Latest / The Diversity Career Podcast with Fexingo: Inclusion, Equity, and Underrepresented Professionals / How One Firm Added Disability Hiring and Kept It Going
Transcript
- Lucas: There's a pattern I keep seeing in diversity hiring programs — they launch with a lot of fanfare, maybe a strong first cohort, and then by year two or three, the momentum just evaporates. Luna: Right, especially around disability hiring. It's one of those areas where companies make a big announcement, but the pipeline never really materializes. Lucas: Exactly. So I wanted to look at a company that actually made it stick. A mid-sized software firm called AccessAbility Solutions — ironic name, I know, they're a B2B SaaS company, not a nonprofit — and they started a disability hiring initiative back in 2021. Four years later, it's still running, and they've hired over 80 people through it. Luna: Eighty people from a dedicated pipeline — that's not a pilot program, that's a real channel. What did they do differently? Lucas: The biggest difference is they didn't try to build it through the usual job boards. They partnered directly with three local vocational rehabilitation agencies. Those agencies already had a pool of candidates with disabilities who had gone through job-readiness training. The company basically said, 'Send us your best candidates, and we'll give them a shot.' Luna: So they went to where the talent already was, instead of waiting for it to show up on LinkedIn. That's smart. Lucas: Yeah, and they didn't just take anyone. They set clear criteria — the candidates had to have completed a vocational training program, and they had to pass a technical screening. But the screening itself was redesigned. They removed timed tests, for example, because those disproportionately penalize people with certain cognitive disabilities. Luna: That's the kind of detail that makes or breaks a program. A lot of companies say they want to hire people with disabilities, but they never audit the actual interview process for hidden barriers. Lucas: Right. And the other thing they did — they assigned a mentor to every new hire from this pipeline for the first six months. Not a buddy, an actual mentor who was a senior individual contributor. The mentor's job was to help the new person navigate the unwritten rules of the company. Luna: That addresses the retention piece. Because if you hire someone and they feel isolated or confused about how things work, they're gone within a year. Lucas: Exactly. And the numbers back it up. The company shared some internal data — turnover among employees hired through this program was 12 percent lower than the company average. In teams that had at least one mentor-participant pair, overall turnover dropped by 18 percent. Luna: Eighteen percent — that's not just a feel-good metric. That's a real cost saving. Lucas: And that's the kind of thing that makes the CFO pay attention. But here's the thing — even with those numbers, the program almost got cut in the first year. The CEO was skeptical about the return on investment. Luna: So what saved it? Lucas: The head of HR put together a business case that didn't just talk about diversity. She calculated the cost of hiring, onboarding, and lost productivity for a typical departure — about $40,000 per person at that company — and showed that if the program reduced turnover by even ten departures a year, it paid for itself. Luna: That's the language executives need to hear. It's not about charity, it's about the math. Lucas: Yeah, and that's honestly what I want listeners to take away. If you're trying to get a program like this started or keep one from getting cut, frame it in terms the business already uses. Luna: And give it a concrete example like this one to point to. So, Lucas, you mentioned they partnered with vocational rehab agencies — how did they actually find the right ones? Lucas: They started by reaching out to the state's Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. That's a federal-state program that exists in every state. The company's HR team attended a job fair the agency hosted, met counselors, and learned about the training programs. It took about three months of relationship-building before the first candidates were referred. Luna: Three months of groundwork before a single hire. That's the kind of patience most companies don't have. Lucas: And that's probably the biggest reason more companies don't do this. They want a quick fix, but disability hiring pipelines are about building trust with community partners, not just posting a job. Luna: Quick honest thing — a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making deep dives like this possible. No ads, no sponsors, just listeners who find value in the show. Lucas: Yeah, and it means we can spend time on stories like AccessAbility Solutions instead of chasing clickbait. Appreciate everyone who's part of that. Luna: So you mentioned the program almost got cut in year one. How did they sustain it through years two, three, and four? Lucas: A few things. First, they built metrics into the company's quarterly review. The CEO got a one-page report — how many candidates interviewed, how many hired, retention rate, and cost per hire. It became a normal part of business reporting, not a special project. Luna: So it became institutionalized. That's crucial. Lucas: Second, they created an employee resource group for disability inclusion. That group wasn't just for employees with disabilities — it was open to anyone. They hosted monthly lunch and learns where employees shared their experiences. And that built a cultural foundation that made the program harder to cut. Luna: Because now it's not just HR's initiative, it's employees who care about it. Lucas: Exactly. And third, they documented everything. They created a playbook for how to conduct an accessible interview, how to set up a workstation, how to request accommodations. That playbook is now used by the whole company, not just the disability pipeline. Luna: So the program ultimately improved the hiring process for everyone. Lucas: That's the hidden return. The accommodations they put in place — like flexible start times, written instructions for tasks, and noise-canceling headphones available in the office — ended up being popular with employees across the board. Luna: It's the curb-cut effect. Ramps help people in wheelchairs, but they also help people with strollers and delivery carts. Lucas: Exactly. And when you frame it that way, the pushback from managers who say 'accommodations are too expensive' starts to fall apart. Most accommodations cost nothing or very little. Luna: So what's one thing a listener could do tomorrow if they want to start something similar? Lucas: Call your state's Department of Vocational Rehabilitation. Ask about their business services program. They will walk you through the process. You don't need to reinvent the wheel — the infrastructure already exists in every state. Luna: That's a concrete step. And it's free. Lucas: And if you need a business case template, the playbook from AccessAbility Solutions is actually available online. I'll link to it in the show notes. Luna: Great. So what's the biggest mistake companies make when they try to copy this model? Lucas: They skip the relationship-building. They call the vocational rehab agency, ask for candidates, and expect them to show up next week. When that doesn't happen, they declare the program a failure. Luna: So treat it like any other business partnership — invest time upfront. Lucas: Right. And don't try to scale too fast. AccessAbility Solutions started with just five hires in the first cohort. They learned what worked, what didn't, and then expanded. Luna: Five people. That's a manageable start. Lucas: And now they're at 80. Steady growth beats a flashy launch that fizzles out. Luna: That's a good note to end on. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna. See you next time.