Managers and supervisors

Supervisors require deeper understanding of creating accessible working environments, communicating with people and supporting them, understanding the processes for accommodations requests, and should encourage professional development of staff to grow their diversity, inclusion, equity, and accessibility knowledge.

Introduction

From the United Nations’ Guidelines for Managers and Supervisors of Personnel with Disabilities (PDF):

Managers have a vital role in creating an inclusive work environment to attract, recruit, and retain valuable diverse skills and talent by providing day-to-day leadership, removing barriers, and building a culture in which everyone is respected. The type of relationship that a manager builds with team members also has a significant effect on developing and maintaining an open and inclusive culture based on respect. In addition, it is the manager’s responsibility to identify additional resources and guidance (toolkits, training, etc.) existing within and outside the organization to provide support for persons with disabilities in the workplace.

It continues:

There should never be assumptions about someone’s ability to perform to a high standard due to a disability. Developing an inclusive culture means recognising that a person with a disability can thrive at work if they are provided an enabling environment. The performance management should, in essence, be a positive process and focus on the support needed to empower all persons with disabilities to perform to the best of their ability.

Instead of viewing accessibility as simply a legal requirement, consider the numerous benefits it brings:

1. Unlock full potential: accessibility empowers all employees, enabling them to reach their full potential.
2. Diverse workforce and perspectives: embracing accessibility promotes diversity in both workforce and perspectives, enriching problem-solving with varied viewpoints.
3. Effective onboarding: considering accessibility when designing onboarding materials ensures that all new employees receive the necessary information and support from day one.
4. Accommodations: providing accommodations for employees with disabilities fosters a more inclusive and equitable environment.
5. Bias reduction: accessibility efforts help address unconscious biases, promoting fairness.
6. Improved culture: it signals an inclusive workplace, boosting morale and fostering a positive culture.

Managers should champion accessibility, realizing it's not just an obligation but a strategic advantage with a wide range of benefits. Setting a positive, flexible, and enabling environment is critical for success.

Core skills

Go through the different sources to learn about each topic.

• Proactive inclusive thinking and action
  • What Makes an Inclusive Leader? from Harvard Business Review
  • A Meeting Guide for Managers to Run Inclusive Meetings from Forbes
  • How to Create an Accessible Workplace: 10 Accessibility Guidelines for Employers from Indeed for Employers
• Communicating and supporting accessibility work
  • Creating an Accessible and Welcoming Workplace from Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)
  • Accessible Communication: a Starting Point to Foster More Inclusive Comms from Charity Comms
• Centering disabled community members
  • 19 Ways Employers Can Engage the Disability Community and Build a More Accessible and Inclusive Workplace from Darren Bates (Global Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Strategist) on LinkedIn
  • Communication Tools to Support Disability Inclusion from Northeast ADA
• Inclusive onboarding
  • Inclusive Onboarding Checklist (PDF) from Harvard Faculty Resources (DeEtta Jones guide)
• Job accommodations
  • Reasonable Accommodations in the Workplace from ADA National Network
• Strategizing accessibility
  • The WebAIM Strategic Accessibility Framework: Indicators and Benchmarks for Success from WebAIM
• Navigating challenging conversations
  • Navigating Tough Conversations with SHARK Communication for an Inclusive Workplace from TPGi
• Shattering the productivity myth
  • Disabled People Can Be Productive Workers, But That Shouldn't Determine Our Worth from Disability & Philanthropy Forum

Other general sources

Check out some of these great additional resources:

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