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Businesses have long been drivers of social change. Across the globe, companies have begun acknowledging vital challenges and injustices such as climate change and pay gaps. Diversity and inclusion is one such defining issue, and, although huge progress has been made towards equality across boundaries of gender, race and sexual orientation, one aspect of D&I is too often neglected: disability.
The UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines those for whom it advocates as as “people who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.”
Although 90% of companies claim to prioritize diversity, only 4% consider disability in those initiatives, according to a report from the Return On Disability Group. And only a small subset truly serves customers with disabilities. We’d therefore describe even the most progressive organizations as “divers-ish.” That’s the word we used when we launched our Valuable 500 campaign — a push for companies to commit to inclusion that encompasses people with disabilities—at the World Economic Forum Annual Summit last year.
Making this change should not be a chore. It is an opportunity. The World Bank estimates that there are more than one billion people worldwide – around 15% of the population – living with a disability. As consumers, they represent a market the size of the United States, Brazil, Pakistan and Indonesia combined and a disposable income of more than $8 trillion, as noted by the Return On Disabilty Group. As workers, they can ease talent shortages and add to the organizational diversity that drives better decision-making and innovation.
If your company wants to show the world that it truly sees the value in everyone, there are plenty of steps leaders can take right away to improve disability inclusion in your hiring processes, in the accessibility of your workplace, and in the products and services you offer.
Be open to potential employees.
Start by understanding the barriers that discourage people with disabilities from applying to work for you – e.g. application format, online accessibility, and even the language of job descriptions. In some cases, companies will include generic requirements for physical tasks, such as driving, typing, lifting, or the ability to sit for long periods, even if the role does not actually demand them. These are coded descriptions that weed out anyone with a disability at the first step. Standard in-person interview practices can also disadvantage those with disabilities, and bias often creeps into hiring decisions.
There are several companies who are leading the way in disability inclusion, however. For example, Virgin Media has partnered with Scope to support one million disabled people in getting into and staying in work by the end of 2020 – a campaign titled Work with Me. Together, the two organizations developed an online hub designed to help users gain confidence and skills as they apply for jobs. Internally, Virgin Media created a disability awareness guide for line managers and works with its resourcing partners to ensure accessibility is considered throughout the recruitment process.
EY has a number of Centers of Excellence that have a specific hiring program focused on neurodiverse, specifically autistic, people, who tend to be technologically inclined and detail-oriented. Microsoft has an autism hiring program, too; the company’s other initiatives include “ability hiring” events, offering interview accommodations upon request, and disability etiquette training programs.
Create accessible workplaces.
In order to retain employees, accessibility and inclusivity must extend beyond the recruitment process. People with disabilities need to feel included in and comfortable with their physical working space, and office design needs to take this into account.
Peter Grauer, chairman of Bloomberg, said on stage at Davos this year that in the last 12 months Bloomberg has ensured that its 4.5 million square feet of real estate around the world is accessible to those with disabilities to ensure all colleagues can come to work every day. It has already rolled out disability awareness training to 1,000 of its 18,500 employees will bring the program to 6,000 team leaders and managers by the end of 2020.
Audi’s approach to creating an accessible workplace includes flexible work schedules, transparent processes, such as reporting on their disability inclusion initiatives and ensuring they are held to account by external parties such as the charity Motability, and health promotion programs tailor-made for those with disabilities. In a similar vein, Atos works to improve the availability of assistive technologies, such as text-to-speech, in its core employee tools as an integrated part of its DigitalNow transformation program.
From the physical environment to work-day structure and technology, there are several ways to broaden accessibility.
Embrace the new customer segment.
Consider reviewing your media and communication materials and how you might represent and speak to a broader spectrum of people.
One company that is doing well in this regard is Barclays. On its website you can find a wide-range of support for people with different accessibility needs, from practical tools such as assistive technology for the visually and hearing impaired to advice on how to manage finances if you or a loved one has a disability. It also offers third-party bank accounts for those who may need additional a support with accessing their finances, services to help with dyslexia and dyscalculia and those with dexterity challenges. This opens Barclays to a far broader customer base and boosts its reputation. It makes business sense.
