July is Disability Pride Month, recognizing the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which went into effect 35 years ago this month.
While laws like the ADA mandate accessibility requirements and nondiscrimination for people with disabilities, disability inclusion is more than that. It’s a human issue impacting more than 1 in 4 adults, according to the CDC.
The number of lawyers who report having a disability has been increasing, especially in younger generations, according to the National Association of Law Placement (NALP).
Over 7% of 2023 law school graduates identified as having a disability, double the number of associates and four times the number of partners, NALP reports. NALP also noted that these numbers are likely underreported.
We spoke with Meaghan Walls, Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Disability Inclusion, about how legal workplaces can build welcoming and supportive environments for people with disabilities.
Understanding how your firm operates
Walls emphasized that firms must first understand how their firm operates from an accessibility perspective. This includes delving into internal processes, policies, programs, and services.
If you aren’t sure where to start, Walls recommends bringing in a subject matter expert to provide professional development and disability-awareness training, like the Center for Disability Inclusion.
“Disability-centered conversations can open the door for more dialogue and may spark inspiration and questions that lead to deeper learning and new initiatives,” she said.
Walls said that law firms should have structures in place to support, retain, and advance all employees, including those with disabilities, once they are hired.
“Since your workforce likely already contains people with disabilities, making improvements to your internal systems is a strategy with far-reaching impacts,” she explained.
Recognizing apparent and non-apparent disabilities
Our workforce is aging, and with that comes natural limitations in our abilities, including mobility, sight, and hearing, Walls said.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce projects that the number of workers who are 55 and older will increase three times faster than those who are 25-54.
This is important, as 83% of disabilities are acquired, Walls said, and workers over the age of 40 are twice as likely as their younger colleagues to acquire a disability.
At the same time, Walls notes that 74% of reported disabilities are not apparent by looking at a person, which means you may not be aware of a person’s disability if they have not shared it.
For example, some studies have shown that over 50% of Gen Z individuals identify as neurodiverse, which can include ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and other conditions that aren’t always visible to others.
This means workplaces must structure themselves in ways that support employee productivity and effectiveness across physical, developmental, psychological, and intellectual disabilities.
Walls added that workplaces that prioritize disability inclusion may see a waterfall of benefits, including higher recruitment and retention, increased innovation and profitability, and healthier brand loyalty.
Staying up to date on issues impacting the legal profession is vital to your success. Subscribe here to get the Commission’s weekly news delivered to your inbox.
Illinois Judges and Vicarious Trauma: ‘Healthier Judges Make Better Decisions’