Engaging Employees 

to Measure Success: 

Innovative Approaches to 

Encouraging Self-Identification 

of Disability

ADVANCING 

WORKFORCE 

DIVERSITY

Employer Assistance and Resource 

Network on Disability Inclusion

ADVANCING 

WORKFORCE 

DIVERSITY

ce and Resource 

ility Inclusion

AskEARN.org

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) is a resource for employers seeking to recruit, hire, 

retain and advance qualified employees with disabilities. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment 

Policy under a cooperative agreement with Cornell University. For more information, visit AskEARN.org. Preparation of this item was 

fully funded by the United States Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy in the amount of $8,000,000 (four-year 

total grant amount) under Cooperative Agreement No. OD-33975-19-75-4-36. This document does not necessarily reflect the views or 

policies of the U.S. Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products or organizations imply endorsement 

by the U.S. Government.
2

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

oday, more and more employers across the U.S. are recognizing the 

value of a workforce inclusive of people with disabilities and using a 

variety of innovative strategies to bring them on board. Reflecting the 

adage “what gets measured gets done,” some are voluntarily taking 

proactive steps to recruit and retain qualified people with disabilities 

and track progress toward specified goals. Moreover, some companies 

are required to do so. Specifically, under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, federal 

contractors must have affirmative action programs for people with disabilities that 

include hiring goals, workforce analyses, barrier analyses, proactive steps and progress 

reports. In either case, whether a program is voluntary or required, the primary method 

for measuring success and identifying opportunities for 

improvement is to invite applicants and employees to 

self-identify as having a disability.

While the resulting data (whether collected for voluntary or required 

affirmative action purposes) helps assess progress toward disability 

inclusion goals, it is important that companies understand the value of 

self-identification in a broader context. Self-identification should not be 

solely about compliance or achieving certain numbers or percentages. 

Rather, the very act of inviting applicants and employees to self-identify can help convey a company’s commitment 

to a workforce inclusive of diverse perspectives and skills. In short, a strong self-identification program can 

encourage employees to bring their “whole selves” to work and thus is an essential component of a workplace that 

is truly inclusive.

In 2019, the National Industry Liaison Group (NILG) surveyed its membership, which comprises federal contractors, 

on self-identification practices. This survey revealed that 43 percent conduct a self-identification survey of 

employees every five years (the timeline dictated by the 2014 updates to Section 503), while 23 percent do so 

annually. It also revealed that most companies see only 1-2 percent of their workforce identifying as a person with 

a disability, and that only a third have seen an increase in this rate since implementing the 2014 updates. These 

findings demonstrate that work remains to improve self-identification and to respond to ongoing requests from ILG 

constituents for assistance educating employees about the benefits it offers to both individuals and organizations.

“...a strong self-identification 

program can encourage employees to 

bring their ‘whole selves’ to work and 

thus is an essential component of a 

workplace that is truly inclusive.”
3

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

In this spirit, NILG and the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on 

Disability Inclusion (EARN) developed this guide, which outlines strategies 

to address what research1 by Cornell University’s Yang-Tan Institute on 

Employment and Disability has shown to be the main barriers to selfidentification, among them:

• Risk of being fired or not hired or promoted;

• Risk of being treated or viewed differently by colleagues and 

supervisors; 

• Desire for privacy;

• Risk of losing healthcare benefits; and

• Knowledge that the disability has no impact on job performance.

In addition, this guide includes examples of innovative approaches some 

businesses have taken to increase self-identification rates among their 

employees, as well as ways companies can track progress as they strive 

for continuous improvement. 

ENSURING OPPORTUNITIES FOR ALL

Ensuring opportunity for all is the foundation for success of any selfidentification program—and business. It is important to proactively 

assure individuals that self-identifying as having a disability will not negatively impact their opportunities with the 

organization, because many mistakenly believe it might. In the Cornell research, 73 percent of survey respondents 

with disabilities reported being afraid that disability self-identification would cause them to not be hired or to be 

fired. In addition, 61.1 percent reported that the risk of limited future opportunities was a very important factor in 

deciding not to self-identify as having a disability. 

