Part 2: Accessibility and Accommodations
It is important for employers to understand the candidate experience for job seekers with disabilities. The first part of doing this is going back to basics to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/the-candidate-experience-blog-series-part-1-unde" rel="follow">fully understand Disability 101</a>. Secondly, truly understanding accessibility and accommodations are key to helping improve the hiring process for candidates with disabilities.
Inaccessible online job applications and misunderstandings about reasonable accommodations can be two barriers to employment for job seekers with disabilities. Accessibility is defined as &ldquo;the design of products, devices, services, and/or environments for people of varying abilities.&rdquo;
There are multiple federal laws that outline requirements and guidelines around access and employment. This includes Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which requires Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology (EIT) accessible to people with disabilities; Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1), which defines how to make Web content more accessible to people with disabilities; and Title 1 of the ADA, which prohibits employment discrimination against qualified individuals with disabilities with equal access to employment opportunities and reasonable accommodations by employers with 15 employees or more.
&ldquo;Accessibility&rdquo; can be broken into four categories:
<ol>
<li>Universal Design&nbsp;- making something accessible to all people regardless of age, disability or other factor. An example is using voice access on a cell phone.</li>
<li>Physical Accessibility&nbsp;- access to the physical environment. Examples are parking lots, conference rooms, workspaces, hallways, interview locations, and emergency exits.</li>
<li>Digital Accessibility&nbsp;- ability of a website, mobile application, or electronic document to be easily navigated and understood by a wide range of users.</li>
<li>Assistive Technology&nbsp;- assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices for people with disabilities.&nbsp;Examples are screen readers or speech-to-text applications.</li>
</ol>
Under the ADA, a reasonable accommodation is defined as &ldquo;a modification or adjustment to a job, the work environment, or the way things are usually done during the hiring process.&rdquo; If a job candidate requests a reasonable accommodation, the employer should provide or direct the candidate to the company&rsquo;s accommodation statement.
Other tips on providing accessibility and accommodations include:
<ul>
<li>Ensuring your social media posts are accessible! Job seekers often turn to social media for their job search and to research a company&rsquo;s employer brand prior to applying.&nbsp; One example of accessibility is having closed captioning in every video.</li>
<li>Ensuring all work-related, non-HTML content like PDFs, Excel, etc. are fully accessible. Acrobat Pro has a &ldquo;check accessibility&rdquo; tool to ensure your PDFs are accessible. Current employees who have not self-disclosed having a disability may greatly benefit from accessible documents.</li>
<li>The accommodation statement should be in an easy-to-find place. Best practice is to have it both at the bottom of all pages of the website in an easy-to-read size font, and at the bottom of all job descriptions.</li>
</ul>
While there is a common misconception that accommodations are expensive, most accommodations cost less than $500, and 59 percent cost nothing at all. In fact, remaining proactive about providing accommodations often benefits everyone in the workplace. Here are some&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/Accommodations.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">examples of accommodations</a>.
Find an A-Z guide of disabilities and accommodations, as well as what actual candidates have to say about accommodations in our e-book&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="follow noopener" href="https://go.careercircle.com/candidate-experience-for-job-seekers-with-disabilities">&ldquo;Understanding the Candidate Experience for Job Seekers with Disabilities.&rdquo;</a>
For more resources and guidance on accessibility and accommodations, contact the CareerCircle team.&nbsp;
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.

Understand accessibility and accommodations to improve hiring for candidates with disabilities. Learn more here.

