Workplaces are becoming more and more inclusive. But, professionals with disabilities may still face challenges in achieving their career goals. Mentorship is one of the most powerful ways for all professionals to be their best, in spite of any obstacles they may face – including those with disabilities. For organizations, mentorship is one of the best ways to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility employees with and without disabilities.
The workforce in numbers
According to the 2022 American Community Survey, 22 million (11%) of non-institutionalized, working-age (18 to 64 years old) people in the United States have a disability (Source). These disabilities could include hearing disabilities, visual disabilities, cognitive disabilities, ambulatory disabilities, self-care disabilities (trouble with activities like dressing and bathing), independent living disabilities (difficulty doing errands alone), or any combination.
Disability prevalence rates are not equal across different demographic groups. For example, 8.4% of people who are ages 18-29 have a disability, while the rate is more than double for workers aged 60-64, at 19.5% (Source). In fact, half of all people with disabilities in the United States are over 65 (Source).
And, while disability rates across racial groups in the United States are relatively equal, employment rates for workers with disabilities are not. The chart below shows employment rates for workers with and without disabilities by race and ethnicity. Black workers with disabilities we see, have the lowest employment rate at 37.%, while Asian workers with disabilities have the highest at 51.4% (Source).
Challenges professionals with disabilities face
The biggest obstacles facing professionals with disabilities are unemployment and underemployment. When looking at workers of all ages in the United States, workers without disabilities are three times as likely to be employed as workers with disabilities (Source). Employees with disabilities are nearly twice as likely to work part-time, and are also more likely to be self-employed (Source). The Bureau of Labor Statistics, however, also estimates that nearly 75% of people with disabilities are not in the labor force; they are counted as being neither employed nor unemployed (Source).
Another obstacle for those living with disabilities is access to education. In the United States, among working-age, non-institutionalized people with disabilities, 18% have a bachelor’s degree or higher (Source), compared to 54% of all U.S. adults (Source).
Professionals living with disabilities are also overrepresented in certain industries and professions, and underrepresented in others. The jobs with the highest proportion of people with disabilities include retail, building and grounds cleaning and maintenance, healthcare support occupations, and food preparation and serving. The jobs with the lowest proportion of people with disabilities include architecture, engineering, finance and insurance, and real estate (Source).In many workplaces and professions, whether in-person, remote, or hybrid, employees with disabilities are also likely to face additional challenges ranging from lack of accessibility to discrimination.
Mentorship as a solution
Mentorship propels the success of all professionals. And for any professional who faces unique obstacles, including those with disabilities, mentoring is an essential tool to overcome them.
Customized upskilling, learning, and developing
Mentoring is one of the most effective and cost-effective ways for individuals to upskill. Many professionals with disabilities have difficulty accessing learning and development opportunities, often because of cost. Mentorship is a cost-free alternative for individuals to learn the exact skills they need to advance their careers and achieve their goals. It allows people to learn exactly what they need according to their own learning style. And because organizational mentorship programs use existing human capital as a knowledge source, there’s no need to invest in additional, expensive courses and programs to upskill teams.
Learning from others’ experiences Mentors empower their mentees because they’ve faced similar challenges before, and have overcome them. Mentorship programs can connect professionals with disabilities to mentors who have successfully navigated similar challenges. Seeing role models who have achieved success, especially in high-earning roles, can inspire mentees and provide a tangible example of what is possible. Christopher Huntley, an Associate Partner at IBM and Upnotch member, has benefited from mentorship as a mentee, but also gives back as a mentor and by creating a community for neurodiverse professionals and allies to connect on Upnotch. He explained that as a mentor, “I'm here as a sherpa. I'm here to help you. I've been to some places, and I can help you get to those places.” Mentors can shorten your path to success by showing you the short cuts they learned – or wished they learned – along the way. Career path guidance Mentors can help mentees understand the career paths available to them and the steps necessary to reach high-earning positions. This guidance can include information about industry-specific requirements, potential obstacles, and strategies for overcoming these challenges. Mentors could help you find a career path you never thought of exploring before. In some instances, mentors can help identify ways where a “disability” may actually be a professional superpower.
Increase employment rates Through mentorship, professionals can help find and maintain work more easily. Mentors aren’t magicians who can place their mentees into their dream jobs. But, mentors can often provide essential guidance to help professionals find the right roles that fit their unique talents and abilities. Mentors can also help guide mentees through their job search and interview processes at critical stages, or even reassess their resumes to better market themselves. For professionals with disabilities, the trusted guidance and feedback could mean the difference between landing that job and not.
Retention and advancement
The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion recommends mentoring as an effective strategy to promote retention and advancement of employees with disabilities (Source). Employees with disabilities without mentors are more than twice as likely to want to leave their jobs compared to employees with disabilities with mentors (Source).
Boost employee confidence and satisfaction
Everyone feels more empowered when they have mentors supporting them, especially in the workplace. Just over half of people with disabilities said they were happy at work when they were not part of a mentorship program (Source). Mentors can also build the confidence of professionals with disabilities.
Improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility
Mentorship programs can help raise awareness of DEI and accessibility issues within the organization. Mentors and mentees can share their experiences and insights, leading to a greater understanding of the challenges faced by underrepresented groups and fostering a more inclusive culture. Often, we can’t understand the experiences of others and how best to meet their needs and empower them. Mentorship sessions provide structured spaces to discuss these topics, and to create steps towards actionable change to improve accessibility.
Increase access to high-earning industries
Mentorship programs can provide access to professional networks that might otherwise be difficult to enter. Mentors can introduce mentees to key industry contacts, facilitate networking opportunities, and help mentees build relationships with influential figures in their field.
Reduce bias
An important aspect of improving DEI and accessibility for all professionals, especially those with disabilities, is reducing bias. Bias might affect whether or not workers with disabilities are considered for a role, even if they do not need any accommodations in order to fulfill the role’s duties and excel in it.
Leah A. Werdelin, a Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Paraprofessional and Upnotch member, explained that mentorship can help end stigmas we have. “Give people that opportunity to do what they can do with their abilities,” she said. “It's not always about what someone can’t do, or what happens in the brain, or what they look like on the outside - it’s what someone can do. And a lot of times, stigmas bar people from seeing what those abilities could be, or the change they could bring.”
Support Employee Resource Groups
Employee resource groups (ERGs) are popular solutions to support employees and enhance diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. But, ERGs are often not as effective as they could be because they are traditionally employee led, and lack infrastructure for transformative change. As a result, it’s essential for businesses to supplement ERGs with organizational mentorship programs. Mentorship programs provide inclusive spaces for organizations to improve DEI and accessibility. Most ERGs, for example, are exclusive - only open to members of certain affinity groups, and closing off opportunities to create conversations and change with the support of allies.
Accommodations
Mentors can offer practical advice on requesting and negotiating workplace accommodations that enable professionals with disabilities to perform at their best. This guidance can ensure that mentees have the necessary support to excel in high-earning roles. Mentors within organizational mentorship programs can also engage in dialogues about how to best provide accommodations to those who need them through all stages of the employee life cycle.
Advocacy and sponsorship Mentors can act as advocates and sponsors for their mentees, promoting their achievements and potential to others within the organization or industry. This advocacy can be crucial in helping professionals with disabilities gain visibility and consideration for high-earning roles.
Upnotch: the most accessible mentorship solution
Mentorship helps us all thrive. But traditionally, access to mentorship hasn’t always been easy, particularly for some professionals. Upnotch makes mentorship accessible for everyone. And, all professionals can join Upnotch for free!
Mentorship anywhere, anytime, on any device
Upnotch empowers people of all backgrounds by making mentorship as accessible as possible. Any professional can join Upnotch for free, and in just a few taps, connect with the mentors they need on any internet ready device. AI-powered signup also makes creating an account fast and easy, eliminating barriers to finding the mentorship professionals with disabilities need. With Upnotch, professionals with disabilities can access mentorship anywhere, anytime – without cost.
Ideal mentor-mentee matches The success of any mentorship relies on the compatibility between mentor and mentee. Some mentees seek mentors with similar perspectives and experiences, while others may deliberately want contrasting perspectives from a prospective mentor. Upnotch lets members search for the best mentor for them using filters so they can find the right person with the right background, knowledge, experience, and expertise to help them thrive. Uptnoch also can find the ideal mentor-mentee match with AI. Organizations using Upnotch as a solution to improve people culture can also have administrators pair mentors and mentees manually.
Global network of mentors
Uptnoch has grown into a global network with members on 6 continents. The right mentor for you might be in your home city, or on the other side of the world. With Upnotch, you can connect with the right person regardless of your location. Organizations driving change with Upnotch can decide to open or close the pool of available mentors that participants can select from. That way, if participants can’t find someone with the exact background, lived experience, or perspectives within the organization, you can expand your connections into Upntoch’s global network.
Set clear goals and objectives
Upnotch members achieve their dreams because they can easily set goals and objectives, and determine plans to achieve them with their mentors. Often, we lose sight of our goals and fall short of them because we don’t have clear plans. Mentorship through Upnotch provides clear frameworks for professionals to achieve individual goals, no matter how big you dream.
Share clear feedback
Communication is something we all need to improve, even the most experienced communications professionals! For professionals with disabilities, clear communication is often even more essential in order to provide exact expectations and actionable feedback. Upnotch allows members to send feedback in constructive ways. Mentors and mentees can message each other through the app, send private feedback to administrators if part of an organizational mentorship program, and can also give praise to each other.
Join supportive community One of the most popular features of Upnotch is Communities – spaces where any group can connect by industry, geographical location, role, disability status, or more. By connecting in Upnotch Communities every professional can find the support they need to thrive, or can give back by being a mentor themselves.
Are you ready to thrive? Join Upnotch today!
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