Action Plan: How to Measure the Impact of Your Disability Inclusion Initiatives

Disability inclusion is a key component of a strong DEI strategy, and measuring its impact is essential for HR leaders to ensure they are driving meaningful change within their organization. This action plan provides a step-by-step framework to help you assess the success of your disability inclusion initiatives and optimize your efforts for greater impact.

Step 1: Assess Workforce Representation
‍

• Track Employee Self-Identification: Regularly collect data on the percentage of employees who self-identify as having a disability. Compare this with national benchmarks to understand how well your company attracts and retains talent with disabilities.
• Analyze Representation Across Roles: Go beyond overall numbers and assess whether employees with disabilities are represented at all levels, including leadership roles.

Step 2: Review Recruitment and Hiring Metrics
‍

• Measure Hiring Rates for Candidates with Disabilities: Track the number of candidates with disabilities who apply, interview, and are hired. Analyze how these rates compare to non-disabled candidates. Pro tip: Make sure you have an interview accommodations process in place.
• Identify Effective Sourcing Channels: Evaluate which recruitment channels yield the highest number of candidates with disabilities and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Step 3: Monitor Accommodation Requests and Fulfillment
‍

• Track Accommodation Requests: Record the number and type of accommodations requested and fulfilled. This helps you understand common needs and better anticipate future requests.‍
• Measure Turnaround Time: Ensure accommodations are processed quickly and effectively by tracking how long it takes to approve and implement requests. Shorter turnaround times indicate a more efficient process.

‍

Step 4: Analyze Retention and Career Development
‍

• Retention of Employees with Disabilities: Compare retention rates between employees with disabilities and the broader workforce. High turnover may signal a need for better support or accommodations.
• Evaluate Promotion Rates: Track the promotion and career advancement of employees with disabilities to ensure they have equal access to leadership opportunities.

Step 5: Ensure Accessibility in the Workplace
‍

• Conduct Physical and Digital Accessibility Audits: Regularly assess the accessibility of your office spaces and digital tools to ensure compliance with ADA and WCAG standards. ‍
• Gather Employee Feedback: Use anonymous surveys to get insights into how employees with disabilities perceive accessibility in the workplace and address any challenges.

‍

‍

Step 6: Measure Engagement and Inclusion
‍

• Include Disability in Engagement Surveys: Add specific questions about inclusion and belonging for employees with disabilities to your regular engagement surveys. This will help identify areas where they may feel excluded or unsupported.
• Track Participation in ERGs: Measure how many employees with disabilities participate in Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and gather feedback on the support they receive through these groups.

Step 7: Evaluate Training and Awareness Initiatives
‍

• Track Training Participation: Ensure managers and employees participate in disability inclusion training and track attendance rates.‍
• Measure Behavioral Changes: Assess whether training changes how employees with disabilities are treated using post-training assessments or feedback loops.

‍

‍

Step 8: Measure Financial Impact
‍

• Analyze Cost vs. Benefit of Accommodations: Track the cost of accommodations and compare them with the financial benefits, such as higher retention, increased productivity, and improved employee morale.
• Utilize Work Opportunity Tax Credits (WOTC): Track how often your organization benefits from WOTC when hiring employees with disabilities and calculate the associated financial impact.

Step 9: Strengthen Employer Brand and External Recognition
‍

• Monitor External Rankings and Awards: Track your company’s recognition in disability inclusion rankings (e.g., Disability Equality Index) and how this impacts your employer brand.
• Referral Rates from Disability Networks: Measure the number of referrals from employees with disabilities, as this can indicate their satisfaction with your workplace.

Step 10: Ensure Continuous Improvement
‍

• Set Clear Disability Inclusion Goals: Establish specific, measurable goals for disability inclusion and track progress over time.
• Refine Your Strategy: Regularly review your metrics and adjust your initiatives to ensure continued progress toward creating an inclusive workplace for employees with disabilities.

Conclusion: A Roadmap for Disability Inclusion Success
‍

By following this step-by-step action plan, HR teams can measure the impact of their disability inclusion initiatives and gain leadership buy-in. Tracking these key DEI metrics ensures compliance, improves engagement and retention, and creates a more inclusive, supportive workplace for all employees.

Related Resources

• [Read] What's the Cost of Not Accommodating Your Employees? 
• [Learn] A Step-by-Step Guide to WOTC for Employers 
• [Watch] Stories and Strategies for an Inclusive Workplace | Disclo Webinar 
• [Learn] Empowering Your Workplace with Disclo's Disability Inclusion Toolkit