December 3 is International Day for Persons with Disabilities, a global observance promoted by the United Nations since 1982. 

The observance aims to ensure the rights and well-being of this section of the population. An important aspect of it is their inclusion across realms of society.

On this day, it is all the more significant and relevant to understand how organizations can enable their inclusion.

The Most Inclusive Companies Index or MICI (a study attached to the Best Companies for Women in India by Avtar and Seramount) has found that 90% of the companies on the index focus on persons with disabilities.

Here are 3 steps organizations must undertake to ensure PwD inclusion:

Identify and address non-conscious bias: The bias can seep in at the hiring stage, making it crucial for organizations to address it at all levels, starting with recruitment and talent acquisition teams. A good part of the bias manifests in the form of assumptions about the capability of someone with a disability. For eg. If the person is a wheelchair user, they cannot contribute effectively. Or, if the person has a hearing impairment, they cannot be good at communicating or collaborating with teams.

Understand their challenges: Being aware of the challenges faced by the group enables training managers to ensure L &D initiatives support their needs. Organizations like Accenture have a voluntary self-ID program for persons with disabilities to drive targeted interventions such as learning and development programs, differentiated benefits, and any other enablement support required. 

Offer holistic support: It is important to commit to interventions across key touchpoints. EY, which is one of the champions in the 2023 Most Inclusive Companies Index, ensures accessibility awareness and training to all professionals, driving sponsorship by leaders, new joiner assistance through the Buddy Program, and helping enable an accessible environment right from assistive technology, ergonomic desks and monitors to wheelchairs and home office support. They collaborate with reputed organizations and NGOs and offer enhanced referrals for recruiting persons with disabilities. The Purple Champions ERG at EY has been at the forefront of raising awareness and increasing disability confidence throughout the year.