By Rosie Lane, Australian Disability Network
It’s no secret that as Access and Inclusion Index Lead at the Australian Disability Network, I’m passionate about data.
Knowing where your organisation currently is in its access and inclusion journey, and tracking this over time, is an important tool in any diversity and inclusion strategy’s toolkit. It can highlight what’s going well, show you where the gaps are, map out your priorities and support the case for more resources
Access ensures the inclusive and equitable participation of people in employment and education, and as customers, clients, or service users. Inclusion refers to everyone being treated equitably, feeling respected and valued, and being able to have an active role in society and the workplace. The two together are essential elements to create a fair, equitable, and representative workforce that can meet the needs of your customers and stakeholders.
It’s not always easy to know where to start to increase your organisation’s access and inclusion activities – or how to measure your impact.
The Australian Disability Network developed the Access and Inclusion Index in 2016 to answer those questions with 163 organisations participating to identify, measure and progress their disability inclusion so far. The Index is an externally evaluated, annual benchmark of Australian organisations’ access and inclusion maturity. It assesses maturity across nine key business areas, helping to put accessibility and inclusion of people with disability on the agenda across your organisation. After all, accessibility is everyone’s responsibility.
The nine key areas are:
- Commitment
- Premises
- Procurement
- Workplace Adjustments
- Candidate Experience
- Employee Experience
- Customer Experience
- Communication and Marketing, and
- Digital Accessibility.
Participating in the Index provides organisations from all sectors and industries with an understanding of current access and inclusion maturity, benchmarked against both the annual cohort and their industry. You will receive a report with an overall score as well as a score for each of the nine key areas, identifying strengths and offering recommendations for improvement in each area – assisting you to identify your priorities to build your access and inclusion roadmap.
Regular participation in the Access and Inclusion Index allows you to measure your progress over time, therefore we suggest every two years for most impact. For example, the top performer in the Access and Inclusion Index 2023, Coles Group, had completed the Index every two years for 6 years working through recommendations and developing their own initiatives.
“We have been hard at work at making changes in our organisation and for people with disability over the past six years. We started ranked 10th six years ago and have progressed to this point which we’re really proud of. Australian Disability Network has been a true partner over the six years.”
Josie Fakira, General Manager Organisational Effectiveness, Coles Group, accepting the Access and Inclusion Top Performer award at the Disability Confidence Awards.
The Access and Inclusion Index is the perfect tool for organisations with an Access and Inclusion Plan or Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to check in on the impact of your work. It’s also a great opportunity to consider what should be in the next plan and how Australian Disability Network can support in those goals.
On the other hand, if you are wondering where to start, your organisation doesn’t have to have many policies or initiatives in place to take part. Our 20+ years of experience and research will support you to progress access and inclusion no matter your starting point.
Contact me via email index@ausdn.org.au or phone 02 8270 9200 to get started today.