Is Your Careers Page Accessible for People with Disabilities?

Research suggests that organizations championing disability in the workplace are more profitable than those that don’t. Yet unemployment among people with disabilities continues to be high. For National Disability Employment Awareness month – occurring every October – we spoke to Raegan Bartlo from website accessibility compliance provider User1st, to explore:

• The latest insights on the state of disability inclusion in the workplace
• Four steps to attract and hire people with disabilities 
• Why you need a dedicated roadmap for disability inclusion in the workplace

People with disabilities frequently struggle to pursue a career of their choice and progress in it despite having the requisite talent. Recent research suggests that there is a massive employment gap between persons with and without disabilities. In fact, one study finds that unconscious bias against persons with disabilities seems to be higherOpens a new window than towards any other social group.

However, disability inclusion in the workplace could prove beneficial for companies in several ways, with a significant impact on the business bottom line. That is why leading employers such as Microsoft, Accenture, and IBM have made disability inclusion a key part of their company culture. Earlier this year, IBM began neurodiversity hiringOpens a new window , stating that “With neurodiverse employees, companies get a different perspective and different talents as well as loyalty and focus.”

So, how do you go about ensuring equitable treatment of candidates and employees with a disability? We believe it all begins with having an inclusive careers page and an accurate understanding of the state of disability in the workplace. In conversation with Raegan Bartlo, VP of communications at User1stOpens a new window (a website compliance provider for user accessibility), let’s delve into this deeper.

Learn More: The Definition of Diversity in the Workplace Has Changed – Here’s What That Means for Your BusinessOpens a new window

Why Disability Inclusion in the Workplace Could Be a Competitive Advantage

In a 2018 reportOpens a new window , Accenture found that people with disabilities form a massive portion of the U.S. talent pool. However, they are regularly underrepresented in workforces across the country. Some of the key insights from the report state: 

• If 1% more of people with disabilities join the workforce, the U.S. GDP will witness a $25 billion increase
• Organizations championing disability inclusion in the workplace earn 28% more revenues and 2X higher net income than others
• 68% of people with disabilities aren’t part of the U.S. workforce (compared to 22% of those without disabilities), indicating a massive talent pool that’s waiting to be leveraged

 

“Unfortunately, persons with disabilities still have the same unemployment rate that they did nearly 30 years ago. Because job searches and applications today are digital, websites are today’s doorway to employment. It is critical that people with varied and changing abilities have access to websites in order to even be considered for a job, and that’s the first step toward employment,” mentions Bartlo.

By turning their attention to disability inclusion, both in the hiring stage and in everyday work scenarios, employers can gain from diverse talent and foster a culture that’s equitable and growth-focused. And the first step towards achieving this is by introducing a disability-friendly careers site. 

Learn More: The Role Of Data Analytics In Addressing Pay GapsOpens a new window

5 Steps to Make Your Careers Site Accessible to Persons With Disabilities 

The career page on your company website is often the first point of interaction between a candidate and your organization. If at this initial stage job seekers cannot access content or struggle to obtain the data they are looking for, then the chances are that they won’t return. It all boils down to a positive candidate experience for all applicants who visit your page. Given that approximately 15% of the global population lives with a disabilityOpens a new window , you are dramatically shrinking your candidate pool and limiting recruitment coverage if your careers page is not accessible.

A website or webpage is considered accessible when persons with disabilities can use it with as much ease as someone without a disability. It entails designing a page so that it can be used by individuals with auditory, visual, cognitive, neurological, physical, and speech-related disabilities.

Bartlo mentions that companies will eventually go beyond compliance as the reason for an accessible careers page and consider “the additional benefits of web accessibility, like broadening their applicant pool and diversifying their workforce. Other benefits include brand loyalty from consumers and extended market outreach.”

Here are five simple steps that you can take to achieve these benefits. 

1. Carefully consider the layout and graphics following inclusive design principles

People with visual or cognitive disabilities could find it challenging to navigate a complex website, overcrowded with too many elements. That’s why the layout should follow a clear information hierarchy, logically grouped as per the content topic.

