Removing hidden barriers to expand the workforce.
A major retail distribution center improved hiring, strengthened manager confidence, and created a more inclusive workplace by addressing the barriers built into its hiring process.
By the numbers
Aggressive hiring goals, and a workforce that needed to be ready.
A large distribution center within a major retail organization needed to meet aggressive hiring goals during its busiest season. The facility wanted to expand its talent pipeline by hiring from alternative sources, including people with disabilities, while also identifying candidates who could become long-term, full-time employees.
Leadership understood that hiring alone would not be enough. To create a workplace where new employees could succeed, the organization wanted disability awareness and inclusion training across the entire facility, including frontline employees, managers, supervisors, and senior leaders.
Six months of work. Two weeks onsite.
In work I led and delivered through a national disability inclusion organization, the project was completed over a six-month period and included two weeks onsite at the facility.
All employees, including senior leaders, managers, and supervisors, participated in disability awareness, respectful interaction, inclusion practices, and foundational ADA training. Leaders, managers, and supervisors also completed additional training focused on inclusive recruiting, interviewing, ADA requirements, reasonable accommodations, and performance conversations.
The work also included a review of the organization's hiring process, job descriptions, and employment policies. During that review, we uncovered a pre-hire requirement that created a significant barrier to employment. The requirement was so difficult that even the facility's general manager could not complete it when asked to go through the process.
The barrier was not only excluding candidates with disabilities. It was also limiting access for other qualified candidates, including women and men who could perform the essential functions of the job but could not meet an overly broad lifting requirement.
In response, we worked with the organization to revise the process, clarify essential versus marginal job functions, and update job descriptions and policies so hiring decisions were better aligned with the actual work.
We also identified local disability organizations that could serve as talent partners and recommended one lead organization to coordinate the process. This reduced the burden on the employer and created a more streamlined path to qualified candidates.
Policy changes that opened the door, and a culture that walked through it.
The organization implemented all recommended policy and process changes. Job descriptions were reviewed and clarified. Hiring requirements were revised to better reflect the essential functions of the role. Managers received practical tools they could use immediately in interviews, accommodation conversations, and day-to-day supervision.
The training also created unexpected momentum inside the facility. More than 100 employees volunteered to serve as workplace "buddies" for new hires, helping them navigate the facility, understand who to contact for support, and feel welcomed in a large, fast-moving environment. Several existing employees also shared that they knew American Sign Language and were willing to support Deaf colleagues as needed and welcomed.
The sessions created space for existing employees to identify as having a disability, including some who had not previously disclosed. Managers reported feeling relieved to have clear information, practical guidance, and language they could use. Many noted that the practices discussed were not only disability inclusion practices, but good business practices for everyone.
Hires made. Culture changed. Barriers gone.
The organization hired several new employees across a range of disabilities and built stronger relationships with local disability talent organizations.
ASL classes began taking place in the cafeteria, with the company providing resources for employees who wanted to continue learning after work at the facility. Workplace buddies and new employees built positive working relationships, helping new hires feel more supported and connected.
The overall culture inside the facility improved. As the HR Director put it, "People seemed happier."
Most importantly, the work revealed that many of the barriers affecting candidates with disabilities were also affecting the broader workforce. By removing those barriers, the company was able to hire more people overall, improve the employee experience, and strengthen its seasonal and long-term workforce strategy.
The organization later recorded the training and adapted the content into its Learning Management System, extending the impact beyond the original engagement. The success of the initiative also led to additional work at a shared services center in another state, demonstrating the value of scaling the approach beyond one facility.
Disability inclusion is workforce strategy.
This engagement demonstrated that disability inclusion is not a side initiative. When done well, it becomes a workforce strategy.
By combining training, policy review, process improvement, and local talent partnerships, the organization expanded access to qualified candidates, improved manager confidence, strengthened employee culture, and removed barriers that had been limiting hiring across the board.
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