2024 International Day of Persons with Disabilities: Encouraging employees with disabilities to occupy leadership roles
December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The observance of this significant day was proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3. International Day of Persons with Disabilities strives to:
- Create awareness about disability issues and encourage support for the dignity, rights and well-being of individuals with disabilities
- Highlight the importance of the inclusion of people with disabilities in the political, social, economic and cultural aspects of life
The International Day of Persons with Disabilities theme for this year focuses on increasing the leadership of persons with disabilities to create a more inclusive and sustainable world. We know that people with disabilities are already contributing as leaders in many organizations. In British Columbia, the Accessible Employers 2024 Pledge to Measure results identified 543 senior leaders who self-identified as having a disability across the 55 participating employers. As more employers join the Pledge, we can expect to see this number climb.
However, the United Nations recognizes that persons with disabilities tend to earn lower salaries than employees without disabilities and people with disabilities also have difficulty finding employment that is accessible and/or offers reasonable accommodations. Therefore, disability inclusion in the workforce is a challenge that still needs to be addressed.
Benefits of disability inclusion in the workforce
Research has shown that there are many benefits for employers who hire people with disabilities. Some of the benefits of hiring employees with disabilities include:
- A reinforcement of the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion
- Access to diverse knowledge, skills and abilities as people with disabilities tend to possess unique talents that enable them to be better at certain jobs
- A workforce that is reflective of the organization’s customers as employees with disabilities can provide insight into the needs of customers with disabilities
How employers can support employees who have self-identified as having a disability advance into leadership roles
Employers play a crucial role in helping employees with disabilities to succeed into leadership roles. The following are strategies that employers can adopt to empower employees with disabilities to excel in their careers and occupy leadership roles:
- Offer accessible training and development opportunities to expand the employee’s knowledge, skills and abilities. Ensure that training is designed to include a variety of learning styles and assistive technologies.
- Provide mentoring and coaching programs. Such programs can help disabled employees to access learning and networking opportunities that may otherwise exclude them.
- Offer tuition assistance to enable employees to enrol into programs that will allow them to gain the skills required for advancement.
- Provide accommodations such as:
- Remote, hybrid and flexible work schedules
- Training resources in alternative formats
- Ergonomic chairs, desks and devices
If provided the opportunity, employees with disabilities are also competent of occupying leadership roles. Like employees without disabilities, employees with disabilities are also hardworking, determined and committed individuals who bring valuable knowledge, skills and abilities and lived experience that can enable them to help their employers achieve their goals and objectives by making a meaningful contribution.
Ekamjit Ghuman (she/her) has completed a degree in Business with a Finance and Human Resources Management concentration from Simon Fraser University and a Post Baccalaureate Diploma in Human Resources Management from Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She has volunteered for several non-profit organizations and has served as a Constituency Assistant for a Member of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.