Hiring Disabled Designers and Creatives - Resources for a Diverse Workforce
Disability is the only minority group that anyone can join at any time, and yet is often the most overlooked in society. Ableism exists in every facet of the world, including in the workforce, and in the design industry. The disabled unemployment rate is double or more than that of non-disabled workers in both the UK and the US and research shows that employers admit they are less likely to hire someone with a disability.
However, research also shows that hiring disabled people is a good business decision. Despite the rampant ableism in the workforce, organizations that adopt best practices for employing and supporting disabled people consistently outperform their peers and see real financial gains. Companies that prioritize inclusive hiring practices and support their disabled employees achieved 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins on average, over a four-year period.
Many disabled people are creative, agile, and thoughtful owing to having to adapt to a world that isn’t built for them. This often results in workers who are committed, persistent, and willing to think outside the box. Now, all they need are employers to set their biases aside.
While there aren’t enough resources specifically for disabled designers in the field, below is a round up of our most trusted anti-ableist resources for disabled creatives, employers who seek to diversify their workforce, and beyond. You’ll find disability-specific directories and job boards, professional development tools, and information on best hiring practices. Plus, we included a few resources for teams looking to support disabled employees, or to begin to tackle ableist mindsets at work.
These resources are largely for disabled workers and employers in the UK and US, with a few international resources in between. We aim to mainly highlight resources built by disabled people, for disabled people, but have included a few charities and organizations not led by disabled folks in order to cast a wider net. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and we will add to it as we find additional resources. For any recommendations of links we should add to the list, we welcome your email to hello@goodmaven.com.
Directories and Resources for Disabled Creatives
Black Disabled Creatives (US)
https://blackdisabledcreatives.com/
A directory for Black disabled creatives available for hire.
Disability Arts Online (UK)
https://disabilityarts.online/about/
A disabled-led arts charity with a magazine, artist directory, and talent development programs for
disabled and neurodivergent creatives. They also created dis_place, a fully accessible digital museum presenting curated exhibitions and new commissions by disabled, D/deaf, and neurodivergent artists.
Mainspring Arts (UK)
https://www.mainspringarts.org.uk/
A neurodivergent-led charity that runs workshops, artist development, and platforms for neurodivergent creatives to make and share work.
Shape Arts (UK)
A disability-led arts organization working to open up culture for disabled people through artist opportunities, training, and development programs.
The Global Directory of Disabled News Media Professionals (Global)
https://reframingdisability.substack.com/p/global-directory-of-disabled-news
A Reframing Disability project listing disabled journalists, filmmakers, photographers, illustrators, and other media professionals available for paid commissions.
Job Boards + Job Resources
Hire Autism (US) https://www.hireautism.org/
A job board from the Organization for Autism Research that connects autistic job seekers with employers and offers interview and resume support.
Evenbreak (UK)
A disabled-led job board built to connect disabled candidates with employers who have shown they're genuinely inclusive.
A disabled-led talent and learning platform that closes the disability employment gap by connecting disabled professionals with employers, training, and career development.
A UK job board matching disabled candidates with inclusive employers and helping companies write more accessible listings.
Professional Development & Hiring Resources
AbilityNet (UK)
A UK charity helping disabled and older people use digital technology, with accessibility audits and testing services for employers.
Business Disability Forum (UK)
https://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/
Resources on employee procedures, retention, and recruitment.
The Disabled List (US)
A disabled-led self-advocacy organization that is creating opportunities in design.
Disability:IN (US)
A nonprofit driving disability inclusion in business through benchmarking, certification, and employer best-practice resources.
Employ-Ability (UK)
https://www.employ-ability.org.uk/
A nonprofit that supports neurodivergent and disabled students and graduates into work while advising employers on inclusive hiring.
Fable (Canada-based, hires contractors internationally)
Disabled-run company that does accessibility testing. Being a tester is a great side gig, and they treat their contractors well.
International Labour Organization (Global)
The UN agency that sets international labor standards and publishes guidance on decent work and disability inclusion in employment.
Scope (UK)
A UK disability equality charity offering advice, employment support, and campaigning to make everyday life more accessible.
The Valuable 500 (Global)
https://www.thevaluable500.com/
A global collective of businesses committed to putting disability inclusion on their leadership agenda.
Additional Anti-Ableist Resources
Sins Invalid
A disability justice-based movement building and performance project that celebrates disabled people, centering and led by disabled Black, Indigenous, and people of the global majority, and queer, trans, and nonbinary disabled people. A great starting place to learn the principles of disability justice and begin to implement them.
Disability Visibility Project
https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/
An online community, founded by Alice Wong, that’s dedicated to creating, sharing, and amplifying disability media and culture.
The A11Y Project
A community-driven, open-source resource that makes digital accessibility easier for designers and developers to understand and apply.
The San Francisco Disability Cultural Center
https://disabilityculturalcenter.org/
A disabled-led virtual and in-person gathering space for disability communities. Hosts many online events by and for disabled people.
Leaving Evidence
https://leavingevidence.wordpress.com/about-2/
Mia Mingus's influential blog on disability justice, transformative justice, and interdependence. A great resource to learn anti-ableist language and frameworks.
Content Design London (UK)
https://www.contentdesign.london
While this is a loosely related resource, Content Design London recently sent 6 FOI requests to find out if UK government campaign websites are actually accessible to disabled people, and the results are quite troubling.
Some sites launched with no user research at all, none showed evidence that disabled people were involved in testing, and there is little evidence of a consistent approach to defining success, measuring outcomes, or evaluating whether objectives had been achieved. And because these sites are classified as "communications products" rather than services, they sidestep the GOV.UK Service Standard entirely.
So, CDL is asking the government to publish transparent annual reports on their digital products. We fully support this effort, and if you're a British citizen or UK resident, you can too by signing their petition. Find it here: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/761285
