Avoiding Disability Bias
When John Fetterman, a Senate candidate recovering from a recent stroke, used captioning to help him process an interviewer’s words in real-time, many commentators acted as if he were cheating – and questioned his ability to serve. The debate has revealed how little we as a society understand about the nature of brain injuries, disabilities, and reasonable accommodations.
Image: Chona Kasinger for Disabled And Here project.
Disabilities come in many forms, some visible and some not. Almost all of us will be disabled at some point in our lifetimes, but discrimination and bias against people with disabilities remains strong.
What is disability bias?
Disability bias means treating people differently because of their disability or perceived disability. Like other forms of bias, it may be explicit or implicit. Explicit bias is often easiest to recognize and overcome.
Implicit bias is often unconscious. We make assumptions about people based on stereotypes, our personal experiences, or things we’ve been told. Implicit bias can show up in who we invite to job fairs or seminars, how we structure the physical environment, and how we interpret a colleague’s speech patterns.
Unconscious bias is powerful. We process most information subconsciously, without intentional thought. To unlearn unconscious bias, we have to actively seek engagement with diverse groups of people, take the perspective of people who are different from us, put systems in place to prevent discrimination, and hold ourselves accountable.
Develop systems to prevent disability bias
Recognizing that implicit bias is pervasive and powerful, you can create systems that ensure employees are treated fairly at every stage of their experience with your organization. Provide appropriate accommodations to give people what they need to thrive, and develop an inclusive culture that benefits everyone.
Create an equitable hiring process
You may unintentionally be excluding people with disabilities — visible or invisible — from your organization. Review every aspect of your hiring process to ensure you’re not missing out on qualified candidates:
Develop clear, complete job descriptions. Include accurate information about what the job entails, and remove unnecessary requirements.
Make sure your website, documents, and other job information are accessible. Tools like those from Textio and Datapeople can help you use inclusive language and create effective recruiting documents.
Ensure any recruiting agencies you work with agree not to exclude candidates due to disability.
Ask candidates if they require any accommodations for their interview. For example, they may require captioning for a video interview or a wheelchair-accessible interview space.
View screening tools that use artificial intelligence with skepticism; they may perpetuate biases against people with disabilities.
Train interviewers to recognize and avoid disability bias.
Make appropriate accommodations
The Americans with Disabilities Act requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations for employees with disabilities. Some employers fear that the cost of accommodations will be prohibitive, but that’s rarely the case. In fact, 56% of accommodations cost nothing, and the rest typically cost only about $500 per employee with a disability. If more expensive accommodations are required, such as changing the physical environment, tax incentives make such changes more affordable.
Depending on the disability, accommodations may include providing customized tools and technology, making changes to the physical environment, restructuring jobs, allowing remote working, or providing additional time for tests.
While you can make educated guesses about the kinds of accommodations an employee might need, it’s best not to make assumptions. Ask the employee what will help them succeed, and negotiate the solutions that work best for the employee and the company.
Some disabilities or limitations are short-term or may change over time. Let employees know that the company supports them as their situation changes. Employees should start by discussing their needs with their manager, who can then find the support they need with help from HR and other company resources.
Develop a respectful and inclusive culture
Like everyone else, people with disabilities want to be respected and have the opportunity to thrive in the workplace. It’s up to managers and co-workers to be welcoming and to create an inclusive workplace.
Discourage ableist language. Comments such as “that’s crazy” or “he’s blind as a bat” are insensitive at best and can be hurtful. Likewise, don’t tolerate jokes about disabilities.
Learn about communication and behavior styles that may be related to disabilities. Educate employees so they can keep context in mind when they respond and react to a co-worker’s actions.
Prioritize accessibility for all events, whether formal or casual.
Learn about the cultural norms and challenges of people with different kinds of disabilities. Recognize that people have intersectional identities, and that each person’s experience is affected by race, gender identity, age, sexual orientation, and other factors in addition to a disability.
Provide the same level of accountability for employees with disabilities. Expect all your employees to treat others respectfully and to perform their jobs professionally.
Educate employees on appropriate ways to offer help and express concern to co-workers, whether they have disabilities or not.
Confidentially ask people with disabilities what they want their colleagues to understand, and then provide training to share that information.
Provide career growth opportunities for all employees, including people with disabilities. Offer mentoring and coaching initiatives, skills-training programs, and other opportunities for people with disabilities to continue to develop their careers. There’s a place for people with disabilities at every level of an organization, including leadership roles.
Respect employees’ privacy
Many disabilities are obvious, but others are invisible. Some disabilities carry more stigma than others. Of course, an employee must disclose a disability in order to request accommodation. Beyond that, each employee has the legal right to decide what information they want to share about their disability and with whom.
When an employee requires accommodations for an invisible disability, co-workers may gossip or resent what they perceive as special treatment. If that happens, consult with the accommodated employee to decide how to communicate that the accommodation is appropriate without betraying confidentiality.
People with disabilities have many of the same needs and potential as other employees. With thoughtful planning, equitable systems, and clear communication, you can create an inclusive organizational culture that welcomes and supports all talented candidates.