everyone takes them seriously. Don’t let rude comments disguised as jokes slide.

Integrate Accessibility Tools Into Your Systems

Explore accessibility tools that assist PWDs with online work. See what systems can help disabled employees finish tasks despite their special needs and impairments. Make it easy for them to catch up to people without disabilities.

Let’s say you’re bringing visually impaired workers to your call center. Although they can pitch to leads, answer queries, and resolve problems through calls, they can’t navigate visual interfaces. However, you can support them with screen readers.

There’s no universal accessibility tool for all types of disabilities, of course. You’ll have to find systems that suit your company’s line of work and the prospective PWDs you plan on hiring.

Assign Skilled Mentors to Your New Hires

Employers should assign skilled, empathetic mentors to train new hires with disabilities. It will streamline the onboarding process for PWDs. They’ll learn the ropes much faster if they have designated mentors providing first-hand insights, personalized advice, and practical solutions. 

Moreover, mentorship programs foster a sense of belonging. New hires with disabilities might adjust to your workplace culture faster if they have a support system. 

Warning: PWDs require extra attention, but they aren’t slow learners. Mentors should read social cues and analyze whether their mentee is struggling to keep up with them. Repeatedly asking whether someone with a disability understood you is insulting.

Work Flexible Hours Into New Contracts

If you plan on hiring PWDs, consider adopting a hybrid working model. They’ll likely prefer working from home if their impairments prevent them from traveling like people without disabilities. Take wheelchair users as an example. Forcing them to haul their mobility aids to the office regularly is inefficient and insensitive. The extra stress from commuting will just drain their energy.

To avoid meeting conflicts between your in-office and remote workers, invest in a reliable appointment scheduling tool. It’s an effective way to manage employees from different locations. Just have them input their preferred schedules instead of going back and forth with confirmation emails.

Provide Feedback in a Respectful Manner

It’s normal for new hires to make mistakes during the onboarding process, regardless of whether or not they have disabilities. However, PWDs might blame their impairments if you’re too critical. As an employer, you must reassure your workers that errors are inevitable during the training phase. 

Don’t get me wrong—you should still strive for general improvement. Just ensure that you deliver feedback professionally and respectfully, or else your trainees might misunderstand you.

Review the Legal Requirements of Working With PWDs

There are special considerations when working with PWDs. Apart from creating a safe, inclusive workspace, you must comply with employment laws specified in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). It states that you must provide:

• Transportation Accessibility: Invest in an employee shuttle service if you need employees with disabilities to come to the office. 

• Accessible Public Facilities: PWDs must have equal access to all facilities within your company’s commercial space. Install ramps, safety rails, and emergency buzzers wherever needed.

• Reasonable Accommodations: Some PWDs might need lodging and accommodation to perform specific job roles. Prepare these facilities beforehand.

• Employment Protection: Take swift action if any of your employees, with or without disabilities, feels harassed, excluded, or discriminated at work.

Sharon Koifman, the founder and Remote CEO at DistantJob, advises employers to consult legal professionals before hiring PWDs. He says, “There are several guidelines when working with disabled individuals. Even if you mean well by providing equal opportunities, you could get into serious legal trouble should you overlook these requirements. The best approach is to consult a legal professional. Ask them to review your workplace policies—promptly address anything that doesn’t align with the ADA.”

Only Mention Impairments When Needed

Only mention disabled employees’ conditions when relevant. For instance, if you’re assigning workers to do some heavy lifting at an in-person event, you could share which ones in your team have physical impairments. However, this piece of information is irrelevant when distributing cognitive-based tasks.

That said, you should never single out PWDs. Talk about their conditions discreetly—nobody would want their medical conditions announced out loud to their coworkers. 

Match New Hires With Roles That Suit Their Strengths

Assign employees with disabilities to roles that utilize their strengths. We urge you to assess their abilities extensively—go beyond their impairments. Their weaknesses are quite apparent. However, once you get past them, you’ll realize they have just as much to contribute as their non-disabled coworkers.

Also, support their career progression by investing in ongoing education. Let’s say you ship wholesale items overseas. Signing up your employees for eCommerce business guides and programs will provide them with technical skills. Meanwhile, personal development programs impart general life skills. 

Strive for Inclusion During and Outside Office Hours

The use of inclusive language extends outside the office. Whether your non-disabled employees are talking to or about their disabled coworkers, they should use mindful phrasing. Your company must enforce a zero-tolerance policy on hate speech.

Likewise, teach your team that PWDs aren’t defined by their impairments. As a general rule, call people by their names instead of referring to them by their apparent features or disabilities. 

Ask Employees To Test Your Onboarding Systems

Compiling feedback is the most effective way to test your new onboarding system. Ask every batch of new hires to provide anonymous, unbiased comments about your onboarding system. Ensure them that their comments won’t affect their employment status. Otherwise, they’ll hesitate to voice their opinions.

Note: Employees with and without disabilities can participate in these surveys, but prioritize getting feedback from PWDs. After all, you’re overhauling your onboarding process for them.

Create a Supportive Work Environment for Employees With Disabilities

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to onboarding PWDs. You’re free to try whatever strategy you want—just strive to make everyone in your company feel included and welcome. No one should get excluded for their disabilities. You can also ask your team, including those with and without disabilities, for feedback if you’re still unsure about your onboarding process.

Apart from overhauling your onboarding system, reassess your headhunting procedures. You must go beyond traditional firms and databases limited to people without disabilities. A good place to start is disABLEDperson. It’s a premier disability job board that caters to millions of job-hunting PWDs worldwide.