By Sofiya Cheyenne<\/p>\n
More than 1.3 billion people today live with a disability. This is 17 percent of the global population, making disabled people the largest minority group in the world. Yet when we think of underrepresented minorities, people living with disabilities rarely enter the picture. We\u2019re getting better at being allies for People of Color, advocating for the rights of our LGBTQ+ peers, and addressing systemic racism within our organizational structures and culture. But when it comes to diversity, equity, inclusion, and access (DEIA), disability often is left out.<\/span><\/p>\n Staff members of PCS have intersecting identities that include disability. We are grateful and honored to have the perspective of disability in our staff meetings and thus our work with our clients. However, we notice that when we approach clients about the importance of\u00a0 disability inclusion in the larger DEIA work that everyone is striving for these days there still seems to be a block in understanding. What some people neglect to understand is that by centering access and disability inclusion in your organizations you actually support <\/span>everyone<\/b>. As I always say, \u201cDisability is the group that everyone is invited to at any point of time in their life. It is also the group that includes people of all races, gender identities, ages, shapes and sizes\u201d At PCS we believe that disability inclusion supports the work of DEIA in insurmountable ways. Centering the needs of disabled people and including them in every aspect of your organization will only bring more value to your mission and your communities.\u00a0 . In this article, we highlight some of the most important disability considerations for nonprofit leaders who are championing DEIA in their organizations.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four adults in the United States are living with some kind of disability. The CDC identifies six types of functional disabilities that these 61 million Americans experience daily.<\/span><\/p>\n When it comes to specific communities, disability is more common for certain groups of people. For example, 2 in 5 adults aged 65, 1 in 4 women, and 2 in 5 Non-Hispanic American Indians\/Alaska Natives have a disability.<\/span><\/p>\n Several organizations in recent years have successfully mobilized leaders from some of the country\u2019s biggest corporations to close the disability inclusion gap. <\/span>The Valuable 500<\/span><\/a> is the largest global network of CEOs committed to disability inclusion, partnering with the World Economic Forum and International Disability Alliance. Members include Apple, Deloitte, Google, Microsoft, and Verizon.<\/span><\/p>\n Disability:IN, the leading nonprofit driving disability inclusion and equality in business, continues to secure CEO commitments to benchmarking their disability inclusion journey through its <\/span>\u201cCEOS are \u2018IN\u2019\u201d campaign<\/span><\/a>. Since January of this year more than 100 CEOs, including those from Boeing, Hilton, and TripAdvisor have committed to evaluate their progress by taking the Disability Inclusion Index.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n These companies recognize that disability inclusion is now a major environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issue in the United States with 10.7 million disabled people unemployed or underemployed in the country. And across the globe, disabled people are employed at half the rate of their non-disabled peers. Furthermore, people with disabilities who are employed often experience unequal hiring and promotion standards, unequal pay, and occupational segregation.<\/span><\/p>\n The Disability & Philanthropy Forum<\/span><\/a> provides excellent resources for organizations seeking to close the disability inclusion gap in their workforce. According to the Forum: \u201cDisability intersects with all identities, and structural forms of marginalization, including racism and gender bias, exacerbate the stigma and discrimination experienced by people with disabilities. Despite this reality, philanthropy is only now starting to recognize disability as a key element of its commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n The Forum\u2019s mission is to center the perspectives of disabled people while engaging philanthropy on a collective journey to understand disability inclusion as key to advancing social justice. <\/span>The Disability Inclusion Pledge<\/span><\/a> provides a structure for practical change. It is also a vehicle for foundations to commit to and model disability inclusion in philanthropy.<\/span><\/p>\n Organizations committed to transforming their policies and procedures in support of DEIA can adopt the pledge\u2019s best practices for greater inclusion and accessibility.<\/span><\/p>\n The goal in all of these practices is to put into action the disability rights principle \u201cnothing about us without us.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nDisability in the United States<\/b><\/h2>\n
The impact of disability on employment<\/b><\/h2>\n
Practical ways to improve disability inclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Next steps toward greater disability inclusion<\/b><\/h2>\n