Companies whose leadership teams are committed to inclusion for people with disabilities and are guided by complementary values deeply embedded in their organizations experienced improved performance, positive employee perceptions, and a cohesive, unified culture in a recent study.

Disability is commonplace in society but not in the US labor market. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Labor, the participation rate of people with disabilities in the workplace in 2023 is nearly half that of people without disabilities.

The findings suggest that employers can gain a great deal from seeing the disabled as a valuable and largely untapped part of the workforce. The study combined findings from case studies conducted across seven companies of varying size and industry. Recognizing the limited amount of research on the topic, the investigators sought increased understanding of employer-driven disability initiatives, what motivated them, and what impact they had on the company’s productivity and overall success. The greatest success seemed to come to companies that took the most decisive action in implementing their initiatives.

“It is powerful to appreciate how much inclusion in the workplace can be a competitive advantage,” noted co-investigator Timothy N. Tansey, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison. “At the same time, it’s important to point out that companies adopting a disability initiative on more of a trial basis or with more skepticism generated less favorable results. Many employers prioritize diversity but underinvest in providing support for people with disabilities.”

Co-investigator Paul Wehman, PhD, Virginia Commonwealth University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, added, “The literature suggested we would find a relationship between employer disability initiatives and company performance, and that commitment from leadership would be influential. However, we were surprised to learn that the disability initiatives had such a positive impact on non-disabled co-workers. Many employees with whom we spoke reported feeling a new sense of pride in the company and a greater closeness to their co-workers.”

To download the full study, published in the Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, click here