How To Make Workspace Inclusive For Specially abled Employees?

31st January 2022

With the world becoming more diverse, the inclusion of all kinds of individuals in school, the workplace, and society is actively taking place. Truth be told, this is actually a good thing. In fact, we took too much time to get here. Nevertheless, here we are, straightening our biases.

When it comes to employment, it is absolutely essential that organizations are recruiting and supporting employees with disability. This also raises the chance of attracting high-skilled and exceptional employees. All in all, it broadens the area of employment search and increases talent poor.

However, just hiring employees with special conditions is not enough. That's actually just the beginning of it. the kind of workspace atmosphere we have created so far is more like one size fit for all. We need to shed our old beliefs system when we are trying to build an inclusive organization. apart from recruitment strategy, Employee Training Tools also needs to reshape to accommodate people with a wide range of needs and expertise.

Tips on making the workplace inclusive for employees with disabilities –

Communicate Inclusion In The Workplace

Once you are ready to take the first step in recreating your work environment with such diversity, make sure to communicate your inclusion to the internal staff. This could ensure to build enthusiasm and support in creating the inclusive workplace you are envisioning. Additionally, include employees in the inclusion place. It could even boost the pace and create positive momentum in the organization as a whole.

Modify Workspace

When we talk about disabilities, bear in mind all conditions are not physical. Hence, apart from making physical changes in the workspace, take into account accommodating all employees working conditions. For instance, employees with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia may find bright lights, heavy patterns on the walls, and loud noise to be disturbing. Therefore, consider creating a working niche that is sustainable for all workers. It is integral to keep the organization a place where everyone feels comfortable to spend time with.

Create Supportive Materials & Tools

Employers need to curate strategies on how they’re going to support employees with disabilities. For starters, this may require special help from trained individuals who are experts in creating training programs for special needs employees. Gradually it could also be extended to train managers, supervisors, and even co-workers to provide supportive care to people with disabilities in the long-term. By adapting training content to make it accessible meaning, implementing technology and tools that meet accessibility standards employers can create a sustainable niche.

Provide Training Sessions On Unconscious Bias

Unconscious biases are those that we deeply embed in our minds mostly from social conditioning. What we expect to be normal may not at all be sustainable when it comes to us being good human beings. To take care of this unconscious bias, employees without disabilities including those of the higher ranks must undergo formal training to ensure the organization can maintain its authenticity and purpose towards why they are employees with special conditions.

This training does not necessarily need to be formal; it can be ongoing and also peer-led. Pre-training can also simulate the workspace to prepare all employees for the culture of your organization. This training can range from encouraging employees to use carefully their choice of words, especially when they are with a co-worker with special conditions – to refraining employees to help without being asked to.

Final Words

The world is changing and it is certainly taking its course to revamp our attitude toward people who we think are different than us. It is true that people with special conditions are in fact different, but so are we. None of us are alike or similar.

In order to create a sustainable workplace for employees with special needs, apart from making the office accessible, it is also important to design training to enable an atmosphere where they can thrive.  Professional Diploma in Train the Trainer course to design experience that understands needs of the individual employee to become efficient international trainer.

Our capabilities and abilities speak for ourselves. It is time from a being of arrogance we move to be more accepting of the fact we are better when we co-exist in harmony. Creating a diverse workspace is all about being able to provide a great experience for all workers. As an employer, it is essential to make sure you embrace that with an open hand.

Written By : Park Jin Ae