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Welcome to the inaugural issue of the Disability:IN Inclusive Governance and Investing Quarterly Newsletter. The purpose of this quarterly newsletter is to encourage dialogue between stewardship professionals, institutional investors, corporate executives, financial policymakers, and sustainability researchers on the topic of disability inclusion by circulating research, headlines, policies, and initiatives that affect the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce. 

Disability inclusive companies perform better, yet private sector labor force participation lags for people with disabilities. Making up 16% of the world’s population, people with disabilities remain an untapped source of talent, leadership, and innovation in the global knowledge economy. This letter is dedicated to closing the gap by connecting influence with insight curated by Disability:IN’s Research & Policy team.

In this inaugural issue, we draw your attention to the release of our newest report, On the Verge: Disability & Sustainability Reporting, an analysis of voluntary sustainability reporting practices in the U.S. Fortune 500. To kick off the first year of this newsletter, we will release a new report each quarter on the state of disability in corporate disclosures around the world.

The Facts

65%

Of the U.S. Fortune 500 report on disability in their annual sustainability reports (Disability:IN, 2024) 

25%

Higher individual employee productivity is observed in leading disability-inclusive companies compared to their industry peers. (Accenture, 2023)

Companies with a disability-inclusive board are better positioned to execute responsible governance, effective risk management, and optimal decision-making, as well as enhanced customer alignment, employee engagement, and transparency, as compared to those without disability representation on their boards (Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, 2024)

Research

65% of Fortune 500 companies now incorporate workforce disability inclusion into their annual sustainability reports. But only 10% include quantitative workforce disclosures for employees with disabilities.

Read On the Verge: Disability & Sustainability Reporting, an analysis of voluntary sustainability reporting practices in the U.S. Fortune 500, released with this inaugural newsletter. This report demonstrates that leading companies have already integrated disability into their corporate materiality matrices. Disability:IN welcomes your comments on our LinkedIn page on the topic.

Leading disability inclusive companies earn higher financial returns than their peers; they earn 1.6x more revenue, 2.6x more net income, and 2x more economic profit than other Disability Equality Index companies. Read our business case for disability inclusion published by Accenture Research titled The Disability Inclusion Imperative.

Regional Spotlight: The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific published a report on the role of investors in promoting disability inclusive business ecosystems. Learn more about Disability:IN’s global workplace initiatives. 

Policy & Government Affairs

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s 2024 Rulemaking Agenda contains a Corporate Board Diversity Rule (3235-AL91) and a Human Capital Management Disclosure Rule (3235-AM88).

In meetings with the commissioners, Disability:IN is encouraging the SEC to ensure that both disclosures include people with disabilities, per developments in the business case for disability inclusion. 

“The number of Americans with disabilities has risen: How have they fared in the labor market?”

Check out the Progressive Policy Institute’s Disability and Changes in the Workplace report from November 2023 for graphics on the increasing prevalence of disability in the workforce.

Investors are IN

Disability:IN’s Joint Investor Statement represents institutional investors with more than $2.8 trillion in combined assets. Led by New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Oregon State Treasurer Tobias Reed, the investor statement calls on companies to create and evaluate inclusive workplaces that employ people with disabilities.

In December 2023, Comptroller DiNapoli sent letters to 22 Fortune 100 companies that New York Common is invested in to register for the 2024 Disability Equality Index to benchmark their disability inclusive practices and policies.

Boards are IN

NEW: Legal Memo on the Inclusion of People with Disabilities as Diverse Board Members by Morgan Lewis, & Bockius, LLP., January 2024.

In September 2023, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli sent letters to 14 corporations to add disability to their board’s corporate governance charters and director nomination language. Adding disability into corporate charters isn’t complicated; here’s a brief how to.

To this end, Disability:IN has recently submitted public comment letters to the Ontario Securities Commission, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and Institutional Shareholder Services in support of disability inclusive board diversity disclosures.

Spotlight on Model Language for Disability on Corporate Boards: Apple’s Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter.

“The Committee also considers the diversity of the Board composition overall with respect to age, disability, gender identity or expression, ethnicity, military veteran status, national origin, race, religion, sexual orientation, and other backgrounds and experiences."

News & Events

Disability Equality Index Co-Chair Ted Kennedy Jr. & Accenture Chief Leadership & Human Resources Officer presented the business case for employing people with disabilities to corporate directors at Directors & Boards 2023 Character of the Corporation Conference in New York.

Disability:IN President & CEO Jill Houghton is participating in an upcoming webinar with The Thirty Percent Coalition for Board Diversity on the importance of inclusive and diverse boards. Register for The Thirty Percent Coalition webinar.

In an interview with Fortune, Reid Jewett Smith, Ph.D., Disability:IN's Director of Research and Policy, emphasizes the necessity of comprehensive workforce disclosures to authentically advocate for disability inclusion, especially as record-high participation rates among people with disabilities underscore the increasing demand for corporate transparency.

Don't miss the global corporate disability inclusion event of the year! Learn more about the 2024 Disability:IN Global Conference & Expo.

Contact Information | Research & Policy Team

Reid Jewett Smith, Ph.D.

Director of Research & Policy

Jacob Wilson

Research & Policy Analyst

Disability:IN Research & Policy Webpage

About Disability:IN

Disability:IN is a global organization driving disability inclusion and equality in business. More than 500 corporations trust Disability:IN to activate and achieve disability inclusion across their enterprise and in the broader corporate mainstream. Through the world’s most comprehensive disability inclusion benchmarking; best-in-class conferences and programs; and expert counsel and engagement, Disability:IN works with leading businesses to create long-term business and societal impact. Join us at disabilityin.org/AreYouIN #AreYouIN