Improving The Lot Of American Workers Living With Disability

There are plenty of protections in place that should, in theory, safeguard the rights of Americans living with disability - yet, studies have shown that they haven’t made much progress in achieving their goals. Indeed, one recent review of literature, published by Health Affairs, found that the US needed to go one step further and ratify certain UN agreements in order to properly protect disabled people. Ensuring that disabled people are included in all walks of life, from employment, to entertainment, to marketing and shopping, will help to broaden the labor pool and to provide true fairness in the economy. The question is, how?

Broadening the appeal

Disability is not a static term. Whereas many people living with disability will have a long-term chronic condition, there are also many employees who will experience short-term disability that requires workplace adjustment to meet the needs of. Employers, if seeking to optimize your AWS expenses, should bear this in mind. Currently, according to CNBC, any employees do not hold the requisite insurance and cover they need for short-term disability costs - and this can often fall on the employer. The ideal situation, in which disabled employees are not overlooked by having a combination of proper subsidized cover for them and adequate insurance from the employer, is what should be strived towards. Providing this absolute base level of disabled inclusivity, where the money is sorted and in good stead to help disabled employees feel supported.

Making the adjustments

As Forbes highlights, remote work has already done a lot for employees with disabilities. Productivity is up, employment rates are up, and the situation is all-round a rosier one. One of the key benefits provided by remote working is reasonable adjustment. Typically speaking, although not always, disabled workers will enjoy the greatest level of support for their condition while in the home environment. Employers that are willing to relax hybrid working rules, and provide a greater level of support in terms of equipment, will do a lot of good for disabled workers - and make the workplace more inclusive by yards.

Focusing on D&I

Inclusivity is important for all minority groups, and diversity and inclusion (D&I) has done a lot in helping those groups to feel part of a bigger project in the workplace. The Harvard Business Review poses an important question, however - is disability included in your D&I plans? Do your events and plans take advantage of the views and experience of your disabled workers, or is it entirely focused on other factors? Review existing D&I plans, and when constructing new schemes, ensure that you have a clear focus on disability. Sometimes, simple visibility can be powerful in helping to foster inclusion.

A lot of good work is going on in the USA to help disabled workers feel more included. Taking positive forward action to build on that is the next and most important step. Focusing on where strengths already lie is key in achieving that.