It's the perfect time for employers to assess their company&rsquo;s commitment to disability inclusion &ndash; even beyond National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). Branding your company as a disability-inclusive employer is a primary way to improve your company culture, increase retention, and foster opportunities for leadership.&nbsp; 
Here are six ways to brand yourself as a disability-inclusive employer:
<ul>
<li>Perform a disability-inclusivity audit of your company marketing. Do you know if your website and social media platforms are accessible to disability communities? Do your marketing materials, including stock photos, include authentic disability representation? If you aren&rsquo;t considering how to make your marketing efforts disability inclusive, you&rsquo;re missing out on the potential for significant business growth. Use authentic images of people with disabilities in your print, video, and web materials.&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Assess the accessibility of your job applications. Inaccessible job applications significantly hinder your reputation as a disability-inclusive employer. If your job applications aren&rsquo;t accessible to job seekers with disabilities, you&rsquo;re likely missing out on qualified candidates before they even reach you. When developing an accessible application process, focus on the following:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Include an accommodation statement on recruitment material that states accommodations can be provided upon request, along with contact info on how to obtain accommodations.</li>
<li>Avoid listing job requirements that aren&rsquo;t essential to the position. Desirable qualifications, such as requiring the &ldquo;ability to bend, lift, push at least 50 lbs,&rdquo; or &ldquo;type 50 wpm&rdquo; can discourage otherwise qualified candidates from applying.</li>
<li>Be wary of artificial intelligence-based job screener software, such as facial recognition apps, conversational agents, and applicant tracking systems. These can be discriminatory towards applicants with disabilities.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Invest in training and development. It&rsquo;s important to ensure all employees understand the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace. Even if HR and executive leadership are supportive of disability inclusion, your efforts will only be effective if you have buy-in at all levels. Consider mandatory training on various topics related to inclusion, including disability etiquette, reasonable accommodations, and unconscious bias. Furthermore, your current employees who have disclosed they have disabilities deserve investment in their professional development. Think through what opportunities these employees have for advancement into positions of leadership.</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Prioritize accommodations for existing employees &ndash; Just as it&rsquo;s important to make sure your company&rsquo;s external marketing efforts and job applications are accessible, employers who want to be deemed disability-inclusive should also have a seamless internal reasonable accommodation process. This means determining how and when accommodation requests will be reviewed and implemented and providing a method for resolving disputes.
<ul>
<li>Keep in mind that accommodations should always be determined in communication with the employee requesting them rather than making decisions without discussion. Employees will already know what will be most beneficial to help them perform their jobs well.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

<ul>
<li>Partner with disability-focused organizations &ndash; One of the commonly reported barriers to disability-inclusive hiring is finding qualified job candidates. Often engaging directly with people with disabilities can help provide understanding about potential job opportunities they&rsquo;d not previously considered. Making this effort to engage with disability-serving organizations is a great way to demonstrate your commitment to including people with disabilities in your workplace.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
We&rsquo;d love to support you as you build your inclusive brand! For more information, please contact us at gettinghired@careercircle.com.&nbsp;

Assess your company’s commitment to disability inclusion beyond NDEAM. Learn six ways to brand yourself as inclusive.