Eli Lilly and Company’s formal 

statements of commitment had 

a big impact on one employee’s 

decision to self-identify. Speaking at 

an event sponsored by the National 

Organization on Disability, Dr. Andrea 

Sassman-Kolesaric said, “Coming 

from a small country and living 

through a war, having opportunities 

I didn’t expect to have, I have a 

complete absence of entitlement and 

don’t take things for granted. Before 

I decided to disclose my mental 

disabilities, I thoroughly looked 

through Eli Lilly and Company’s 

handbook and values. And it was 

clear that, with everything Lilly 

stands for, there was no way I’d be 

punished for my disclosure.”

THE MEANING OF THE TERM “SELF-IDENTIFICATION”

For purpose of this resource, the term “self-identification” means voluntarily and confidentially providing 

information about disability status that is used for statistical purposes only (i.e., data collection and reporting 

purposes). It is not the same as “self-disclosure” (or just “disclosure”). Rather, “self-disclosure” means sharing 

information about one’s disability in any context other than through a formal self-identification program. 

This may include self-disclosing to specific personnel to personally benefit oneself, for instance, presenting 

documentation in order to obtain a reasonable accommodation or participate in a targeted program that 

takes disability into account among selection factors. It may also include self-disclosing to simply help create a 

welcoming environment for others, such as during a presentation.

1 von Schrader, S. Malzer, V., Erickson, W., & Bruyère, S. (2011). Emerging Employment Issues for People with Disabilities: Disability Disclosure, Leave as a Reasonable 

Accommodation, Use of Job Applicant Screeners; and von Schrader, S., & Bruyère, S. M. (2018). Survey report: What works? How federal contractors are implementing 

Section 503. Ithaca, NY: Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability.
4

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

What can your business do to help employees understand the benefits of 

self-identification and feel reassured that providing this information will not 

impact their career development?

Strategies

• Communicate your commitment to employees and the public

◦ Include disability in the company’s diversity mission statement. 

◦ Explain how data collected is used to improve the representation 

of people with disabilities in the company. 

◦ Extend recruitment efforts to specifically target jobseekers with 

disabilities. 

◦ Establish and communicate fair systems and procedures. 

◦ Include disability in broader diversity and inclusion initiatives.

• Help your employees build success

◦ Implement professional development programs for employees 

with disabilities. 

◦ Encourage employees with disabilities to engage in career 

development initiatives, including detail assignments, coaching, 

individual development plans and mentoring opportunities. 

◦ Create accessible workplaces, spaces, processes and 

opportunities. 

◦ Share successes of employees with disabilities. Make disability 

ordinary by highlighting stories of employees with disabilities or 

creating videos in which company leaders self-identify.

◦ Maintain a centralized reasonable accommodation fund at the highest level in the company to remove 

the administrative and financial responsibility of reasonable accommodation from the direct manager or 

supervisor. 

CREATING A WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT

Creating a welcoming environment, one where individuals feel comfortable bringing their “whole selves” to work 

and supported by peers and management alike, is also vital to the success of any self-identification effort. In fact, 

according to the research conducted by Cornell, 62 percent of survey respondents with disabilities expressed 

concern that, if they were to self-identify, their employer might then focus on their disability instead of their ability. 

A majority also reported concern that:

• Their supervisors might not be supportive (60.1 percent); 

• They would be treated differently (57.8 percent); and

• They would be viewed differently at work after self-identifying (53.8 percent). 

PwC shares successes of employees 

with disabilities through its 

“Ability Reveals Itself” initiative. 

This initiative was conceived and 

launched by PwC’s Office of Diversity 

and members of the firm’s leadership 

team. Through it, the company 

showcases the value and talent 

people with disabilities add across 

its organization through photo and 

video profiles on its website and 

various internal activities. The 

purpose of the initiative is, according 

to the organization, “to improve 

accessibility, recruit campus and 

experienced hires, develop learning 

resources, as well as raise awareness 

that our caregivers and professionals 

with disabilities are valuable 

contributors to the growth of our 

firm.” As part of the initiative, it has 

also published the Ability Reveals 

Itself Disability Inclusion Impact 

Report detailing its disabilityinclusion efforts across the U.S.
5

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

What can your business do to proactively create an environment that accepts 

all employees and is supportive of individual differences?

