Part 1: Understanding Disability
Many employers do not know where to begin when it comes to creating disability-inclusive workplaces. In order to implement the most inclusive hiring practices, the best place to start, is fully understanding what a disability is, what the landscape is like, and some facts that might not be known.
Disability 101: Back to Basics
What is a disability? According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA),&nbsp;<a href="https://adata.org/faq/what-definition-disability-under-ada" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">an individual with a disability is</a>&nbsp;defined &ldquo;as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment.&rdquo; The ADA qualifies disability as a legal term, not a medical one, helping secure equal opportunities and civil rights for persons with disabilities.
You may not even realize that certain disabilities, limitations, or illnesses &nbsp;are actually disabilities that may need employer accommodation.
To help further this understanding, we&rsquo;ve provided some examples below &ndash; (this is NOT a full list, however, a full list can be found on the Job Accommodation Network&nbsp;<a href="https://askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">here</a><a href="https://askjan.org/a-to-z.cfm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">.</a>)
AIDS/HIV
Allergies
Alzheimer&rsquo;s Disease
Amputation
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)/Lou Gehrig&rsquo;s Disease
Anxiety Disorders
Arthritis
Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
Auditory Processing Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Bladder Impairments
Brain Injuries
Cancer
Cerebral Palsy
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic Pain
Cognitive Impairment (Intellectual)
Color Vision Deficiency (Color Blind)
Deafness or Hard of Hearing
Depression
Developmental Disabilities
Diabetes
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome
Epilepsy
Fibromyalgia
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Glaucoma
Heart Conditions
Hearing Loss
Hepatitis
Herpes Zoster (Shingles)
Huntington&rsquo;s Disease
Kidney Diseases
Learning Disabilities
Lyme Disease
Liver Disease
Lupus
Mental Health Impairments
Migraine Headaches
Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Muscular Dystrophy
Parkinson&rsquo;s Disease
Personality Disorders
Physical Disabilities
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Pregnancy
Psychiatric Impairments
Quadriplegia
Sickle Cell Anemia
Skin Disorders
Sleep Disorders
Speech-Language Impairments
Spina Bifida
Spinal Cord Injuries
Stroke
Stuttering
Thyroid Disorders
Wheelchair Use
As you can see from the list we&rsquo;ve provided, along with most recent statistics,&nbsp;<a href="https://archive.cdc.gov/www_cdc_gov/media/releases/2018/p0816-disability.html" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">1 in 4 Americans have a disability</a>. While many disabilities are visible, such as blindness or low vision, paralysis, or other physical disabilities,&nbsp;more than 70 percent of disabilities are non-apparent, such as cancer, autism, diabetes, PTSD, or depression.&nbsp;Additionally, more than 80 percent of disabilities are acquired throughout an individual&rsquo;s lifetime.&nbsp;Examples include long-term injuries due to an accident, diagnosis of an illness, decreased vision, hearing, or mobility.
Disability &amp; Employment
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is almost twice that of individuals without disabilities, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/odep/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">7.7 percent of people with disabilities are unemployed</a>, compared to 3.7 percent of people without disabilities. This isn&rsquo;t only about education levels either &nbsp;&ndash; persons with disabilities who have attained at least a bachelor&rsquo;s degree are still three times&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2018/labor-force-characteristics-of-people-with-a-disability/home.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">less likely to be employed</a>&nbsp;than those without a disability.
For an in-depth look at these topic areas,&nbsp;<a href="https://go.careercircle.com/candidate-experience-for-job-seekers-with-disabilities" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">download our eBook, &ldquo;Understanding the Candidate Experience for Job Seekers with Disabilities.&rdquo;</a>
For more resources and guidance on Understanding Disability, contact the CareerCircle team.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.

Understand disability basics to create inclusive workplaces. Learn about Disability 101 and improve hiring practices.

