Disability Equality Index

About the DEI

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a comprehensive benchmarking tool that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions that they can take to achieve disability inclusion and equality. Each company receives a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those earning 80 and above recognized as “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion.”

Fortune 1000 companies realize environmental, social and governance factors impact their management, culture, brand and financial well-being. While many companies have identified methods to advance their disability inclusion, companies had recognized current benchmarking tools were inadequate in evaluating disability inclusion as part of their company’s diversity and inclusion, or broader, sustainability efforts.

A joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the DEI is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking and CONFIDENTAL disability inclusion rating tool to assist business.

Gain Brand Equity for Your Disability Inclusion Efforts

For top-scoring companies, the DEI score builds brand recognition among potential and current employees, investors, and customers – including those with disabilities and their friends and families.

Top-scoring companies are named a DEI “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion™” logo, amongst many other benefits including, but not limited to:

• Use of 100%/90%/80% DEI Best Places to Work logo
• Best Places to Work listing on the DEI website
• Best Places to Work listing in the DEI Annual Report
• Press Releases
• Digital marketing, including social media
• Recognition at the Annual Disability:IN conference
• Invite-only “DEI Top-Scoring Companies” reception at the Annual Disability:IN Conference
• May have a best practice(s) published in the DEI Best Practices Report
• Media inquiries on a case-by-case basis

Benefits to your company

Industry Data and Analysis

The DEI report and index inform companies of best and emerging practices and points them toward peers in the business community that are already high performers. All company participants, regardless of score, receive a complimentary copy of the annual DEI Report, which consists of detailed aggregate results and benchmarking information from the annual DEI.

Benchmarking Insight

Companies receive a scorecard outlining areas in which the company excels, as well as areas of improvement. 75% of companies take the DEI more than once for long-term benchmarking to ensure sustainable results.

Network Connections

Participating companies receive an invitation to the exclusive “DEI Top-Scoring Companies” reception at the Disability:IN Annual Conference. In addition, at the Disability:IN Annual Conference there are breakout sessions where companies, in similar and varied industries, share best practices for leveraging the DEI for company success.

Customized DEI Consulting Services

Participating companies are offered a customized DEI Deep Dive specifically geared towards increasing your DEI score. This is especially useful for companies that score below 80 and want to become a top-scoring company, a company that is striving for 100 score, as well as companies that want to maintain their score as the index continually evolves.

How the DEI is scored

The DEI measures a wide range of criteria within six (6) categories.

Culture & Leadership (30 points) – Businesses commit to and demonstrate a sustained, visible cultural commitment to disability inclusion and demonstrate visible leadership commitment to disability inclusion throughout the organization.

Enterprise-Wide Access (10 points) – Businesses commit to and demonstrate commitment to workplace accessibility.

Employment Practices (40 points) – Businesses commit to and demonstrate commitment to benefits, recruitment practices, employment practices, and accommodation practices that fully incorporate and include individuals with disabilities.

Community Engagement (10 points) – Businesses demonstrate public-facing engagement practices that celebrate and support individuals with disabilities.

Supplier Diversity (10 points) – Businesses commit to and demonstrate supplier diversity practices that fully include and utilize disability owned, veteran–disability owned businesses and service-disabled veteran owned businesses.

Non-U.S. Operations (Not Weighted) – Businesses commit to and demonstrate non-U.S. practices that fully incorporate and include individuals with disabilities.

For more details, visit our FAQs

Download the questions here.