Strategies

• Foster supportive staff-supervisor relationships. This can be 

accomplished by creating structured opportunities for staff and 

supervisors to meet, develop shared work goals and accountability 

systems, and establish a communication loop allowing employees to 

easily ask for support and feedback. 

• Conduct disability awareness and diversity training for all employees. 

For resources to help you develop trainings for your workplace, check 

out EARN’s Training Center for Disability Employment and Inclusion at

AskEARN.org/training-center. 

• Make websites (internal and external) accessible and design websites 

and marketing materials to convey a commitment to disability 

inclusion through inclusive imagery and language. This includes 

highlighting policies regarding reasonable accommodations and 

opportunities for internships and mentorships.

• Avoid focusing solely on disability or holding employees with 

disabilities to different (either higher or lower) standards. This is 

accomplished by ensuring that all personnel actions are administered 

without regard to disability and all employment decisions are based 

solely on valid job requirements. 

• Seek input through employee surveys, focus groups, and employee 

resource groups (ERGs) or affinity groups regarding the existence of 

an accessible and disability-inclusive workplace environment.

• Gain senior leadership buy-in and sponsorship of disability-related 

initiatives. Senior leadership should emphasize how work groups that 

include diverse perspectives and people, including those with disabilities, 

are known to yield greater engagement, productivity and performance.

Through its internally focused “You Belong Here” video and associated 

campaign, multinational food, snack and beverage corporation PepsiCo

educates about the importance of self-ID to helping it understand 

how well it is serving its associates with disabilities. In addition to 

highlighting the contributions of a diverse array of employees with 

disabilities, the video emphasizes that the term disability encompasses 

a wide range of conditions, the majority of which are not visible. 

Moreover, PepsiCo’s chairman and CEO states that associates with 

disabilities “make us a faster, stronger, better company” and urges them 

to self-ID so that the company can “continue doing everything we can 

to support you and encourage more people with disabilities to join the 

PepsiCo team.” Watch the video at AskEARN.org/resources/employer-success-stories/pepsico.

When Merck launched a self-ID 

campaign in 2014, it found that 

a holistic approach, one that 

incorporated disability into a larger 

effort focused on multiple diversity 

factors, led to positive results. To 

support its efforts, the company 

conducted video interviews with 

members of the company’s ERGs, 

including its disability-related ERG. 

These interviews, which included 

statements from the executive 

sponsor of the self-ID campaign, 

were then embedded in email 

communications to employees. The 

message was one not of “check the 

box” but rather the importance of 

“bringing your whole self to work.” 

Merck also created a separate section 

of its intranet dedicated to self-ID, 

through its diversity and inclusion 

page. This section includes all related 

information, including why the 

company collects diversity data, how 

it keeps data confidential, and the 

fact that, for purposes of disability, 

employees do not need to specify a 

particular condition. It also includes 

information about reasonable 

accommodation processes and 

disability etiquette. Once launched, 

Merck made the decision to do a 

proactive push every year, not every 

five years as required under federal 

contractor regulations. Moreover, 

it leaves the portal open so that an 

employee can choose to update their 

status at any time. To gauge the 

success of its campaign, Merck tracks 

participation (meaning employees 

who go into the system) and has found 

that, when employees do participate, 

there is a 200 percent increase in selfID rates.

5
6

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

SUPPORTING HEALTH AND WELLNESS 

For many people both with and without disabilities, health insurance is an 

essential employer-provided benefit. Like most individuals, people with 

disabilities rely on it to cover the costs associated with everything from 

minor ailments to chronic conditions. Given this, some may be reluctant 

to self-identify if they believe or question whether doing so would put 

their benefits at risk. Indeed, the Cornell research revealed that 61.5 

percent of survey respondents with disabilities stated that the risk of 

losing health insurance was a “very important” reason not to self-identify. 

