Disability Equality Index

About the Disability Equality Index

The Disability Equality Index has become the leading independent, third-party resource for the annual benchmarking of corporate disability inclusion policies and programs, and is now trusted by more than 70% of the Fortune 100 and nearly half of the Fortune 500. Such companies must increasingly consider how emerging global reporting directives and stakeholder expectations surrounding social and corporate governance factors impact their operational, cultural, reputational and financial performance. Since its inception in 2015, participation in the United States edition of the Disability Equality Index has grown 6x – from 80 companies in the inaugural year to 485 in 2023.

Originally developed as a joint initiative of Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the Disability Equality Index is an objective, reflective, forward-thinking, and confidential disability rating tool designed to assist business in advancing inclusion practices. It is a comprehensive benchmark that helps companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions across five scored categories: Culture & Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices, Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity. Participating companies receive a score, on a scale of zero (0) to 100, with those scoring 80 or higher earning the distinction of “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the benchmark year.

A two-year unscored Global Disability Equality Index pilot concluded in 2022. The pilot was limited to select companies and achieved participation from 98 companies spanning 66 countries. Findings from the Global DEI pilot informed the launch of a scored benchmark that will open in 2024 to seven new countries in addition to the United States.

2024 Disability Equality Index Countries

• Brazil
• Canada
• Germany
• India
• Japan
• Philippines
• United Kingdom
• United States

• Registration Opens: Oct. 11, 2023
• Registration Closes: Jan. 26, 2024
• Benchmark Opens: Jan. 29, 2024
• Benchmark Closes: April 12, 2024
• Disability Equality Index Report & Top-Scoring Companies List Released: July 15, 2024

Achieving “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” Recognition

Earning a top score on the Disability Equality Index has the potential to build brand recognition among current and future employees, investors, and customers – including those with disabilities and their friends and families. Top-scoring companies are named among the Disability Equality Index “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion™” along with other benefits such as:

• Use of 100, 90 or 80 “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” logo
• Listing among “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” on Disability Equality Index website
• Access to template press releases and quotes from Disability:IN leadership to support company messaging campaigns
• Support with digital marketing communications, including a messaging toolkit, sample social media posts and other creative assets
• Recognition at the annual Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo
• Invitation to exclusive networking and recognition events for top-scoring companies
• Potential inclusion of company best practice(s) in the annual Disability Equality Index Report and/or other Disability:IN research
• Possible option to participate in proactive media pitches and/or reactive media responses to Disability Equality Index-related topics

Benefits to your company

Industry Data and Analysis

A total of 30 industries are now represented among the 485 companies that completed the 2023 U.S. Disability Equality Index, and unique opportunities exist to examine insights through industry-specific filters. Each company that completes the Disability Equality Index has complimentary access to the annual Disability Equality Index Report which contains aggregate findings from across industry sectors as well as an adoption framework that outlines the maturity of certain practices across companies.

Benchmarking Insight

Each company that completes the Disability Equality Index will receive a custom scored report that details the company’s responses to every Disability Equality Index question. A custom scorecard which highlights performance by category along with insights on areas of strength as well as potential improvement is also included.

Network Connections

Companies that participate in the Disability Equality Index become part of an informal community of practice that allows for networking, peer-to-peer benchmarking, and knowledge sharing. Opportunities exist to engage in formal networking events, panel discussions and other connection points both virtually throughout the year and in person at the annual Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo.

Disability Equality Index Deep Dives

Disability:IN offers customized, company-specific Disability Equality Index Deep Dive presentations. These 60-minute virtual sessions allow for a Disability:IN team member to provide analysis, insights, and recommendations related to your company’s Disability Equality Index results. The presentation examines your company’s responses to the benchmark questions and compares your results to the aggregate performance of all participating companies as well as industry-specific insights. Deep Dive presentations can be scheduled using Disability:IN’s Engagement Request Form and are available as a complimentary partnership benefit for companies at the Influencer, Presenting and Headliner levels as well as for Inclusion Works companies or at an additional cost for non-partners or companies at the Connecter, Collaborator or Thought Leader levels. Please contact Mackenzie Ward, Director of Corporate Relations, at [email protected] with questions about partnerships and pricing.

How the DEI is scored

The U.S. version of the Disability Equality Index measures a wide range of criteria within the following six (6) categories. A similar scoring framework will be introduced for each of the seven international benchmarks being introduced in 2024.

• Culture & Leadership (30 points total; 20 for Culture, 10 for Leadership) – 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 total, 10 each for the subcategories of Accommodations; Benefits; Employment, Education, Retention & Advancement; and Recruitment) – 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 Business Enterprises (DOBEs), including Service-Disabled Veteran DOBEs and Veteran DOBEs.

For more details, visit our FAQs.