Why employers can no longer ignore 'invisible' disabilities

Disability is often under-discussed in DEI conversations, with the spotlight typically being on gender, race and, to some extent, sexuality — so why are many employers falling short?

According to Mercer and Global Disability Inclusion, only 14% of companies are studying disability as part of their DEI research. While that's a jump from 8% in 2011, it's obvious companies have some work to do. Part of the issue is that disabilities aren't always apparent from appearances. In fact, only 1% of disabled employees reported having a visible disability, according to Mercer and Global Disability Inclusion. Over 50% reported their disability stemming from a mental challenge, 16% said it was cognitive learning disability and 11% said it was neurological.

In other words, unless employees feel comfortable enough to disclose their disability, their colleagues and manager may never know. 

"Disability is the forgotten diversity group," says Peter Rutigliano, partner and behavioral health practice leader at MercerWELL. "A lot of people with disabilities don't feel like they can bring up their disability status in their organization, and it hasn't been tracked in employee databases."

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According to the Center for Talent Innovation, 39% of employees have revealed their disability status to a manager, while just 21% have informed their HR team. Fears of discrimination, loss of promotions or damage to an employee's credibility motivate workers to stay quiet, but secretiveness comes at a cost, says Rutigliano. 

A 2024 study by MetLife found that employee happiness increased for every group except disabled talent, with their sense of well-being declining by 18% in the last year. But for Rutigliano, research from Mercer has made it clear that disabled talent doesn't start a new job with high rates of dissatisfaction.  

"When someone with a disability is first hired, the [engagement] gap between them and those without disability is quite small," he says. "But after five or six years, their scores are lower and they are unhappy in general."

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Rutigliano notes that unhappiness isn't just rooted in a lack of accommodations but rather in pretending to be completely able-bodied. In order for the status quo to change, Rutigliano believes leaders must be more transparent about their struggles, whether it's a disability or even just feelings of stress and burnout. 

"By hiding, it creates this feeling that I'm not myself, and as a result, you feel less connected to your organization," says Rutigliano. "Leadership needs to speak about disability more frequently and share their trials and tribulations. That can go a long way in spreading awareness and helping people feel less alone."

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Rutigliano also suggests employers consider forming an employee resource group focused on disability, so employees can share concerns and resources with each other. Hopefully, if an employer makes a more concerted effort to normalize conversations around disabilities, employees will then feel comfortable disclosing their challenges and working with managers and HR to find suitable accommodations, explains Rutigliano. 

"There's a lot of people going through these struggles, and that's okay. That's normal," he says. "If we can talk about it more, that lends itself a lot to making changes within the organization."