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November 7, 2004 DOL Home > ODEP > Publications > Disability Friendly Strategies

Disability Friendly Strategies for the Workplace

Employers who include disability issues in corporate diversity policies enrich and enhance 

workplace benefits in the new economy. Such benefits include diverse leadership, innovation, 

increase in overall morale and the ability to cast a wider recruiting net. Outlined below are 

strategies to successfully incorporate persons with disabilities into the workplace.

Make a corporate commitment to include persons with disabilities among your 

stakeholders 

Is the CEO committed to a disability friendly workplace? Is there a written document to all staff 

that affirms this commitment? Do corporate policies, procedures and practices specifically mention 

disability? Do persons with disabilities serve on the board? Are employees and customers with 

disabilities seen in the annual report? Are workers with disabilities employed at all skill levels in the 

workforce, including senior management positions? Are your products or services marketed to 

customers with disabilities? CEO commitment means senior leadership will embrace 

disability policies and that the organization will “talk the talk and walk the walk.” 

Educate all staff on disability

Does new staff orientation include disability awareness training? Are training materials available in 

alternate formats such as large print, Braille, and captioning? Do employees with disabilities serve 

as mentors for new hires who do not have disabilities? Providing disability education dispels 

myths and enables all staff to make sound disability employment decisions.

Provide ongoing information on disability

Are staff familiar with legislation pertaining to disability? Does staff receive disability information 

that could be helpful at work, at home or at school? Is disability information provided routinely in 

the company newsletter or on an intranet site? Are disability resources in the community contacted 

to help injured workers return to the workplace as soon as possible? Continued education 

enables employees to utilize pertinent disability information to resolve everyday family 

and worklife situations.

Form a disability support group

Do employees with disabilities meet to discuss disability employment issues? Does this group have 

authority to make recommendations to management? Is all staff aware of this group and the 

contributions it makes to corporate success? Disability perspectives enable all employees to 

contribute their full work potential to corporate success.

Provide accessible facilities and services

Are buildings, parking areas, work spaces, and communication systems accessible to persons with 

disabilities? Accessible facilities and services are more useful for everybody.
Accommodate applicants and workers with disabilities

Is there a central source and budget for accommodations? Are applicants and employees informed 

that accommodations are available if needed? With permission, are employee success stories that 

demonstrate improved productivity based on accommodation shared with other employees? Does 

staff routinely stay abreast of new developments in universal and assistive technology? An open 

policy on accommodations allows candidates and workers with disabilities to 

demonstrate what they can do.

Project a disability friendly image to attract candidates and customers with disabilities 

Do college recruiters target students with disabilities when making campus calls? Do recruiters 

search for resumes on disability-related Web sites? Are publications directed to persons with 

disabilities targeted for company advertising? Are recruiters and other personnel responsible for 

establishing working relationships with community agencies serving applicants with disabilities? 

Building relationships with community agencies increases referrals of candidates with 

disabilities.

Hire applicants with disabilities

Do recruiters regularly attend employment fairs for candidates with disabilities or target students 

at colleges with known populations of students with disabilities such as Gallaudet University and 

the National Technical Institute for the Deaf? A diverse workforce includes employees with 

disabilities.

Train and advance workers with disabilities

Do employees with disabilities routinely participate in employer-sponsored training opportunities? 

If not, has this issue been brought before the Disability Support Group for recommendations? Are 

procedures in place to promote qualified employees with disabilities to management and 

supervisory positions? Employers who “talk the talk and walk the walk” of disability employment 

promote qualified workers to upper management positions. 

Encourage staff to volunteer in the community

Is staff encouraged to build relationships with disability community service organizations during 

work hours? Does staff make regular visits to high schools to inform administrators, teachers and 

students (including students with disabilities) about scheduled open houses and job trends in your 

industry? Are human resource staff instructing students with disabilities about how to set up a 

scannable resume or serving as mentors to graduating post-secondary students with disabilities to 

help them with their job search? Employers who want to make a difference in the disability 

employment arena are eager to influence tomorrow’s disabled workers and help job 

candidates with disabilities with their search.

This information was prepared in cooperation with the Business Leadership Network (BLN), an 

employer-led endeavor of the Office of Disability Employment Policy supported by the U. S. 

Chamber of Commerce. This program promotes best disability employment practices to enhance 

employment opportunities for job candidates who happen to have disabilities. For more information 

about the BLN and other programs of the Office of Disability Employment Policy check out our Web 

site < www.dol.gov/odep/ > or call 202-693-7880.

July 2000 
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