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond | Getting Hired

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond

The&nbsp;Assistive Technology Act of 2004&nbsp;defines assistive technology (AT) as &ldquo;any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities.&rdquo; Ultimately, AT can bridge the gaps between people&rsquo;s abilities and their job requirements.
Assistive technology can take on many forms, including low-tech devices such as canes and lever doorknobs, or high-tech devices, such hearing aids or motorized wheelchairs. Additionally, computer hardware and software, such as alternative keyboards, screen readers and voice recognition software, serve as forms of AT.
In many cases, while a device may not be considered AT by the mainstream public, it can often be considered so by people with disabilities. For a person with limited mobility, a simple back scratcher can become a reacher/grabber. For a person who is blind or low-vision, a cell phone loaded with appropriate apps can provide access to email, social media, transportation, public venues, and so much more.
<h2>Which AT solutions are designed for specific disabilities?</h2>
AT is not prescriptive, meaning not every tool will work for every person with the same disability. It is less about accommodating a specific disability, but more about accommodating the specific functional needs of a person with a disability. In many cases, one form of AT can accommodate many forms of disability. For example, voice recognition software can be a significant help for people with limited hand use, but can also be just as helpful for people who are blind/low-vision.
<h2>Is AT the same as an accommodation?</h2>
While AT can serve as a form of accommodation, it is not the same. Some accommodations, such as alternative work schedules, telecommuting, and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/personalassistanceservices.htm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">personal assistance services (PAS)</a>&nbsp;are examples of non-AT accommodations.
<h2>How do I find the right AT for my needs?</h2>
Finding the best AT can often be a process of trial-and-error. If you&rsquo;re seeking AT to assist you at work, the first step is to let your employer know about your disability (if you haven&rsquo;t already done so) and that you need AT to effectively do your job.
If you or your employer don&rsquo;t already have an idea about the best AT to meet your needs, it&rsquo;s best to connect to professionals that are either familiar with specific forms of AT or that are trained to match AT to specific needs. This can often include doctors, occupational therapists, rehabilitation professionals, speech-language pathologists, and other AT specialists. Additionally, many states and universities house AT lending libraries, which allow people to try out and borrow devices for various periods of time in order to determine its compatibility for specific needs.
After doing research or consulting with a professional, here are a few questions you can ask to determine whether a specific AT tool will meet your needs, either at work or elsewhere:
<ul>
<li>Does the tool address your specific needs and challenges?</li>
<li>Does it maximize your strengths?</li>
<li>Is there a simpler tool that would work as effectively?</li>
<li>Will it be easy to incorporate into your work?</li>
<li>How easy is it to learn to use the tool?</li>
<li>Will you receive support or training on how to use it?</li>
<li>Is the tool compatible with the existing technology you use? (For example, will it work on your existing computer or mobile device?)</li>
<li>How reliable is the device?</li>
<li>What technical support is available?</li>
</ul>
The above list was modified from Understood.org,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/assistive-technology/finding-an-assistive-technology/checklist-what-to-consider-when-looking-at-assistive-technology" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Checklist: What to Consider When Looking at Assistive Technology</a>.
<h2>Who pays for AT in the workplace?</h2>
If you identify as a person with a disability, according to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), AT can serve as a reasonable accommodation that your employer can provide to help you perform the essential functions of your job.
If tasks are non-essential functions to do your job, your employer does not have to provide AT. Keep in mind that your employer doesn&rsquo;t have to purchase the latest or most expensive version of a specific device or AT.&nbsp;Additionally, if they find another way to meet your needs without purchasing AT, they can do so.
The&nbsp;<a href="https://askjan.org/index.cfm" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Job Accommodation Network (JAN)</a>&nbsp;provides worksite accommodations solutions, among other services to increase employability of people with disabilities, and has proven that most accommodations cost less than $500. Ultimately, your employer cannot simply say they will do nothing because they can&rsquo;t afford to, unless they have explored all alternatives and can justify that the cost of the AT would cause undue hardship. When all options are eliminated, the next step would be to explore funding the AT yourself.
To learn more about AT funding sources, check out the Assistive Technology Industry Association&rsquo;s (ATIA)&nbsp;<a href="https://www.atia.org/at-resources/what-is-at/resources-funding-guide/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Funding Resource Guide</a>.
<h2>Where do I go to learn more?</h2>
Assistive technology continues to increase access to employment for people with disabilities. However, it&rsquo;s important to consider individual needs to determine which AT tools will be best to ensure long-term success. To learn more about assistive technology in the workplace,&nbsp;contact the CareerCircle team.
Contributions to this blog were made by Andra&eacute;a LaVant of Solutions Marketing Group.

Assistive tech empowers people with disabilities by bridging gaps between abilities and job demands.

What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive technology bridges gaps between abilities and job requirements, enhancing functional capabilities for individuals with disabilities.