The Candidate Experience Blog Series Part 2: Accessibility and Accommodations

<h2>Ways Employers Can Support Veterans in the Workplace</h2>
 As of <a href="https://blog.dol.gov/2021/11/9/veterans-in-the-labor-force-6-stats" rel="noopener" target="_blank">2020</a>, military veterans accounted for only 5.6% of the civilian workforce. This disparity can create a wall between non-military employees and veterans. To close that gap and better support veterans, employers can be more accountable for their inclusion efforts. Here are some ways to create a more veteran-friendly workplace.
&nbsp;
<h3>Bridge The Gap Between Civilian and Veteran Employees</h3>
Educating non-military employees so they are more knowledgeable is crucial to creating a more empathetic workforce. It is a considerable gap to close though. Separating from the military and transitioning into civilian life is an adjustment for veterans that many individuals may not understand.
There are countless factors of military life civilians should take into consideration to be more informed and empathetic. It can be hard to keep track of the military jargon and intricacies for a civilian. This lack of understanding can make veteran employees feel alienated from their
non-military coworkers. A first step and key part of understanding veterans is active listening. 
<h3>Recognize The Value Veterans Offer</h3>
Veterans bring a lot of worth from the experiences and skills they inherited from their military service. Recognizing and amplifying their value can encourage a better working team.
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Veterans are team-oriented people. The military is extremely team-oriented. Individuals work closely together towards a common Those who thrive are the members that are reliable and communicative. Veterans make great leaders, and this is a skill that can be transferred to other areas of life. Some civilians may not have the opportunity to develop this skill in a traditional work environment.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>They bring diverse perspectives. There are countless branches of services and specialties within those Some veterans have been deployed or operated with international teams. Every veteran has an individual experience that can bring new solutions to issues.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Their problem-solving skills are strong. Not only can veterans bring diverse perspectives to help solve problems, but they are great critical thinkers. Working together under high-stress, fast-paced environments develops quick and efficient decision-making. This skill can be extremely useful in the workplace.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Integrity and quality work are their Just because they&rsquo;re taught to make quick decisions, veterans don&rsquo;t sacrifice quality. For instance, some veterans have high-level security clearances.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp; The military expects all of its members to meet high standards in every aspect of their work. At the end of the day, they want to do what is right and do it exceptionally well. 
<h3>Provide Veterans with Professional Development Opportunities</h3>
Most employees want a company that will invest in their professional growth and encourages their development. As for veterans, it's important to recognize their strengths and build on them.
Many veterans transition into the civilian workforce with the skills mentioned previously as well as other specific skill sets. However, the skills learned in the military can be difficult to transfer to civilian life, leaving veterans at a disadvantage.
To remedy this, offer comprehensive and ongoing training opportunities for all employees. Thorough training is an effective way to make sure team members are on the same page while preventing veteran employees from being singled out.
Companies that prioritize individual growth might see more fulfilled employees, which can mean better retention. Take the <a href="https://gopuff.com/blog/news" rel="noopener" target="_blank">delivery company Gopuff for</a> example. In 2021, 71% of employees reported that they felt their current company provided them meaningful opportunities for career advancement. Additionally, employees were more satisfied since they were frequently challenged by their position and given professional growth opportunities.
Establishing a mentorship program or encouraging informal mentorships is another way to provide guidance and learning opportunities to veterans. This gives them a colleague to reach out to. It&rsquo;s also an educational opportunity for both the mentor and mentee.
&nbsp;
<h3>Find the Gaps in Veteran Initiatives</h3>
Listening to your employees is essential to understanding where gaps in your company are.
Especially for finding the gaps that smaller, specific groups of employees struggle with&mdash;i.e. the veteran community.
Make it a priority to check in with team members to see how they&rsquo;re doing personally and professionally. Distribute anonymous surveys to collect feedback on company culture and performance. Chances are, you'll find connections in the concerns and attitudes of your employees.
Many companies have found gaps in their veteran hiring efforts and have been making it a priority to close those gaps. One of these companies is the <a href="https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/careers/work-at-dow/veterans.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">chemical manufacturing company</a> ,<a href="https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/careers/work-at-dow/veterans.html" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Dow</a>. Their veteran employee resource group, VETNET, provides personal and professional guidance to veterans during their transition into the civilian workforce.
In 2020, Dow also launched their Military Degree Equivalency program. This program levels the field for veterans and their civilian counterparts. It does this by equating their relevant experience to a college degree. 
<h3>Equip Veterans with Resources</h3>
Listening to what your employees want is the first step in supporting their well-being. Providing resources for them is the next step.
Take note that supplying the following resources to employees does not guarantee they will use them. Some employees, and more so veterans, may be hesitant to reach out for help.
According to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK499503/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the Department of Veteran Affairs</a>, roughly 1.7 million veterans have been diagnosed with a mental health need. Almost half of those veterans don't utilize any mental health services.
There are a few things employers can do to create a safe space for their veteran employees.
<ul>
<li>Mental Health Resources. Destigmatizing mental health in the workplace is a step in the right direction for promoting better employee health. Providing mental health days or resources such as an Employee Assistance Program is essential for employee wellness. They at least give employees the option to use them if they chose to rather than being provided nothing at all.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Disability Resources. According to the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/vet.pdf" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, 4.9 million veterans had a service-connected disability as of August from an <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/blog/post/veterans-with-disabilities-an-employment-outlook" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">employer's outlook</a>, it&rsquo;s crucial to provide resources to veterans with disabilities. Regardless of whether or not their disability is related to their military service, they deserve equal support.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). Employee resource groups aren&rsquo;t established by organizations. Instead, they are voluntary, employee-led groups that aim to promote a more diverse and inclusive workplace. On an employee level, they can create more visibility for marginalized employees and create connections for those feeling isolated.</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
ERGs can help identify important issues and significant gaps for executive leadership and coworkers who are not part of the ERGs.
Additionally, allow your employees to take mental health days and create flexible schedules if it&rsquo;s possible to do so. This will save them the stress of figuring out when they can make time for themselves outside of work hours.
Having veterans on your team is crucial for diversifying your employee population and becoming more inclusive to employees with different backgrounds. At CareerCircle, we&rsquo;re dedicated to helping our veteran community connect with inclusive employers.&nbsp;

