In the U.S. alone, 1 in 4 adults live with one or more disabilities. Realize it or not, many skilled job candidates identify as members of this community. By embracing disability inclusion in recruitment, you can tap into their unique perspectives, ensure your teams represent your customers, and get the best people for every job.
Unfortunately, hiring barriers, inaccessible applications, and unconscious bias often stand in the way. At organizations across industries, the need for change is clear, but the path forward is not. Where do you start? How do you ensure people aren’t unfairly excluded? What accommodations should you be prepared to provide?
From using inclusive language to preparing accommodations, there is much to do and more to consider. This article outlines practical actions you can take to optimize your hiring process for disability inclusion. It isn’t an all-encompassing guide, but progress starts with action. And small, sustained changes can make a lasting impact.
- Share Your Commitment to Inclusion
- Train Your Team on Best Practices
- Make Your Hiring Process Accessible
- Diversify Your Recruitment Strategy
- Ask Candidates About Their Needs
- Be Ready to Provide Accommodations
- Evaluate, Elevate & Document
1. Share Your Commitment to Inclusion
Disability inclusion starts with communication. Many organizations embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) but fail to communicate it thoroughly and mention disabilities explicitly. In 2025, high-performing teams are reversing the trend. It’s not a question of politics; it’s a matter of ethics and best practices.
If your organization is disability-friendly and inclusive of all people—your job descriptions, recruitment materials, and websites should put it in writing, through inclusive language. If you aim to attract people with disabilities, your imagery should include them. And if DEI is embedded in your company’s DNA, your core values and/or mission statement should reflect it.
Inclusion takes more than words, but words matter. When you clearly communicate your commitment to disability inclusion, people feel more comfortable applying, disclosing disabilities, and requesting the accommodations they need.
2. Train Your Team on Best Practices
Recruiters, hiring managers and employees across disciplines want to be inclusive but aren’t sure how. Without proper training, even well-intentioned professionals may unintentionally exclude people with disabilities. Not all disabilities are apparent, and not all inclusion measures are intuitive.
Hiring teams must be trained to focus on skills, not assumptions about limitations. They should also avoid ableist thinking, or making hiring or promotion decisions based on a candidate’s disability. Patronizing language, such as calling someone an “inspiration” for having a disability, needs to be eliminated from everyone’s vocabulary. In addition, contributors across teams need to learn their role in disability inclusion.
Training should be ongoing, not a one-time event. Your teams should stay informed about accessibility, bias, and best practices. The more comfortable hiring managers and team members are with these topics, the more inclusive their decisions will be.
3. Make Your Hiring Process Accessible
When most people hear accessibility, physical workplaces come to mind, but it’s equally important to ensure your digital spaces are accessible. Many candidates with disabilities never make it past the first step of the hiring process due to inaccessible applications. If your website or job board isn’t built for accessibility, you’re unintentionally screening out qualified talent.
Job descriptions should use clear, plain language without unnecessary jargon. Digital applications should be compatible with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies. Virtual interviews should include live caption options. And of course, accessibility should also extend to interview materials, onboarding documents, and internal hiring systems.
This is not all-encompassing accessibility guidance but insights to help you understand that embracing digital inclusion is no simple task; it’s a complex journey. Start by educating yourself further about what accessibility entails, and partner with external providers or consultancies to implement incremental change over time.
4. Diversify Your Recruitment Strategy
If you aren’t actively recruiting professionals with disabilities, you could be missing out on great talent. Many companies unknowingly limit their candidate pool by relying on the same hiring platforms, referral networks, and outreach strategies. Expanding your reach is a necessary step toward inclusion.
To embrace disability inclusion in hiring, you need to promote your open roles to people with disabilities. Post your openings on disability-inclusive job boards and share them with groups of diverse professionals. Leveraging diversity-focused platforms and partnering with disability-friendly talent providers can help you connect with diverse candidates quickly.
Flexibility in evaluating experience is also key. Many professionals with disabilities take nontraditional career paths due to barriers in the workforce. Focus on transferable skills rather than rigid career timelines to ensure they are hiring the most qualified candidate.
5. Ask Candidates About Their Needs
Don’t wait for disclosure to inquire about access needs or accommodations. Recognize there’s a strong chance your job candidate may have disabilities. Ask if there’s anything they require throughout the interview process and after. If possible, offer flexible interview formats, such as video or phone interviews. The most inclusive, accommodating interviewers will provide agendas and even questions to expect in advance.
This isn’t just an inclusion measure; it’s great service that sets interviews up for success. Inquire if your applicants need anything at multiple points to ensure their needs are met at each stage of the process. Finally, ask if there’s anything that they need to succeed in their job after extending an offer. Be sure to respond positively and thank people for sharing if they disclose their disability.
People may be reluctant to disclose disabilities due to fears of judgment, exclusion and bad experiences. However, they will not be offended if you ask them what they may need to be successful; it’s an indicator that you value flexibility and DEI. It’s also arguably the most important thing you can do to achieve disability inclusion in hiring.
6. Be Ready to Provide Accommodations
Being open to accommodations isn’t enough. Employers must be ready and equipped to provide them—during the interview process and after. When accommodations are handled smoothly, candidates feel valued and welcome.
You should have a clear, documented process for requesting accommodations. Beyond flexible interview formats, common requests include extended time on assessments, assistive technologies, and modified workspaces. But there are infinitely more that candidates may require. Don’t be surprised if you get a request not mentioned here or that you’ve never heard of before. People can have diverse needs, even if they appear to have the same disability.
HR, hiring managers, IT teams, and DEI leaders should work together to provide support. But make sure your organization clearly defines responsibility for accommodations so needs never fall through the cracks.
7. Evaluate, Elevate and Document
Disability inclusion is a process, not a project. Companies that don’t document or evaluate their progress risk repeating mistakes. Efforts should be structured, measured, and refined. Assemble a committee to oversee your progress, and assign owners for every measure.
Ongoing evaluation allows for continuous improvement. Collect feedback from candidates and employees to identify barriers in the hiring process. And conduct regular audits to ensure hiring platforms, interview processes, and onboarding materials remain inclusive.
Then, implement changes as needed, documenting everything from processes to policies every step of the way. Companies that actively assess their hiring practices don’t just get inclusive; they stay inclusive and elevate their organization over time.
Final Thoughts
Remember hiring people with disabilities is a cross-disciplinary effort. HR, IT, hiring managers, DEI teams, and leadership must all work together to create an inclusive workplace. No single department can carry this responsibility alone.
While this article largely focuses on hiring, organization-wide disability inclusion is a far larger initiative. Beyond candidates, you must consider your teams, vendors, customers and more. Office layouts, digital platforms, and communication tools should be designed to support everyone. A fully inclusive company doesn’t just remove barriers in hiring—it ensures employees with disabilities can thrive once they join.
No organization will get it perfect, but that shouldn’t stop progress. Small, meaningful steps—like offering accommodations, improving job postings, and training staff—can make a real difference. Progress, not perfection, is the goal.
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