Benefits
What are the benefits of the programme?
The Accessibility Tick programme is delivered under the Empowered membership tier of the NZ Disability Employers' Network (NZDEN).
Some key benefits* of the Accessibility Tick Programme and NZDEN membership include:
- Annual disability and neurodiversity inclusion assessment (gap analysis)
- Support establishing an annual action plan
- Quarterly meetings to support the implementation of the action plan
- Ability to hold and subsequently celebrate the Accessibility Tick (subject to meeting minimum requirements)
- 20 annual consulting hours
- Discounts on additional consulting hours
- Access to 10 member training credits to be used on trainings in our NZDEN training Catalogue
- Access to our Diverse Horizons and Rise to Success mentoring programmes (coming soon)
- Access to NZDEN Communities of Practice
- Exclusive discounts to the NZDEN Disability Inclusive Pathways Conference
- Other exclusive NZDEN member events
- Exclusive bulletins and updates
- Access to to exclusive member resources on the NZDEN website
*Benefits are subject to change.
Ultimately, members/particpants in the programme have everything they need to make meaningful progress on their disability and neurodiversity inclusion journeys.
The Business Case for Disability Employment
Employing disabled people isn't just a socially responsible thing to do, it's also a smart business decision. In fact hiring disabled people is great for your business's bottom line.
Here's some reasons why:
Access a hidden talent pool
There are 228,000 disabled people in New Zealand who are of working age but are currently unemployed. 74% of them want to work, so not tapping into this talent pool means that businesses might be missing out on capable, motivated and skilled employees.
1 in 4 New Zealanders identify as having a disability. If organisations are not intentionally inclusive and accessible, they could be missing out on a quarter of the talent market.
Almost a quarter of New Zealand's population has a disability, injury or illness that lasts for six months or more. Most employers will already have workers with these conditions but aren't aware of it.
An inclusive workplace is not only physically and technologically accessible, but also breaks down social barriers and changes attitudes. For many job seekers with disabilities, unconscious bias, discrimination and lack of support stop them from finding and keeping a job.
Ready, willing and able
Most disabled workers need the same support as non-disabled workers in their workplace. People with accessibility needs are quite often discriminated against based on incorrect information.
Benefits to business
In 2011, Deloitte Australia conducted a survey which found that most employer concerns about recruiting disabled staff were myths. They discovered that:
- Disabled workers are just as productive (or more so) as their non-disabled colleagues.
- Most disabled workers have better attendance and fewer health and safety issues than non-disabled workers.
- It usually costs less to hire disabled workers than non-disabled workers.
The benefits of an inclusive workplace extend beyond supporting employees with disabilities. An inclusive workplace:
- Increases productivity
- Enables a larger pool of talented people to apply for, maintain, and advance through employment
- Leads to an expanded customer base.
New Zealand Disability Employers’ Network
The New Zealand Disability Employers’ Network is a collective of NZ employers committed to improving disability inclusion and accessibility practices in their own organisations and across Aotearoa. The network is recognised by the UN's International Labour Organisation's Global Business and Disability Network as a key New Zealand body representing businesses in their accessibility journey.
