Attracting talent with disabilities

- All managers and leaders at companies, big and small, across all industries can influence change that ensures people with disabilities turn to your company as somewhere they want to work. This can be done through some very simple adjustments which I'll go over in just a minute. But first, let's ground ourselves in why this is important. Research shows that diverse thinking increases creativity. Diverse teams produce more creative results than teams in which members are from a similar background. People with disabilities bring their own unique perspectives and experiences. Hiring talent with disabilities can bring immense creativity, innovation, and growth to your company. I'd love to share a couple stories with you. My colleague, Swetha, a brilliant engineer has helped create incredible features in Microsoft products. Born deaf, Swetha relies on captions and lip reading for communication. Her lived experience using our products has resulted in the background blurring feature in Teams, so she could focus better on someone's face during a video call, and universal captions across the Windows platform allowing any type of audio coming out of the computer to be captioned in real time. And my good friend Jessica, a wheelchair user, is all about being more efficient. One of the features she helped create is PowerPoint Designer, which saves people time and clicks by offering endless design options, showcasing great design made easy. These are just a couple examples of the creativity employees with disabilities around the world bring to products and services. So let's go over actions you can take to reach talent, build the organization you're striving towards, and share that you prioritize and care about accessibility and disability inclusion. First, consider the language used in job descriptions. A well-written job description speaks to diverse applicants while being specific about the skillsets required. People with disabilities might question whether they can perform the essential duties. So it's important to write the job requirements as clear and concise as possible. Second, review your marketing materials in anywhere else your company presents itself. This can have an enormous influence on whether candidates decide to apply for jobs. Use clear and specific language and avoid outdated or offensive terminology. For example, differently abled could be considered ableist to some. Instead, use disabled or person with a disability. Or rather than using directional or sensory terms like "Hear what our executives have to say," you can use "Learn more about our commitment." Next, provide a list of reasonable accommodations on your career page. While some candidates may not request accommodations in the interview process, many will take note that you're making the request process transparent and your company has experienced providing different types of accommodations. For example, in the United States, the Americans with Disability Act requires companies to provide reasonable accommodations. If you can show prospective candidates that your company goes above the bare minimum when it comes to accessibility, candidates may be more likely to apply. And finally, highlight your organization's commitment to accessibility and disability. In a study by Accenture, 75% of the global workforce want to work at a place that reflects their values. Diversity and inclusion are at the top of their list. So what's your company's mission to represent the various communities it serves? How are you already working towards your goals to make progress? Be transparent and realistic in what you share and ensure it matches what's truly happening in your company. While there's much more each of us can do, focusing on these four areas will make your company a much more attractive place for people with disabilities.