Every day, we all make innumerable decisions without realizing it. After all, we’re assaulted with so much information that we tend to depend on past experiences and stock knowledge more often than not. As a result, it’s easy to overlook certain things, one of which is inclusion for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, despite all of the progress made, many businesses still have an unconscious bias against this community more than many others. In fact, this is what led to the relatively recent lawsuit against Domino’s Pizza, where they were successfully sued due to ADA violations.
Because of the legal and ethical implications, it’s vital that your business values diversity and doesn’t have any implicit bias, especially for those who have conditions that may limit their activities, senses, and movement. In this guide, we’ll talk about how you can check whether or not your company is unconsciously hostile to those with disabilities.
1. Conduct online research.
One of the first things you should do to determine whether or not your business promotes inclusivity for the disabled community is by conducting online research. Begin by checking your website to see if it’s accessible to those who are visually impaired, have motor restrictions, and others. It’s also worth looking up what users say about your online property. If you know anybody who has a form of disability, ask them if they can navigate your site. The feedback can be invaluable in helping you find areas of improvement.
Because your site is the digital representation of your company, it’s also a good idea to invest in tech solutions that enhance web accessibility. A review of by Stefan Schulz made particular note of how market-leader accessiBe provides litigation support during a lawsuit, which means that not only can companies make use of an effective ADA-compliance solution but can appropriately fight lawsuits by using accessiBe’s impressive product and their litigation support.
2. Engage with your employees.
A business might cite inclusion and diversity as its core values, but it won’t make a difference if practices of their promotion aren’t implemented or are non-existent. An excellent way to see if your company practices what it preaches is to engage with employees. Observe the working environment because it’ll give you a better sense of how inclusive it actually is. Don’t be afraid to communicate with your workers. Almost everyone will know at least one person who has a disability, and their insight could help significantly improve your accessibility and diversity.
3. Provide implicit bias training.
Regardless of how bias-free and open people believe they are, judgment is ingrained due to life experiences and socialization. With training in implicit bias, you’ll be able to create a much safer place for raising awareness on unconscious attitudes and educating people to change their behavior.
Conclusion.
Inclusion has become an integral component of any successful business in this day and age. Beyond the legal ramifications that bias against social groups like the disabled community can have, it can also lead to missed sales opportunities. So make sure that your business is always inclusive and diverse. It will make a difference to your business.
