Disability Equality Index
The Disability Equality Index (DEI) is a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability: IN, a nonprofit organization that advises businesses on how to achieve disability inclusion and equality. It was originally developed by an advisory committee made up of a mix of business leaders, policy experts, and disability advocates, with the goal of creating “a national, transparent, annual benchmarking tool that offers businesses an opportunity to receive an objective score, on a scale of 0 to 100, on their disability inclusion policies and practices.”
How Were These Companies Chosen?
So how comprehensive is it? The DEI is self-reported, but it’s pretty rigorous. The assessment itself takes 30-40 hours in total staff hours for each company to complete and covers six major categories: Culture and Leadership, Enterprise-Wide Access, Employment Practices (including Benefits, Recruitment, Retention & Advancement, Community Engagement, and Supplier Diversity.