Creating a Culture of Inclusion for Caregivers with Disabilities

In October, Opportunities for Ohioans with Disabilities (OOD) selected Cleveland Clinic as the 2021 Governor’s Inclusive Employer Award winner for its commitment to individuals with disabilities in the workplace and being a leader of diversity and inclusion best practices in Ohio. The award is a feather in the cap for the healthcare organization, but it’s the work behind the award that matters.

“The award validates a lot of the time and energy that this organization has invested to ensure we are being fair, equitable and inclusive,” says Carmen Roman, a Human Resources Business Partner at Cleveland Clinic.

The healthcare system has clear policies on hiring and retaining individuals with disabilities, handling reasonable accommodations and maintaining employee privacy. It also provides accessible physical spaces, electronic resources and disability training. Here are details on just some of the ways Cleveland Clinic promotes a disability-inclusive culture.

• Online Learning Modules – All new employees complete online learning modules, including one on promoting diversity and inclusion that contains information on the Americans with Disabilities Act and reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.
• The Project SEARCH Program – Cleveland Clinic partners with Project SEARCH to provide onsite internships for young adults with disabilities and promote school-to-work experiences and job placement. In the past seven years, the partnership has yielded 71.6% placement with Cleveland Clinic, healthcare system vendors and community businesses.
• Partnership with United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Cleveland – Since 2004, the Cleveland Clinic Employee Health Plan (EHP) has teamed with UCP of Greater Cleveland and its OakLeaf Partners Transition Services to offer a supportive work group within its administrative offices. The UCP team consists of a supervisor and up to eight team members who assist with clerical and communication-related tasks.
• Employee Resource Group – The DiverseAbility Employee Resource Group (ERG) strives to enhance the experience of caregivers and patients with disabilities by supporting awareness around accessibility and engagement.
• Lerner School for Autism – The Lerner School, which is embedded in the Cleveland Clinic health system, educates school-aged individuals with autism. It also offers onsite job training opportunities within the healthcare enterprise. In the past three years, 14 Lerner School students have participated in job training within three Cleveland Clinic departments.
• Section 504 Coordinator – Cleveland Clinic employs a Section 504 coordinator to ensure the organization complies with the American with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities. The coordinator routinely works with employees from human resources, legal, occupational health and other stakeholders to support workplace accommodations and provide education and training to leaders and caregivers.

“All of this work is important because it aligns with and advances our mission as an organization, our care priorities and our six values, inclusion being one of them,” says Diana Gueits, Interim Executive Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Cleveland Clinic. “Inclusion is foundational to the other values of quality and safety, empathy, teamwork, integrity and innovation. You can’t fully execute those values if you don’t have inclusive practices.”

Tips for becoming a more inclusive workplace

Gueits and Roman offer advice to other healthcare organizations to help ensure inclusivity. First, conduct an internal scan to see where you stand and identify areas for improvement, then turn to your employees for feedback.

“You don’t have to spend a lot of money on market research,” says Gueits. “Internal thought leaders like employee resource groups and diversity councils can give voice to opportunities that might provide quick wins for the organization. Then little by little you can phase in other aspects over time to grow your inclusion index.”

Consider starting an employee resource group like DiverseAbility, which began as a task force at Cleveland Clinic before transitioning to an ERG about five years ago.

In addition, collaborate with others in your organization and connect with outside resources. Internally, colleagues from your legal department and recruitment or talent acquisition, as well as clinical caregivers who work with patients with disabilities, can help guide your efforts. You can find external resources from organizations such as the OOD, United Cerebral Palsy, the American Association of People with Disabilities and the National Council of Disability.

Finally, Gueits stresses that it’s important to support caregivers with disabilities not just on paper, but through action.

“Ultimately, it’s about what our caregivers can offer,” says Roman. “We don’t focus on their disabilities.We focus on the talent and skills they bring to the organization.”