Virginia Ability Next Steps for Your Business

How Should Our Company Work Towards Accessibility and Inclusion?

It might feel like a lot to handle, but a diverse and inclusive workforce can have a positive impact on your business’s performance and profitability.

Many companies, big and small, are now focusing on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility because it creates an environment where employees can show up authentically, voice their ideas openly, and participate in shaping a more inclusive and productive work environment. Virginia Ability is here to help you make sure your company is moving in the right direction, making it easy to achieve disability diversity and inclusion in your organization.

Congratulations on taking the next step!

Simply use the four foundational capabilities listed below to help guide you through the process. Within each section, you’ll find a growing compilation of methods to enhance your business’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility for people with disabilities, as well as all employees.

Virginia Ability Next Steps for Your Business Access

ASSESS

Measure and advance your disability inclusion practices

Complete the NOD Tracker: The Disability Employment Tracker™, NOD’s confidential, corporate self-assessment, allows employers to benchmark their disability inclusion practices against other leading companies.

Need Assistance? Contact Us

Virginia Ability Next Steps for Your Business Attract

ATTRACT

Create opportunities for job seekers to learn more about your business.

In addition to attracting new talent, options in this section also create social impact that can result in improvements in your company’s employee engagement, creativity, and innovation.

Hold A Company Tour

Offer job seekers an opportunity to experience the environment and culture of your company.

Time commitment: 4 hours

Host job shadowing

Host Job Shadowing

Enable individuals with disabilities to acquire hands-on experience and explore their career interests while on the job.

Time commitment: 4 hours

Become a situational assessment

Become A Situational Assessment Site

A situational assessment evaluates an individual’s support requirements within a real work setting, as well as the capacity of the work environment to organically offer those supports.

Time commitment: 4 hours

Become a Pre-ETS community

Become A Pre-ETS Community Partner

Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) offer students with disabilities an early start at career exploration and preparation for adult life.

Time commitment: Customizable

Virginia Ability Next Steps for Your Business Build

BUILD

Develop a sustainable disability and inclusion program and talent pipeline

Develop a disability inclusion program

Develop A Disability Employment Inclusion Program In
Your Company

Putting into action the findings of your company’s assessment goes beyond merely recruiting employees with disabilities. Instituting a disability inclusion initiative ensures that all employees, regardless of their disability status, are provided with equal opportunities and fair compensation within your organization.

Time Commitment: Customizable

Host an intern

Host An Intern

Expand your employee candidate pool. Many of the internships are sponsored, so it would not be of any cost to your company.

Time commitment : 4-12 weeks

Set up an apprenticeship

Set Up An Apprenticeship Program

Allow individuals to gain industry recognized qualifications.

Time commitment: Customizable

Virginia Ability Next Steps for Your Business Grow

GROW

Hire and retain talent to grow your company’s disability and inclusion culture.

Hire Individuals With Disabilities: The goal is to match with the right candidate. When hiring employees with disabilities, your company is not only making a commitment to diversity, it is also helping to retain workers and increase productivity.

Post open positions on Jobs Ability, an AI powered jobs database for individuals with disabilities.

Let Virginia Ability support you in your hiring efforts of people with disabilities.

If you or your company ever finds this process overwhelming or you’re
uncertain about where to start, please feel free to reach out to us.