Disability and neurodiversity inclusion
Deloitte aims to provide an environment where people with both visible and non-visible disabilities can actively and fully participate in the workplace and society. As such, disability as well as neurodiversity inclusion are increasingly priority areas for Deloitte’s global diversity, equity and inclusion strategy.
Deloitte has launched a number of awareness-building, coaching and education programmes to help remove obstacles that may hinder professionals with disabilities from reaching their full career potential, as well as to support skills development and career progression in society at large. This includes initiatives focused on accessibility in the physical work environment, such as the Deloitte US human-centered design (HCD) initiative that seeks to better understand the experiences of people with disabilities, identify ways to improve accessibility and create a more inclusive culture. Deloitte Canada launched its first Accessability Action Plan in 2021 to reinforce its commitment to the inclusion of people with disabilities as well as those with different accessibility needs, followed by a progress update in 2022. Deloitte Japan has published demographic data on its people with disabilities as part of the firm’s drive to increase representation, accessibility and awareness of talent with disabilities.
Many Deloitte firms are also committed to funding scholarships and offering apprenticeships to neurodivergent talent and those with disabilities. Examples include Deloitte Canada’s funding toward scholarships for law students with disabilities through the Legal Leaders for Diversity and Inclusion (LLD) scholarship fund and the Deloitte US Neurodiversity@Deloitte programme consisting of a three-month apprenticeship with an opportunity for full-time employment.
This intentional action is complemented by Deloitte’s global focus on fostering an inclusive workplace culture underpinned by respect and by encouraging Deloitte people to practice empathy by considering the perspective of others, including those in underrepresented groups. Highlighted in Deloitte Global’s award-winning Can you see me? campaign, are stories representing people in underrepresented groups such as Thiago, a wheelchair user and Delphine, an autistic person.
Deloitte’s global focus on fostering an inclusive workplace for colleagues with disabilities has been recognised by third-party organisations around the world, including in the US where, in 2021, Deloitte achieved a perfect score in the Disability Equality Index’s best places to work ranking. Deloitte UK is part of the UK Government’s Disability Confident employer scheme focused on best practices around the recruitment, retention and development of talent with disabilities.
Deloitte Global and many Deloitte firms have also sought to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities through the sharing of leading practices and resources across the organisation, as well as via external platforms and networks. This includes Deloitte Global, Deloitte UK and Deloitte Japan memberships in the Valuable 500 and Deloitte Australia membership in the Australian Network on Disability.
A number of Deloitte firms have collaborated with specialised organisations to support the recruitment of neurodiverse talent. This includes Deloitte UK working with Auticon, Deloitte Canada working with Auticon and Ready, Willing & Able and Deloitte Belgium working with Autimatic.
Several Deloitte firms have employee resource groups dedicated to neurodiversity and disability to help foster community and allyship, including raising awareness of neurodiversity across their respective firms.
