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Tracking Disability Data: Section 503, Self‑ID, and Retention Strategies
83 Plays2 months ago
What does it really take to build long‑term disability inclusion at work—and how do organizations know if their efforts are actually working?
In this episode of Disability@Work, host Ashley Sims is joined by Erin McCann, PR Compliance Manager at Roche Diagnostics, for a practical conversation on tracking disability inclusion through self‑identification, Section 503 data, and employee retention.
Together, they explore why disability self‑ID campaigns must be ongoing rather than one‑time initiatives, how Section 503’s 7% utilization goal should be used as a strategic benchmark—not a quota—and what disability data can reveal about barriers across the employee lifecycle. Erin also shares real‑world insights on retention, challenging the myth that accommodations are costly and highlighting how inclusive workplaces often see stronger engagement and longer tenure among employees with disabilities.
The episode offers actionable guidance for employers looking to improve their data practices by building psychological safety, protecting privacy, and shifting toward a culture of trust and transparency.
Whether you’re a federal contractor, HR leader, or inclusion practitioner, this episode offers clear takeaways on how tracking disability data can drive smarter strategy, stronger retention, and more meaningful inclusion.
Disability@Work is produced by Disability Solutions, a nonprofit job board and consulting firm focused on advancing career success for people with disabilities. We partner with employers to highlight the business value of hiring and retaining top talent from the disability community. Tune in for fresh conversations and bold perspectives on disability inclusion in the workplace.
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Transcript
Introduction to Disability Inclusion
00:00:07
Speaker
Hi, and welcome back to Disability at Work, the podcast where we explore the intersection of disability inclusion and the modern workplace. I'm your host, Ashley Sims, and today we're diving into a topic that seems simple on the surface, but is absolutely foundational to long-term disability inclusion in the workplace.
Tracking Disability Data: Importance and Methods
00:00:28
Speaker
Tracking disability data, including Section 503, self-identification data and employee retention.
Guest Expert: Erin McCann from Roche Diagnostics
00:00:35
Speaker
To help us unpack all of this, I'm thrilled to welcome our one of Disability Solutions favorites, Erin McCann, ah PR Compliance Manager at Roche Diagnostics and an experienced leader in workplace compliance and disability inclusion. Erin, welcome to the show.
00:00:54
Speaker
Thank you. It is wonderful to be here today and I'm happy to discuss this important topic with you. Yeah, we're so excited to learn from you today. Roche has been a leader in disability inclusion for a long time, so your perspective is incredibly valuable.
Why is Tracking Self-Identification an Ongoing Process?
00:01:10
Speaker
um Let's start with the basics. and We hear a lot of companies say we launched a self-ID campaign a few years ago. Why do we need to keep revisiting it? ha Why is tracking disability self-identification an ongoing process, not a one and done?
00:01:29
Speaker
Yeah, I've also heard this. And to me, a reoccurring campaign is truly a foundational process for employers. And there's a few reasons behind that. Just as every individual grows and changes in their entire life, an employer's workforce is an ever-evolving entity as well. So reoccurring self-identification campaigns can help your employees understand who is an individual with a disability under the ADA.
00:01:58
Speaker
Continue to work on destigmatizing the dimension of being an individual with a disability. as well as a thought out campaign can connect to an employer's mission. So really the bottom line is people change, their status can change. So a reminder that an employee can choose to self-ID at any time and change that status is key to being human.
00:02:21
Speaker
Absolutely. and that ongoing visibility helps companies actually measure whether their inclusion efforts are working as they go.
00:02:32
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. a strong process helps employers know if they have any barriers to their employment practices and if they're a federal contractor, helps the employers begin to understand if what they are doing is working and is a piece of their annual self-assessment that they have to undertake every year.
00:02:52
Speaker
Great.
Understanding Section 503 Goals and Misconceptions
00:02:53
Speaker
Let's talk about Section 503. For listeners new to the space, Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act sets a 7% utilization goal for hiring and retaining qualified individuals with disabilities for federal contractors.