The Candidate Experience Blog Series Part 1: Understanding Disability

<h2>Auditing Your Recruiting Process for Accessibility </h2>
 There is an ethical &mdash; and often legal &mdash; imperative for your company to be accessible in all areas. It&rsquo;s also the case that by welcoming a more diverse employee base, your company stands to benefit from a richer and more innovative culture. As such, you may have made changes to create a hiring process supporting greater diversity in recent years. However, this doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean your practices are as accessible as they could be. Alongside adapting your hiring approach, you must ensure your recruitment process is accessible. Many business leaders use the terms interchangeably, but there are key differences between hiring and recruitment. While the former is a more passive way to fill a vacant role, recruitment is an intentional effort to seek out top talent and attract them to your company. If you&rsquo;re not effectively recruiting in an accessible way, you&rsquo;re likely missing out on a significant portion of the talent pool.
Let&rsquo;s take a look at what you should be focusing on when auditing your recruiting process for accessibility.
<h2>Reviewing Your Target Demographics</h2>
One of the key areas to audit is your target recruitment demographic. This should reflect the accessibility of your recruitment practices. Too often, the approaches companies use to look for the best and brightest in the field are hampered by looking for specific characteristics &mdash; characteristics that don&rsquo;t take into account the hurdles of those living with disabilities. As such, there&rsquo;s a tendency for unconscious bias to creep into decision-making here.
&nbsp;A way in which this often presents is by targeting professionals with specific types of experience. It may seem desirable to look for workers who have worked with top brands in key roles. However, as stringent as your recruitment accessibility standards might be, those other brands may not share your commitment to a diverse workforce. 
&nbsp;Indeed, their workplaces may not go beyond the <a href="https://www.eeoc.gov/publications/ada-your-responsibilities-employer#:~:text=Under%20the%20ADA%20%2C%20workers%20with,by%20you%20for%20your%20employees." rel="noopener" target="_blank">basic accessibility required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)</a> and, therefore, key roles and experiences aren&rsquo;t filled by those with disabilities. Your focus on recruiting people with certain types of employment history may result in inadvertently overlooking talented professionals that happen to live with disabilities. 
&nbsp;There&rsquo;s a similar issue that arises when your recruitment strategy only targets a demographic from traditional education backgrounds or degrees from top universities. Too many businesses at the moment are not open to recruiting those who have taken online courses. Yet, this results in a recruitment strategy actively excluding those who utilize distance learning for accessibility reasons. Consider how you can open your recruitment to those with disabilities and target the best talent with more varied experiences.
<h2>Considering the Impact of Your Culture</h2>
Your company culture influences the holistic wellness of your business. After all, it underpins everything from how workers interact with one another to the ethical decisions they make. It also increasingly comes into consideration when auditing whether the best talent is attracted to your business. Therefore, it&rsquo;s vital to understand where there may be hurdles to accessibility within your culture.
&nbsp;This has to begin by understanding to what extent <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/candidate-experience-blog-series-part-3-how-to-a" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">unconscious biases toward people with disabilities</a> are a feature in your company. This can be problematic not just from the actions of recruiters, but it may make a toxic working environment for a valuable professional living with a disability. It&rsquo;s important to gain perspectives from both current staff and experts in the field. Conduct surveys to ask about employees&rsquo; opinions and experiences in this regard and be open to consultants running audits in this area.
&nbsp;Another vital part of your workplace culture is the company&rsquo;s attitude and commitment toward mental wellness. A recruitment strategy that seeks to be fully inclusive isn&rsquo;t going to succeed if your workplace doesn&rsquo;t take mental health seriously on a cultural level.&nbsp;
If <a href="https://thepapergown.zocdoc.com/how-your-job-can-impact-your-mental-health/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">employees experiencing mental health challenges</a> don&rsquo;t have the support or resources they need, this can affect their health, productivity, and potential to resign. It&rsquo;s important for everyone involved that your company offers access to tools like mental health screening and subsidized therapy. Take the time to assess these elements. Then, make adjustments to ensure you&rsquo;re creating a supportive culture for those facing various challenges.
<h2>Evaluating Safety and Security</h2>
Safety and security are not obvious considerations for a recruitment strategy. You may only include these components for dangerous or sensitive roles. Yet, these elements play a vital role in making your process more accessible.
Firstly, this is relevant from the perspective of ensuring your company is a safe space for those with disabilities. It&rsquo;s important to frequently evaluate not just whether your workspace is accessible for both candidates with physical and mental disabilities but also how this is communicated during the recruitment process. Look at whether your recruitment processes offer invitations for candidates to make requests about the environment they&rsquo;re interviewed in or for assistance to be provided.&nbsp;
In addition, make certain the information regarding candidates' individual needs is protected from potential leaks and security breaches. This is sensitive data that must be treated respectfully. It&rsquo;s vital, therefore, to ensure your recruitment process&rsquo; cybersecurity protocols are tight. Understand the various information technology <a href="https://businessdegrees.uab.edu/blog/it-security-and-why-businesses-need-to-know-the-risks/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">(IT) risks your business could be subjected to</a>, from malware attacks to phishing attempts. Make sure you have tools like intrusion detection software in place. Your staff &mdash; particularly recruiters &mdash; should also be trained in cyber-secure behavior.
<h2>Conclusion</h2>
While your hiring practices may be geared toward accessibility, it&rsquo;s important to also make sure your recruitment processes have the same commitment. Take the time to audit aspects such as your choice of target demographic for potential hurdles to accessibility. Review how supportive your culture is to people with a range of accessibility challenges. Explore how your safety and security practices might impact your ability to recruit talented staff living with disabilities. Your attention here isn&rsquo;t just an ethical imperative. With additional effort and scrutiny, you can ensure both employees and your business benefit from greater accessibility and inclusivity.&nbsp;&nbsp; Learn more about CareerCircle, our mission, and how to ensure that you are creating an inclusive recruiting process and workplace. Content Contributor:
Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer from the Pacific Northwest. She is interested in better living through technology and education. She loves traveling to beautiful places and is frequently lost in a good book.
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Ensure your recruitment process is accessible to all. Audit for inclusivity and attract diverse talent.