There&rsquo;s nothing worse than sending a bad first impression when you&rsquo;re trying to interview for a job, they tend to stick with you given the brain's tendency towards holding onto negative memories. They can be discouraging and frustrating but there are some ways you can look to recover.
&nbsp;
<h2>Take a Breath and Start Again</h2>
The first thing to do if you notice you are rambling and giving off nervous energy is to stop, take a breath, and try to ground yourself before you continue. &ldquo;If you can take a moment, breathe and recover it comes across to the interviewer as a good way to show you are aware of potential negative aspects and working to positively address them,&rdquo; mentions career blogger Theresa J. Kyzer from <a href="https://writemyx.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Write My X</a> and <a href="https://1day2write.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">1day2write</a>.
&nbsp;
The fact you are taking a moment to recover should allow you to improve the rest of the interview in a more confident and controlled manner. Interviewers understand that those situations can be stressful and will likely give you a bit of leeway especially if you show a desire to try and improve yourself.
&nbsp;
<h2>Move on From a Bad Question</h2>
If you&rsquo;ve been answering a question in a ramble without really providing an answer and feel things have gone badly you should try not to focus on it for the rest of the interview. It&rsquo;s easier said than done but if you can remove focus from that question and instead make sure you focus on your skillsets and unique talents that you wish to push going forward. If you hyper-fixate on a bad question, you can end up flailing for the rest of the interview as you panic internally and don&rsquo;t focus on the best ways to answer other questions.
&nbsp;
<h2>Ask the Interviewer a Question</h2>
&ldquo;Even if the interview is going well this is a great way to show interest in the company and shows you care about the job,&rdquo; observes Sandra Hamilton a business writer from <a href="https://originwritings.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Originwritings</a> and <a href="https://britstudent.com/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Britstudent</a>. Ask the interviewer their views on the company and its culture. Find out what the interviewer sees as the biggest challenge for the person in that role. Find out what the day-to-day job will look like in more detail using the job description from the application. These provide you a way to learn about the job in more detail and the company itself and give interviewers confidence that you actually do want this job. It&rsquo;s also a great way to decide whether or not you want to work for that company or not based on whether the answer fits your personality.
&nbsp;
<h2>Let the Employer Know of Outside Influences</h2>
Don&rsquo;t make excuses or point the finger but it is important to let employers know of things that may influence the interview ahead of time if you can. If you&rsquo;re running late due to public transport call to let the interviewer know. If you have had a serious life event that has distracted you it is absolutely ok to let the employer know about it to explain.
&nbsp;
<h2>Thank the Interviewer </h2>
At the end of the interview thank them for their time and for considering you for this position. It can be a great way to show humility and grace even if things have not been going your way.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;
<h2>Review the Situation</h2>
You likely think the interview went worse than it did so it&rsquo;s important once you&rsquo;ve left the interview to reflect and learn. Reflect on what went well and where you could improve. Don&rsquo;t just focus on the negatives.
&nbsp;
<h2>Follow Up and Put References on Alert</h2>
Follow up the interview with a further thank you note to the company further expanding on questions you feel you didn&rsquo;t adequately answer. Highlight the skills you wish to push forward and add things you forgot to mention in the interview that makes you stand out. This is where you can also put details of any serious life events that distracted you if you weren&rsquo;t able to say anything before the interview.
&nbsp;
Let your references know they might get a call about the interview and highlight any areas you want to push forward that you feel you didn&rsquo;t make clear in the interview.
&nbsp;
<h2>Wrapping Up</h2>
At the end of the day, we&rsquo;re all human and employers know things aren&rsquo;t always going to go smoothly. Follow the tips mentioned here and most importantly learn from the experience and look to forgive yourself so it doesn&rsquo;t remain a negative experience that affects you.
 To learn more about CareerCircle, our mission, and to find your next job opportunity go to <a href="https://www.careercircle.com/candidates">https://www.careercircle.com/candidates</a>.
 Content Contributor: During a decade of marriage, George J. Newton, business development manager at <a href="https://academicbrits.com/write-my-assignment" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Write My Assignment</a> and <a href="https://phdkingdom.com/dissertation-writing-service" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Dissertation Writing Service</a>, has been working on perfecting the art of the apology. When he gets a spare minute he also writes for <a href="https://nextcoursework.com/cheap-coursework" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Cheap Coursework</a>.

Overcome interview nerves: breathe, refocus, ask questions, and thank your interviewer.

Recovering an Interview from a Bad First Impression | Getting Hired

Recovering an Interview from a Bad First Impression

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Staff Writer

150 Articles

How to Brand Yourself as A Disability-Inclusive Employer During NDEAM and Beyond

What is Assistive Technology?

Recovering an Interview from a Bad First Impression

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