Microsoft has also made a strong commitment to accessibility offerings in recent years, in part due to CEO Satya Nadella’s experience of having a child who is severely disabled. In 2018, the company launched AI for Accessibility, a $25 million, five-year grant program that aims to “amplify human capability.” The company’s Seeing AI app reads text and describes objects aloud for people with low vision. Another example comes from Alea Technologies, which has developed an IntelliGaze communication system that allows people with mobility impairments to operate their computer with eye control.
The Nike FlyEase laceless shoe was inspired by a man with cerebral palsy but has been purchased by many more disabled and able-bodied customers. MagZip, a system that enables zipping with one hand, was designed for a man who had dementia and is now used by brands such as Tommy Hilfiger, Moncler, and Under Armour, whose related jackets are favored by cyclists.
These three steps are a piece of the corporate social responsibility movement. As Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever and chairman of The Valuable 500, noted at the World Economic Forum this year: “About 65% of employees say if I’m going to work for this company, I want to be sure there is total diversity and inclusion in all its senses. We’ve seen employees walking out for climate change, we’ve seen employees walking out for the #Me Too movement, and employees are soon also going to walk out if you have discriminatory practices to people with disabilities.”
In taking the lead on this issue, your business will not only prosper from an ethical standpoint, but an economic one as well. Inclusive businesses are a magnet for talent, have a broader customer base, spur more innovation, and offer a better quality of life for all.
What I have learned is don’t be afraid to ask someone how they are, what they need and how you can help.
Jill Kramer
Chief Marketing and Communications Officer
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One billion people, or 15% of the world’s population, experience some form of disability, and disability prevalence is higher for developing countries. One-fifth of the estimated global total, or between 110 million and 190 million people, experience significant disabilities.
Persons with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes such as less education, poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment, and higher poverty rates.
As COVID-19 continues to have wide-reaching impacts across the globe, it is important to note how persons with disabilities are uniquely impacted by the pandemic, including health, education, and transport considerations.
In the area of health, many persons with disabilities have additional underlying health needs that make them particularly vulnerable to severe symptoms of COVID-19, if they contract it. Persons with disabilities may also be at increased risk of contracting COVID-19 because information about the disease, including the symptoms and prevention, are not provided in accessible formats such as print materials in Braille, sign language interpretation, captions, audio provision, and graphics.
With widespread school closures, children with disabilities are lacking access to basic services like meal programs; assistive technologies; access to resource personnel; recreation programs; extracurricular activities; and water, sanitation, and hygiene programs. COVID-19 has led to a sudden shift in the role of the parent/caregiver to act simultaneously as their teachers, in addition to exacerbating the digital divide between learners related to access to equipment, electricity, and the internet.
As public transport systems reduce or stop services due to COVID-19, persons with disabilities who rely on these methods for accessible transport may not be able to travel, even for basic necessities or critical medical appointments.
Barriers to full social and economic inclusion of persons with disabilities include inaccessible physical environments and transportation, the unavailability of assistive devices and technologies, non-adapted means of communication, gaps in service delivery, and discriminatory prejudice and stigma in society.
Poverty may increase the risk of disability through malnutrition, inadequate access to education and health care, unsafe working conditions, a polluted environment, and lack of access to safe water and sanitation. Disability may also increase the risk of poverty, through lack of employment and education opportunities, lower wages, and increased cost of living with a disability.
Global awareness of disability-inclusive development is increasing. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [CRPD] promotes the full integration of persons with disabilities in societies. The CRPD specifically references the importance of international development in addressing the rights of persons with disabilities.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development clearly states that disability cannot be a reason or criteria for lack of access to development programming and the realization of human rights. The Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] framework includes seven targets, which explicitly refer to persons with disabilities, and six further targets on persons in vulnerable situations, which include persons with disabilities.