Recruiting and Accessibility | Getting HiredAuditing Your Recruiting Process for Accessibility

Recruiting and Accessibility

A workplace should be inclusive and friendly to all employees. Not all working tools are ideal for supporting all employees' activity at work. If you have disability inclusion team members, treating them right is necessary. 
 The role of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) tools is essential for supporting people with disabilities. The automated nature of AAC tools makes creating and sharing messages easier so that communication can run seamlessly. With various options available on the market, choosing one can be challenging for you. So we&rsquo;ve rolled up five top internal communication tools to support disability inclusion in your company. Keep reading! 
<h2> Grid 3 (for PC)</h2>
 Grid 3 is a comprehensive assistive software designed to help people with disabilities. It offers many features that can help them communicate easily. Also, consider using specific communication channels such as <a href="https://breadnbeyond.com/explainer-videos/">explainer videos</a> so new employees can retain crucial information better. Users can customize and control their computer environment according to their preferences. So they can personalize their working tools to provide the utmost comfort while working. The symbol communication feature allows users to choose words and phrases represented by symbols to communicate. There are ready-made grid sets available, and the editing interface is touch-friendly and easy to use. Moreover, the accessible apps in Grid 3 give access to Facebook, YouTube, email, SMS, and much more. This way, it gets easier for them to communicate and share updates with other employees. 
<h2> Predictable 5 (All Platforms)</h2>
 Predictable may appear elementary at first glance. But it is one of the best communication apps for everyday conversation with family, friends, and coworkers. Predictable offers a range of features designed to assist users in constructing sentences quickly and accurately. This feature is especially helpful for those with communication difficulties who need support making sentences in real-time. There is also backend support for all users through a free login profile. Changes made to settings and saved phrases are automatically and securely sent to the cloud, which users can transfer onto another device. 
Another feature is Floorhold, which speaks sentences while the user types their message. This feature is handy for AAC users who require time to build their responses and want their listeners to wait. Users can choose between automatic, manual, or both options to find the most suitable mode. In addition, Predictable offers five different keyboards, including a 10-key for scanning assistance and a customizable appearance with a modern and practical user interface. 
<h2>EZ Speech Pro (for iOS &amp; Android)</h2>
 EZ Speech Pro is another option to support disability inclusion employees. This app is mainly designed for those who can read but have limited ability to speak. One of the key features is Typing-to-Speech, which allows users to type in anything they want to say and press the &ldquo;Speak&rdquo; button. This feature provides a quick and easy way for individuals to communicate their thoughts and needs to others. EZ Speech also has Text Saving/Retrieval that users can use to create long paragraphs or complete speeches and save them for later retrieval. This feature ensures that users can access their pre-written messages anytime and communicate more efficiently.
&nbsp;
Moreover, EZ Speech allows users to create customized vocabularies with Topics and associated Phrases. Users can add as many Topics and phrases as they like and build a customized language. The app even comes preloaded with 13 Topics and over 350+ phrases, and users can type something and press the &ldquo;Speak&rdquo; button. This feature offers great flexibility and enables individuals to express themselves more accurately and confidently. 
<h2>Clarocom (for iOS)</h2>
 ClaroCom is an AAC app designed for iPad or iPhone. It aims to assist individuals with difficulties producing or comprehending spoken or written language. Offering text-to-speech features, it serves as a communication aid to replace speech or support writing for people with&nbsp;disabilities. Moreover, Clarocom comes in two free and paid versions that users can easily install on their iPhone or iPad. It has word and phrase predictions on a phrase bar above the keyboard. As it speaks out the phrases and sentences, the in-built voices are high-quality to provide the most natural output. 
<h2> Mind Express 4 (for PC)</h2>
 Mind Express is a communication software designed to assist people with communication disorders.&nbsp; The software draws on more than 20 years of experience supporting users worldwide, including those with cerebral palsy, autism (ASD), selective mutism, MS, MND, Down&rsquo;s syndrome, aphasia, and more, in their daily activities. Mind Express is used for various purposes, including <a href="https://onlinebizbooster.net/how-to-improve-team-communication/">communicating with partners</a>, friends, and coworkers. It also has leisure activities like playing games or watching movies. Many organizations, clinics, and schools utilize the app as a communication and teaching aid for children and adults. 