What can your business do to allay those concerns and make sure employees 

understand how the health benefits you provide can work to support their 

health and well-being? 

Strategies

• Create a variety of methods for employees to meet criteria for wellness program incentives, to avoid unintentionally excluding people 

with disabilities from those benefits.

• As required, do not discriminate against an employee with a disability 

when offering and providing health insurance coverage.

• Ensure that HR officials and supervisors understand the available 

benefits.

• Include statements of nondiscrimination on benefits materials and websites.

• Highlight a broad range of employee health benefits including mental health services and benefits, wellness initiatives, employee assistance programs (EAPs) and other healthcare services to show commitment to employee 

health.

ENSURING PRIVACY

Many employees have a desire for privacy at work, especially when it concerns personal information. This may 

be particularly so when it comes to medical or disability-related information and thus may impact an employee’s 

decision about self-identification. In fact, according to the research conducted by Cornell, 27.9 percent of survey 

respondents with disabilities stated that privacy was a “very important” reason to not self-identify. 

How can your business ensure employee privacy and effectively communicate related policies and strategies to 

employees, so that team members with disabilities are comfortable self-identifying? 

Strategies

• Be clear about the ways in which the information will be used if an employee self-identifies that they have a 

disability (i.e., for statistical purposes only and presented in the aggregate). 

• Provide employees the option to self-identify within a secure/confidential online system, such as where they 

maintain tax deductions, paycheck allocations, etc. Ensure the system is separate from electronic personnel 

documents, performance evaluations, etc.

Chemical and pharmaceutical 

manufacturer DuPont has a long 

and rich history with EAPs and 

using them to show commitment 

to employee health. As an example, 

DuPont’s global EAP team created 

and implemented an internal antistigma campaign, called “ICU” (“I 

See You”), the centerpiece of which 

is an animated video about how to 

recognize signs of emotional distress 

in colleagues and encourage them 

to seek help. Based on its success, 

DuPont later decided to make the 

program available to all employers, 

free of charge, through a partnership 

with the Center for Workplace Mental 

Health (workplacementalhealth.org).
7

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

• Explain that self-identification is voluntary and how anonymity, 

confidentiality and privacy will be protected. 

• Keep demographic data separate from the application and in data 

analysis files (rather than in medical files of individual employees). 

• Monitor the maintenance of these protections on a regular basis. 

Explaining the Reasons for Self-ID

Employees with disabilities who receive reasonable accommodations or 

participate in targeted hiring programs that take disability into account are 

required to disclose in order to benefit from such services or programs. 

As a result, they may be more apt to understand the benefits of selfidentification. However, other employees with disabilities may think 

long and hard about the risks versus benefits of self-identifying, even 

anonymously. In the Cornell research, 44 percent of survey respondents 

with disabilities said the fact that their disability has no impact on their 

ability to do their job was a “very important” reason to not self-identify.

How can your business help employees understand the reasons selfidentification is beneficial, beyond the need for reasonable accommodations 

or participation in targeted programs? 

Strategies

• Explain the benefits of self-identification, among them access to resources, accommodations and a 

community of other employees with disabilities. In addition, emphasize a desire to create and foster an 

inclusive work environment. 

• Be clear that self-identification information helps your business identify gaps in recruiting, hiring, retention 

and promotion of people with disabilities. Without this data, the business will not know how to best target 

future diversity efforts.

• Emphasize that this information is used to help build budgets for various disability-related activities, 

including reasonable accommodations and the disability ERG. Accurate information will help your business 

provide the right supports for people who need them.

EY encourages self-ID by ensuring disability is integrated into the larger diversity conversation and 

communicating how the data collected provides the company demographic information it needs to better support 

its people. This is facilitated through consistent messages across multiple avenues, including activities in which 

EY’s people are already involved. For example, EY implemented a self-ID campaign called “I Count” and enlisted 

its ERGs to help promote it via stickers, emails, etc. The stickers in particular—which said “I Count”—were meant 

to serve as a conversation piece. ERG members were also provided with “elevator pitches” to help explain the 

campaign’s purpose. 

