The issue of person-first or identity-first language in disabled communities is a complex one. Whereas some persons with disabilities prefer to have their personhood highlighted, other disabled people see their disability as an integral part of their lives and want words such as disabled or autistic front and center in their personal identification, thus removing the stigma associated with them. Person-first and identity-first language will be used interchangeably in this article to respect the perspective of both sides. —
1 in 4 adults in the US has at least one disability. That’s 25% of the population living with a condition that impacts every facet of their lives, including employment. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention classifies disabilities into 6 categories: mobility, cognition, hearing, vision, independent living, and self care. When onboarding new employees with any of these disabilities, it’s important to make sure your company is prepared to handle each type by providing clear communication through multiple channels throughout the process, as well as any equipment or personal accommodation(s) to meet the new employees’ needs.
The Importance of Onboarding
Onboarding is a vital step to becoming part of a company. It introduces and immerses the new hire in company culture and allows established employees a chance to mentor their new colleagues. It also creates diversity and inclusivity training opportunities for the business. How well the company utilizes those opportunities can have sizable impacts on a new hire’s first few days, setting the tone for that person’s time at the job.
While it’s the disabled employees who are onboarding, it’s the established team that creates the atmosphere and work culture the new hires are entering. As soon as possible, start inclusion/diversity training with established employees to help smooth the transition of persons with disabilities onto the team.
One study found at least one-third of workers left within 6 months of starting a new position. Factor in the cost of searching for and hiring candidates, training them, and then losing them inside of a year, leaving HR to begin the whole process over again, and the price of failing to successfully onboard new hires becomes clear.
Best Practices to Onboard Persons with Disabilities
Whether the company is hiring its 1st or 50th person with disabilities, a continuous stream of feedback from new hires on how to better the hiring/onboarding process and what accommodations each person will require is necessary to create an inclusive work environment. Other ways to make disabled employees feel respected and accepted include: not relying solely on written materials to help with onboarding, having clear written policies regarding accommodations in the employee handbook, providing accessible work spaces, and so on.
Not relying solely on written materials for onboarding might sound odd but it’s an integral first step to inclusivity for everyone at a company. Moving beyond traditional packets of paper with graphics and small print opens the door to onboarding materials in Braille for those with visual disabilities. Making sure onboarding packets can easily be read by text to speech software helps people with a variety of disabilities. And to help new hires acclimate to their new work environment without added social stress, making a video tour of the office and it’s employees lets new hires become familiar with faces and the environment in a less overwhelming way.
Having clear written policies regarding disabilities in the employee handbook allows everyone in the office to know how to approach HR for accommodations and how any issues will be dealt with. To help HR, making sure the company’s managers and supervisors are well trained in spotting and preventing any Americans with Disabilities Act violations will go a long way to creating peace of mind for everyone in the workplace.
There are also ways the company can help employees before onboarding officially starts. Giving disabled new hires the option to complete all their paperwork before the first day allows them to fill out forms at their own pace with whatever accessibility devices or software they may require. Having the company bring in an expert to help gauge how accessible the business’s infrastructure is for employees with disabilities and making the needed changes stops any questions of how the disabled employees will enter/exit the building, access their workspaces, or have a dedicated restroom.
Having an inclusive onboarding plan from the interviewing process through the first months of being a new hire shows the candidate their needs will be considered. It’s a sign that people with disabilities are respected by the company. By asking the new hires for feedback about how to better the onboarding process, it communicates the company wants their disabled employees to have a say in shaping important policies. All of this helps ensure collaboration between the employees and the company will be productive, long-term, and unproblematic.
