Recruiting people with disability (PWD) should follow an inclusive and accessible process that recognises the diversity of disability experiences and enables all candidates to demonstrate their strengths and potential. An inclusive recruitment approach supports organisations to identify the best person for the role and contributes to building a diverse and high-performing workforce.
When advertising roles and interviewing candidates with disability, organisations should consider the following key inclusive practices.
Before you advertise a role, review the tasks, skills, and capabilities genuinely required for the position. This allows you to focus on inclusive outcomes and avoids unintentionally excluding qualified candidates.
When preparing your job advertisement:
Your organisation may wish to provide a contact number for a person that applicants can contact, with any questions about the application process. This helps builds trust and confidence, and potentially mitigates barriers and challenges PWD applicants might usually face.
Interviews can unintentionally disadvantage candidates with disability if not planned inclusively. Adjustments such as offering interview questions in advance, allowing extra time, or modifying the format can enable candidates to showcase their full potential. Employers should focus on whether a candidate can perform the inherent requirements of the role, with or without adjustments, rather than assumptions about their disability. Ensure all panel members understand what is appropriate to ask and how to assess candidates fairly.
An inclusive onboarding process sets the tone for a successful and supportive working relationship. Provide accessible welcome materials, offer flexible start dates where needed, and ensure reasonable adjustments are in place from day one. Ongoing conversations about support needs, preferred communication styles, and team awareness can help new employees feel welcomed and included. Assigning a buddy or mentor can also support integration into the team and organisation culture.
Inclusive recruitment is not a one-off initiative, it requires regular reflection, review, and improvement. Organisations should set measurable goals for disability inclusion, monitor recruitment outcomes, and seek feedback from candidates and employees with disability. Embedding disability inclusion into HR policies, performance frameworks, and diversity reporting ensures it remains a shared responsibility across teams. Continuous improvement is a shared responsibility that strengthens organisational culture and creates a fairer, more responsive recruitment experience for everyone. Providing regular training on inclusive hiring and evaluating recruitment practices through an accessibility lens helps build capability, reduce bias, and create long-term change.