Disability inclusion is a business imperative

After graduating with bachelor’s degrees in math and music, Joshua spent a year working several part-time jobs while living at home with his parents in Wichita Falls. Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome at an early age, Joshua started to doubt that any company would give him a full-time job offer.

All that changed in 2022, when Joshua joined JPMorganChase as a transaction specialist through the company’s Business Solutions Team. The program matches the talents of people who are neurodivergent — with an additional focus on those with intellectual and developmental disabilities — to roles that drive business, creating the right fit for each employee.

Today, Joshua is based at the company’s Plano offices. He uses his computer skills to work with large databases and test quality control for the company’s customer, consumer, and commercial investment banking teams. His job allowed him to live alone for the first time.

When President George H.W. Bush signed the bipartisan Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990, he had this message for the business community: “You have in your hands the key to the success of this act, for you can unlock a splendid resource of untapped human potential that, when freed, will enrich us all.”

Nearly 35 years later, we still have work to do. Joshua’s experience is an anomaly. People with disabilities have been central to the post-pandemic labor force participation recovery, representing one-third of the growth. However, research shows that up to 85% of autistic adults with a college education are unemployed. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the unemployment rate for people with physical and nonapparent disabilities was 7.2% in 2023 — about twice that of those with no disability.

This is why the Dallas Regional Chamber created a first-of-its-kind Disability Inclusion Toolkit, with support from Ernst & Young LLP — a leader in workplace disability inclusion. The toolkit provides data, resources and best practices to help companies build a culture of inclusion for people with disabilities.

JPMorganChase, a global financial services company that employs roughly 31,000 people in Texas, partnered with the Dallas Regional Chamber on the development of this important resource.

Making our companies more inclusive for people with disabilities is not just the right thing to do — it’s good for business too. An increasing number of Fortune 500 companies realize that hiring people with disabilities has become a competitive advantage. According to Accenture, companies that lead on disability inclusion criteria see 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income, and two times more profit.

To better unlock the “splendid resource of untapped human potential” President Bush talked about, companies must expand their recruiting and hiring practices. The Disability Inclusion Toolkit contains a helpful guide listing several nonprofit organizations in the Dallas region focused on disability inclusion. Partnerships with these groups are a great place to start.

Simple workplace practices can help too. For a number of neurodivergent candidates, traditional interviews are rarely the best way to assess their aptitude. Companies should offer alternatives, such as project-based assessments that allow candidates to display their abilities.

It’s true that apprenticeships allow employees with disabilities — and those without — to learn the skills required for a particular role. If the apprentice is hired full-time, job coaching should be tailored to ensure each new individual feels they have a clear path for career growth.

Public policy can also play a role in reducing barriers to employment for people with disabilities, such as by reforming asset and income limits on federal benefits.

Since being hired, Joshua has been less financially reliant on his aging parents and has been able to purchase a car. A focus on creating better pathways for individuals with disabilities could benefit more workers like Joshua, as well as their families, employers, our economy and our nation — just as President Bush foretold.

Joshua’s story can be the standard instead of an anomaly if we work together, and we will strengthen our companies in the process.

Bryan Gill is the head of the Office of Disability Inclusion at JPMorganChase. Latosha Herron Bruff is the senior vice president of diversity, inclusion and community engagement at the Dallas Regional Chamber.

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