Large buttons and high-contrast color schemes can help make your website accessible to the widest possible candidate base. 

In addition, if your careers page has moving content in the form of slideshows, popups, or animations, it can be disconcerting for some users, for instance, persons susceptible to seizures or those with ADHD. Ensure that you put controls in place so that they can stop this continuously moving content.

2. Offer transcripts and captions wherever possible

Career pages today often feature engaging videos of the workplace, interviews with existing employees, announcements from senior leadership, and similar content to create a personal connection with a job seeker. To help with your workplace disability inclusion efforts, every video should come with an option to download the transcript.

Further, captions/subtitles should be available by default on each frame, without the candidate having to switch on the option.  For example, this Accenture webpageOpens a new window lets you view a transcript for all the videos uploaded. 

3. Ensure all content can be read, seen, heard, and understood correctly

Job seekers might want to see your careers page in larger-than-average font size, and this should not take away from the website experience. It is advisable to test how content is rendered in different font sizes across a variety of screen types. If a job post, description detail, or information about the company is left out when viewed by people with disabilities, it will negatively impact your hiring strategy and generate a limited applicant pool.

Another best practice to keep in mind here is the hyperlinking of text. An explanation of the content that the link leads to should be included in the hyperlink description so that screen readers can read them aloud to candidates. 

Also, ensure that your images – which ideally should also be inclusive in that they show persons with disabilities as a key part of your workforce – have descriptive alt tags, so that visitors view/read/hear the contents of those images carefully.

4. Offer an enriching experience even using a keyboard

Remember, a significant portion of people with disabilities will use only a keyboard to access your careers page. Therefore, it’s important to design the layout and navigation to meet this requirement. Scrolling movements, clicking of tabs, and switching between interactive content should be as easy for keyboard users as it would be for people using a mouse.

This is why companies that are focused on disability inclusion in the workplace typically employ a disability tester (or partner with a disability testing provider) to ensure inclusiveness for all their products and digital assets. “By leveraging the right technology and expertise, companies can and should open their digital doors to all job applicants relatively quickly,” comments Bartlo.  

5. Assess the usability and validity of your job application forms

A lot of careers pages ask for information that sometimes may not be relevant to the job. In addition, they may ask for information that is already on the jobseeker’s resume. So when designing a careers page, be mindful of the kind of information you ask candidates to provide.

Do you really need all those fields? Can you find this information in the resume? Is every piece of information you are asking for directly relevant to their hiring fit? Do candidates have to navigate through pages and pages of information, graphics, and video to be able to apply for a job?

Recruiters and talent acquisition experts must conduct a thorough analysis of their careers pages to answer these questions and simplify the process for potential candidates with disabilities.

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Making Disability Inclusion a Dedicated Part of Your Diversity Policy: The Way Forward

It is essential to recognize that people with disabilities could have vastly different requirements from those of other minorities based on gender, race, age, or ethnicity. Therefore, a company’s diversity & inclusion (D&I) policyOpens a new window must clearly outline these intricacies.

“By making their sites more accessible, companies will broaden their applicant pool while reinforcing their commitment to diversity and inclusion,” added Bartlo. And apart from preventing discrimination in the workplace, it is vital to support employees with a disability as they pursue career growth and actively contribute to your enterprise.  

Finally, ensure that you clearly feature your disability inclusion initiatives on your careers page. This could include job posts for accessibility testers, stories on disability inclusion, blogs by employees with a disability who are eager to share their experiences, and other such content.

However, also keep in mind that accessibility is a fluid concept, and so, your careers page will have to keep evolving as the definition of accessibility becomes more and more inclusive. Starting out with an accessible careers page is far more effective than trying to make an inaccessible page accessible.

With a clear roadmap for disability inclusion in the workplace and the right tools and technologies in place to support these individuals, you can stand out as a preferred employer to a large segment of jobseekers and reinforce your employer brand from an ethical and equitable vantage point. 

Are you taking proactive steps to support disability inclusion starting with an accessible careers page? Let us know on FacebookOpens a new window , LinkedInOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We are eager to know more about your perspective!