Support veterans in the workplace by bridging gaps, recognizing their value, and providing development opportunities.

How to Support Veterans in the Workplace | Getting HiredWays Employers Can Support Veterans in the

How to Support Veterans in the Workplace

With the continued success and publicity of disability-focused employment initiatives, more and more employers are committing to establish disability-inclusive workplaces. However, while many express a desire to build teams within their organizations that include people with disabilities, they often aren&rsquo;t sure where to begin.
Consider the following 10 steps to help build a disability-inclusive team: 
1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Gain Executive-Level Buy-In&nbsp;&ndash; Before an employer can truly commit to building a disability-inclusive team, they must strive to ensure senior-level leadership (meaning C-suite executives) is supportive and committed to moving this agenda forward. Without executive leadership&rsquo;s commitment to focus on disability inclusion in the workplace, creating inclusion goals will lack strength and will likely be overtaken by other priorities. The most successful disability-inclusive employers have C-suite leaders who are supportive and engaged, as they generally set the tone for the company&rsquo;s inclusive culture.
2.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Set Targets&nbsp;&ndash; Not every employer&rsquo;s goals for disability-inclusive hiring are the same. Employers must consider the overall number of employee hires they anticipate per year, what their overall diversity goals are, and even their HR departments&rsquo; recruitment capacity. They must also determine if there are specific areas/departments that may benefit from targeted outreach to potential candidates with disabilities, and if there are already appropriate supports in place to ensure a smooth transition.
3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Encourage Cross-Departmental Engagement&nbsp;&ndash; It&rsquo;s not enough to have executive leadership and the HR department on board when planning to build disability-inclusive teams. There should be support and engagement from managers and employees throughout the workplace, including those in communications/public relations, operations, research and development, and sales. By having more people on board to support these inclusive efforts, the greater the likelihood for success and longevity.
4.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Build Community Partnerships &ndash;&nbsp;In addition to gaining internal support to build a disability-inclusive team, developing relationships with external disability-serving organizations is a great way to reach potential employees with disabilities. This can include connecting with local non-profit service providers or chapters of national non-profits such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thearc.org/find-a-chapter" rel="noopener" target="_blank">the Arc</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.easterseals.com/connect-locally/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Easter Seals</a>. Employers may also choose to reach out to employment-focused federal agencies with local offices, such as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.askearn.org/state-vocational-rehabilitation-agencies/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies</a>&nbsp;or&nbsp;<a href="https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/AmericanJobCenters/american-job-centers.aspx" rel="follow noopener" target="_blank">American Job Centers</a>. Building partnerships with these agencies will not only help with employee recruitment, but can also provide other benefits to employers, such as one-on-one assistance or job coaching.
5.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Train Your Current Workforce&nbsp;&ndash; Another step to building a disability-inclusive team is providing disability etiquette and awareness training to current employees, as this will also help to foster a culture of inclusion. &nbsp;Providing training can even increase disclosure rates of current employees who have non-apparent disabilities but haven&rsquo;t felt comfortable to disclose as over 70 percent of disabilities are not visible.
6.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Ensure all Policies and Diversity Statements Include Disability&nbsp;&ndash; It is important to ensure disability inclusive language is incorporated in all diversity and policy statements. This means including the words &ldquo;disability&rdquo; and &ldquo;people with disabilities&rdquo; in diversity policies and affirming in policy statements a commitment to equal opportunity employment for people with disabilities. The company&rsquo;s accommodation statement should also be listed with the EEO statement, other policy statements, and in an easy to find place like at the bottom of every job description.
