By Nicole Ward, Data Journalist, Research & Innovation
The Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC) began researching the disability community in 2023 and launched our Disability Inclusion Toolkit in June of this year. One of the DRC’s partners in this work has been the North Texas Disability Chamber (NTXDC), founded by Dylan Rafaty.
Rafaty is the President and CEO of NTXDC, a nonprofit organization that seeks to unite people of all abilities and strengthen the disability community through strategic partnerships.
For Rafaty, disability inclusion is personal. He is deaf in his right ear and hard of hearing in his left. He also has spinal fusions in his back and neck.
In recognizing Disability Employment Awareness Month, Rafaty shared his insight and recommendations for the business community to improve disability inclusion.
Every business is on its own journey to support employees with disabilities. While disability is a vast topic that can seem intimidating, Rafaty offered three guiding principles that leaders of organizations can use to ground themselves:
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- Ensure that opportunities for employment and advancement are readily available and accessible to employees with disabilities, and communicate this through multiple channels;
- Enable employees with disabilities at all levels of the organization to give feedback and input; and
- Partner with philanthropic organizations in the accessibility space for their expertise and assistance.
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“You can also look to other companies for guidance,” said Rafaty. “I encourage corporate, business, and nonprofit leaders alike to observe, listen, learn, and adapt. There’s a lot of opportunity, and it’s work that cannot be done alone. The journey can be challenging, but to know that you created an environment where everyone feels valuable and can work to their full potential is incredibly rewarding.”
It’s essential to have leaders committed to disability inclusion not only because it looks good, but because disability inclusion is more than a public relations tactic.
“A lot of companies say they support including people with disabilities, but we need to move from talk to action, and that starts with commitment from the C-suite,” said Rafaty. “Leadership must pivot to an accessibility-first policy for both physical and digital landscapes. In other words, supporting employees with disabilities shouldn’t be an afterthought.”
While Disability Employment Awareness Month is officially recognized in October, Rafaty emphasized that this is a year-round issue the disability community faces.
“This work is ongoing and cannot be done alone,” he said.
To learn more about the North Texas Disability Chamber’s work, visit their website.
Visit the DRC’s website to learn more about our own Disability inclusion work.