Last Updated: Oct 10, 2021
Including persons with disabilities and expanding equitable opportunities are at the core of the World Bank’s work to build sustainable, inclusive communities, aligned with the institution’s goals to end extreme poverty and promote shared prosperity. The World Bank integrates disability into development through its analytical work, data, and good-practice policies. The Bank also integrates disability issues into its operations across a wide range of sectors, including promoting access to infrastructure facilities and social services, rehabilitation, skills development, creating economic opportunities, and working with Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, focusing on the most vulnerable among people with disabilities, such as women and children, and influencing policies and institutional development. The Global Disability Advisor’s team serves as a focal point for ongoing advisory and analytical support to operational teams on disability-inclusive approaches in project design and implementation. The World Bank launched its first Disability Inclusion and Accountability Framework in June 2018 to offer a roadmap for: The framework is relevant to policymakers, government officials, other development organizations, and persons with disabilities. With the World Bank’s funding commitments to help countries fight COVID-19, there are opportunities to address persons with disabilities and limit the impacts on them both in the short and long term. In July 2018, the World Bank Group made ten commitments to accelerate global action for disability-inclusive development in key areas such as education, digital development, data collection, gender, post-disaster reconstruction, transport, private sector investments, and social protection. These are: The World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework [ESF] includes a strong provision designed to make sure that the interests of persons with disabilities are protected and included, requiring the borrower to look specifically at disability as part of any social assessments. The ESF makes several direct references to safeguarding the interests of persons with disabilities and protecting them from unsafe working conditions. It encourages countries to undertake reasonable accommodation measures to adapt the workplace to include workers with disabilities, as well as to provide information in accessible formats. Furthermore, the ESF also requires client countries to undertake meaningful consultations with stakeholders to learn their views on project risks, impacts, and mitigation measures. In addition, the World Bank has issued a Directive on addressing project risks and impacts on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, which also addresses the inclusion of persons with disabilities. The Disability Inclusion and Accountability Framework is aligned with the ESF and will offer a thematic blueprint to support disability-inclusive investments. Working with International Development Association Disability is a cross-cutting theme in the IDA19 financing package. This represents an important opportunity to ensure the systematic inclusion of persons with disabilities in World Bank projects by way of support to and in the development of services provided to IDA countries. The IDA19 package recognizes disability inclusion as a cross cutting theme and makes explicit reference to disability in six policy commitments.
Last Updated: Oct 10, 2021
Global analysis and good practice: Disability Inclusive Education Recent analytical work on disability-inclusive education includes: Disability and Development Disaster Risk Management Transport Technology and Innovation Water The World Bank has developed a Guidance Note for staff on promoting disability inclusion and accessibility in water sector operations. Women and Girls with Disabilities Projects by region: South Asia East Asia and the Pacific Western and Central Africa Eastern and Southern Africa Middle East and North Africa Latin America and the Caribbean Eastern and Central Europe Additional projects addressing issues of disability through a social inclusion lens are being implemented in Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Indonesia, Grenada, Lebanon, and Morocco.
Trust-funded Projects:
In addition to World Bank financing, the Japan Policy and Human Resources Development Fund financed efforts to mainstream disability in World Bank projects around the world for a total of $23 million, for example:
- In Jamaica, support was provided for improving services and employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
- In Moldova, a project supported the improvement of access to education for children with disabilities.
- In Peru, a project focused on mainstreaming inclusive design and universal mobility in Lima.
- In Romania, the focus was to improve policymaking and the institutional framework addressing people with disability.
- In India, the World Bank supported the production of training packages titled “Making Inclusion Work” for master trainers, who will train general education teachers on supporting students with autism, hearing impairments, cerebral palsy, and deafblindness.
The Inclusive Education Initiative invests in resources for interventions in Nepal, Rwanda and Ethiopia for systems strengthening to support educational achievement of students with disabilities:
- In Rwanda, we have conducted a comprehensive mapping and review of resource classrooms and assessment centers, along with strengthen Education Management Information System [EMIS], technical assistance, and targeted capacity building.
- In Nepal, we have financed streamlining for teacher recruitment and deployment, technical assistance to strengthen disability inclusion in ongoing projects, data collection and management, and innovation grants to Disabled People Organizations.
- In Ethiopia, we have enhanced quality of services under Inclusive Education Resource Centers [IERCs], strengthening Education Management Information System [EMIS], screening and development of inclusive pre-primary program.
Last Updated: Oct 10, 2021
Partnerships play a critical role at the strategic level, by developing policy and institutional frameworks, and at the project level, through joint implementation with civil society and disabled people’s and community-based organizations to promote inclusion of people with disabilities. Last Updated: Oct 10, 2021