An employee of cosmetic giant 

L’Oréal once shared how for a long 

time, she wasn’t honest with her 

supervisors and colleagues—and 

really herself—about her hearing loss 

and how it impacted her work. In 

October 2016 she had a particularly 

bad experience in an important 

meeting. Not long after, a video 

campaign called “Breaking the 

Silence” was broadcast on the L’Oréal 

internal portal and screensaver. It 

described the benefits of disability 

disclosure. She decided that day to 

“check the box” acknowledging she 

had a disability and start getting the 

supports she needed to perform her 

best on the job.
8

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

• Include a statement on the self-identification form explaining the company’s desire to diversify its workforce, 

support all employees equally, and learn more about employees to assess whether efforts to recruit and 

retain people with disabilities are effective.

• Assign the disability ERG a key role in communicating the importance of self-identification. For example, an 

ERG representative might talk about the value of self-identification during onboarding presentations.

Tracking Progress for Continuous Improvement

Tracking data is critical to assessing the effectiveness of your company’s disability inclusion efforts. It allows you to 

better assess your policies and practices and ensure your workforce reflects the communities and customers you 

serve. In addition, such data is essential to understanding how to better provide employees with disabilities the 

tools and resources they need to succeed. 

Below are various data sources and strategies commonly used by employers to track data about applicants and 

employees with disabilities. As noted previously, companies contracting with the Federal Government are required to 

collect disability data under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. Under certain circumstances, other companies may 

choose to collect it to determine progress toward achieving disability inclusion goals, including creating a workplace 

climate of inclusion. 

Federal Contractors 

Federal contractors covered by Section 503 must document specified computations or comparisons pertaining to 

applicants and employees with and without disabilities. One channel they must use for counting applicants and 

employees with disabilities is a pre-approved self-identification form. Federal contractors may also count individuals 

who are otherwise known to have disabilities (for example, individuals who self-disclose their disability to receive a 

reasonable accommodation or participate in a targeted hiring program that takes disability into account). 

When tracking applicants and employees with disabilities, employers may not require an individual to self-identify as 

a person with a disability. Furthermore, data must be kept separate from the application and confidential and in a 

data analysis file (rather than in medical files of individual employees). This is because the data is used for statistical 

purposes and considered only in the aggregate. 

In addition to using the pre-approved form, federal contractors may also collect disability data by asking employees 

to voluntarily self-identify on employee engagement surveys. These surveys are used to understand the disability or 

overall diversity climate of the business. Often companies will make employment engagement surveys anonymous to 

increase participation. 

Other Employers 

For employers not subject to Section 503, it is prudent to adopt similar strategies to determine progress in 

implementing disability inclusion goals, including those related to voluntary affirmative action programs. These 

companies may use forms comparable to the pre-approved form federal contractors are required to use and may also 

similarly count individuals who are otherwise known to have a disability. 
9

ENGAGING EMPLOYEES TO MEASURE SUCCESS: INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ENCOURAGING SELF-IDENTIFICATION OF DISABILITY

Reasonable Accommodations

Employers typically track the number of employees who request reasonable accommodations. When disclosing 

a disability to request an accommodation, however, an employee or applicant does not need to use any specific 

language or form. Although an employee may disclose a disability to request an accommodation, he or she cannot be 

required to self-identify on the forms referenced above. Regardless, data collected about reasonable accommodations 

is extremely valuable in helping a business respond to the needs of its workforce. 

Clearly, effective data, both related to self-identification and self-disclosure, is key to continuous improvement on a 

company’s disability inclusion journey. But the process is as important as the product. Communicating the value of 

such data, from both the individual and organizational perspectives, can have a significant impact on how accurate a 

company’s measures are and, ultimately, its efforts to foster a disability-inclusive culture.