There has been amazing progress made to create a world where people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) can build reliable relationships and successful careers. In recent years, there have been significant movements made to establish and strengthen the IDD workforce. Because of this, persons with IDD are able to live fulfilling, independent lives that contribute to the value and growth of our communities and their happiness, above all else.
While many acts have been passed and numerous milestones have been reached, their implementation and impact are not as significant as they need to be to successfully make the workforce more inclusive for individuals with IDD on a global, or even national level.
Creating an Inclusive Workplace for Individuals with IDD
Every place of work should provide their IDD workforce with the tools to be able to maximize their performance on the job, assimilation into the workplace culture, and development of networking and social skills. As agencies design the structure and flow of their operations, it’s crucial to have a variety of tools, strategies, and accommodations to use under various circumstances that may occur in a workplace.
This includes:
- Software that’s easy to learn and simple to maneuver
- Strong culture of community and excellence
- Systems to automate and optimize operations
- Reliable supporting staff
- Resource allocation and utilization
- Integratable billing and payroll software
- Flexible systems to meet compliance and accommodate changes in regulations
Implementing these changes can be monumental in many aspects that affect the overall workflow, happiness, and success of your workforce.
Benefits of an Inclusive Workplace
When an entity establishes a culture of diversity and inclusion, the impacts are monumental for both the organization and the community. A study conducted by the Institute of Corporate Productivity reported that when employers established inclusive strategies and structure, they saw many benefits, including:
- Increased motivation among employees
- Attraction of unique and critical talent
- Creation of a dependable, engaged, and productive team
- Support and resources that made onboarding, training, and performance easy
- Improved customer satisfaction
These benefits, as well as the ones not listed, are only possible with the commitment of an agency. The report stated perfectly, “Integrating [diversity and inclusion] as part of the overall organizational strategy—as opposed to addressing it as part of a compliance initiative, a general corporate social responsibility strategy, or simply not addressing it at all—is a critical first step—one that also has a positive connection to market performance.”
The Next Step to Inclusion
Ensuring your agency is on the right track to establishing a diverse and inclusive workforce starts with evaluating your operations as they stand. What are you missing? Is it the tools? Perhaps the culture or the people? Once you have a clear understanding of what your agency lacks, you can begin implementing positive changes.
At Vertex, our goal is to help your IDD agency build confident leaders who inspire others to push themselves to achieve their full potential. With our integrative, easy-to-use software, you can optimize your workflow and operations so that your time and efforts can be put towards more impactful things, like brainstorming creative ideas for the future or supporting the personal and occupational development of your staff.
See how Vertex has impacted the IDD workforce and optimized agencies just like yours across the nation in our case study with Johnston County Industries.