7.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Implement Inclusive Recruitment and Marketing Practices&nbsp;&ndash; If employers desire to recruit people with disabilities, it&rsquo;s important for them to diversify the ways they reach and attract job candidates. In addition to promoting opportunities through disability-focused organizations, employers should also look out for in-person and virtual career fair opportunities like with local colleges and universities. Employers should connect with both the Office of Student Disability Services and the main Student Career and Development Center and ensure any materials they provide are accessible and branded with disability inclusive language.&nbsp; &nbsp;All marketing content whether on the company&rsquo;s website, or social media channels, should also have messages around disability inclusion within the organization.&nbsp;&nbsp;
8.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Consider Access and a Structured Accommodation Request Process&nbsp;&ndash; Physical access to a workplace (i.e. ramps and wheelchair-accessible restrooms) is very important when developing an inclusive team and culture, but accessibility goes far beyond physical structures. Employers should also keep in mind other forms of access, including communication and technology access.
Employers should have a clearly defined accommodation process and statement for &nbsp;&nbsp;candidates &nbsp;&nbsp;with disabilities to request any needed accommodations. This should also be shared internally with all employees in case they need to request an accommodation for a current disability or acquire a disability during their career. An effective accommodations statement should have two methods of contact, both phone and email, for accessibility purposes, and provide a response within at least 24 hours on next steps.&nbsp;&nbsp;
9.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Establish Spaces and Opportunities to Provide Feedback and Network&nbsp;&ndash; Once you have begun to employ and engage employees with disabilities, it&rsquo;s important to establish spaces and procedures for them to provide feedback and to connect with other employees with disabilities. Employees should be able to identify concerns and barriers to inclusion without fear of being viewed or treated differently; thus, employers should have ways for all employees &nbsp;&nbsp;to share feedback anonymously or confidentially. This could be with a team of HR Business Partners or a designated team responsible for employee experience.
Establishing a disability-focused&nbsp;<a href="http://www.askearn.org/topics/retention-advancement/employee-resource-groups-ergs/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Employee Resource Group (ERG)</a>&nbsp;is another great way to gain feedback from employees with disabilities and provide an opportunity for them to network and receive support from those with similar experiences.
10.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Strive for Employee Retention and Advancement &ndash;&nbsp;Recruiting employees with disabilities is significant, however, ensuring that they stay and even advance through the organization is even better. In addition to establishing a disability-focused ERG, which is a proven method for supporting employee retention, many inclusive employers understand that retaining employees, especially those with disabilities, is dependent on the workplace culture and its inclusivity.&nbsp; &nbsp;To further achieve this, inclusive organizations provide professional development/training opportunities, mentoring programs, and celebrate disability related months and days.&nbsp;&nbsp;
When it comes to building a disability-inclusive team in the workplace, moving from desire to implementation takes continued commitment, but following these 10 steps will make the process smoother and achievable. For more ideas on how to build a disability-inclusive team,&nbsp;contact the CareerCircle team.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.&nbsp;

Build a disability-inclusive team with these 10 steps. Gain executive buy-in, set targets, and foster engagement.

10 Steps to Building a Disability-Inclusive Team

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The Candidate Experience Blog Series Part 2: Accessibility and Accommodations

How to Support Veterans in the Workplace

10 Steps to Building a Disability-Inclusive Team

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