<h2 data-path-to-node="0">Adobe Express Text to Speech (Web &amp; Mobile)</h2>

Adobe Express offers a powerful <a href="https://www.adobe.com/express/feature/ai/audio/voiceover/text-to-speech" rel="follow">Text to Speech</a> add-on designed to make digital content more accessible and engaging. While widely known for design, this feature is an excellent resource for workplace inclusion, allowing users to instantly convert written documents, white papers, or newsletters into high-quality audio files. This capability is vital for supporting employees with visual impairments or learning disabilities like dyslexia, as it transforms standard text into a format that provides necessary audio assistance without requiring expensive recording equipment.
One of the key features is the integration of the AiVOOV AI engine, which provides a vast library of realistic, human-sounding voices in multiple dialects and languages. Users can easily customize the experience by adjusting the playback speed to match the listener's needs&mdash;slowing it down for better comprehension or speeding it up for efficiency. By replicating content in different languages and formats, this tool helps ensure that internal communications and training materials are not just visually appealing, but universally understood by a diverse global team.

<h2>Takeaway</h2>
 Using supporting communication tools to aid employees is necessary to help them perform optimally. Some inclusive workers may already have communication tools, but companies also need to ensure that the tools they use are ideal for working. The above options are some of the best communication tools for disability-inclusive employers and can really help promote a <a href="https://spacehuntr.com/journal/15-team-building-activities-to-promote-diversity-and-inclusion/">diverse and inclusive work environment</a>. Some are available for desktop use, while others are compatible with smartphones and tablets. Besides, there are also free options available.
 Our platform is designed to connect you with the best and brightest candidates who bring unique perspectives and experiences to your team. Inclusion is not just a buzzword, it's a competitive advantage in today's rapidly evolving business landscape. Companies that prioritize inclusion enjoy increased innovation, creativity, and employee satisfaction. Contact us at gettinghired@careercircle.com to take the first step toward building a more inclusive and successful workplace! 
<hr>
 Content Contributor:
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video production company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order). <img src="https://cdn.buttercms.com/kWxHkXH8SqmggDXpCE9L">

Support disability inclusion with top AAC tools. Enhance your workplace communication and create an inclusive environment.

Tools to Support Disability Inclusion | Getting Hired

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The Candidate Experience Blog Series Part 1: Understanding Disability

Recruiting and Accessibility

Tools to Support Disability Inclusion

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