00:03:09
Speaker
What do organizations tend to misunderstand about that requirement? I believe a lot of employers, but not all of them. Know that it's just one tool within your toolbox. It's not a rigid quota, but a starting place to review your practices, ensuring that your decisions are merit based and not just the tracking of numbers.
00:03:32
Speaker
It's seeing your whole employee lifecycle from applicant flow, utilization within your workforce, movements and terminations. The true underlying key is that are we as a company finding great talent and keeping it as well?
00:03:49
Speaker
which is going to give the company a competitive advantage overall. Absolutely. It's not about hitting the 7% necessarily. It's about um understanding your workforce, spotting gaps, and building those meaningful strategies.
00:04:07
Speaker
Precisely. It's like knowing a starting place for a journey. How do you know to get to a destination if you don't know where your starting point? That starting point is truly a critical piece to any journey such as, can I walk to where I'm trying to go to? Is where I'm trying to go to in another place? If you don't know where you're starting from, it's very, very hard to build a strategy for that.
00:04:34
Speaker
Absolutely. Okay, I want to shift a little bit.
Debunking Myths about Accommodation Costs
00:04:38
Speaker
um You and I have talked about this offline a little bit, um the impact of hiring people with disabilities on retention. So there's this um persistent myth that accommodations are costly or burdensome ah to the employer.
00:04:55
Speaker
But study after study is showing employees with disabilities when properly accommodated um actually tend to stay with those employers longer.
00:05:08
Speaker
um What has your experience at Roche shown? Yeah, so at Roche, our retention rates are strong across the board, which As an employee is always very nice to see for any company that you work with, but we do tend to see what statistics have shown and there's really this fascinating ah uptick when we look at both our employees with disabilities, but also those as protected veterans. So kind of those two cross categories. I mean, again, statistics show one in four people or one in four individuals in America is an individual with a disability. so
00:05:46
Speaker
You know, the accommodation process, I think, is that myth that it's so costly, but yet you probably have a lot of individuals in your workforce that don't need accommodations, but they are an individual with a disability.
00:06:01
Speaker
Right, right. I think on average, most accommodations are $500 or less to the employer. And like you said, a lot of people with disabilities don't use any accommodations at all.
00:06:13
Speaker
Yeah. um Retention is incredibly expensive for companies. so disability inclusion is pretty strategic to business operations.
Retention Strategies through Disability Inclusion
00:06:24
Speaker
How do you see organizations leveraging disability inclusion um as a core part of a retention strategy? Yeah, great question. And really there's such a powerful connectivity there. Most employees, including individuals with disabilities and especially individuals with disabilities,
00:06:44
Speaker
often seek a workplace where their unique perspective is valued um and really viewed as an asset, not a hurdle. So they aren't just showing up. They're deeply invested in the mission, which produces or provides, sorry, which provides a higher level of resilience to the company.
00:07:05
Speaker
Yes, absolutely.
Creating a Culture of Self-Identification
00:07:07
Speaker
Erin, this has been fantastic. Before we wrap up, what's one piece of advice you'd give organizations that want to improve how they track disability inclusion progress? Yeah, that is a great question. And to me, it's organization should be focusing on shifting to a culture of self-identification, starting with that psychological safety piece.
00:07:31
Speaker
If you clearly communicate how that data is used, why you're collecting it, especially if you're a federal contractor, you're creating an environment and really inviting employees in to feel secure in that self-identification piece.
00:07:47
Speaker
The privacy also goes along with that self-identification. now I'm talking self-identification, not self-disclosure, unless employees themselves want to self-disclose within the workplace. Um, two very unique journeys, but a little different, that self-identification piece can ultimately lead to more accurate and meaningful data, which can drive supportive resources, not the tracking of limitations.
00:08:12
Speaker
I love that. Absolutely. Thank you so much for joining us today and sharing all of your insights. To all of our listeners, thank you for tuning in to Disability at Work. If you found this episode helpful, please like, share, subscribe, and we'll see you next time.