- Robert Ludke is a business strategy consultant and author of Transformative Markets.
As we approach the end of National Disability Employment Month, it is clear that the most important reason to celebrate disability employment has been overlooked.
Employing people with disabilities is a long-term, executive-driven organizational strategy that delivers lasting value to shareholders and stakeholders.
Too often, private sectors focus on employment of people with disabilities and view it as part of a corporate social responsibility campaign or compliance with legal mandates. Much attention is given to employee resource groups, awareness training, and social media campaigns to tell the story of disability employment. Yes, these efforts are important and have their place within every organization. But these are incremental measures and not a comprehensive approach to promoting greater employment of disabled people across the economy.
When disability employment is seen as a driver of long-term value creation, it has proven its ability to sustain a business by opening billions of dollars of global markets and innovating the next generation of goods and services able to meet human needs.
Think of cruise control in vehicles, text or touch functions on cell phones, the electric toothbrush and the Internet. All were innovated by people with disabilities. Each innovation gained rapid mainstream acceptance, achieved widespread commercial success, and fostered positive change in the way billions of people work and live, regardless of their disability status.
Given that people with disabilities must constantly adapt to a society that is not always accessible to them, it is not surprising that their innovative abilities are more pronounced than those of most employees. For example, a study by Coqual (formerly The Center for Talent Innovation) found that 75% of employees with disabilities in the United States have ideas that would generate value for their company, compared to 61% of employees without disabilities.
Companies that harness the innovation potential of all employees identified as disabled will reap significant benefits. A study by Return on Disability found that the global population of people with disabilities, along with their close friends and family, is approximately 3.4 billion people, more than double the population of China. Their purchasing power exceeds 13,000 billion dollars.
Implementing a disability-inclusive business strategy starts at the top, with the CEO and board of directors. Only when leaders communicate their connection to disability will all employees feel comfortable doing so. This is not an act of charity or mercy. Just imagine the value created if employees with disabilities were allowed to repurpose the ingenuity of masking disability to apply the traits of creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience to their work.
Here are some additional ideas that connect disability employment to innovation and ultimately business strategy:
- Collaborate with suppliers to support the inclusion of people with disabilities in supply chains.
- Rethink your approach to design and innovation. Innovation throughout the global economy is held back because it is not open to a diverse set of entrepreneurs and employees. People with disabilities innovate every day. So, use their talents!
- Collaborate with local organizations that specialize in integrating disabled talent into the workforce and appreciate the intersectional nature of disability in doing so. Potential partners can be found working with veterans, people who identify as LGBTQ, or low-income populations.
- Hire a team of accessible design experts so that inclusive design concepts are integrated into physical office spaces.
The potential benefits of harnessing the lived experiences of people with disabilities are powerful and game-changing. Disability inclusion is not a compliance mandate or a niche market opportunity. Instead, it can unlock transformative solutions worth billions of dollars and make society better in the future.
Robert Ludke is a business strategy consultant and author of Transformative Markets. He began his career as an intern for Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, serving on the Subcommittee for Disability Policy, and then worked for Harkin as a legislative correspondent and legislative assistant.
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