Here’s a true story.
Dennis is 28 years old and has Down syndrome. After high school, he lived in a county group house and spent five years stuffing calendars into cardboard tubes—reliable but unrewarding work. A former student of one of the authors, now a restaurant owner, hired him as a waiter. Dennis quickly mastered the role, arrived early, engaged customers warmly, and soon earned the highest tip percentage on the team, providing what opportunity, not limitation, unlocks.
Unique Strengths
Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities / IDDs (e.g., intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy, and Down syndrome) are lifelong conditions that affect learning, communication, or daily living. While some need high levels of support, many with IDD, like Dennis, can live and work independently with the right opportunities. Adults with IDD offer strengths such as resilience, adaptability, and problem-solving skills, developed through navigating daily barriers in environments that are not built for them.
A McKinsey study found that people with Down syndrome are often valued for their positivity, consistency, and interpersonal warmth, enhancing team morale and cohesion. Employing individuals with disabilities has shown positive results, particularly in hospitality, where research indicates that this practice improves organizational image and customer satisfaction through their dedication and unique perspectives.
Psychological Insights
Returning to Dennis: the presence of a non-typical waiter may activate novelty, emotional contagion, and empathy—factors linked to customer receptivity and tipping behavior. His case demonstrates broader principles: strong person–job fit predicts happiness, performance, and productivity at work. Yet employment rates for people with IDD sit at 37%—far below the general population rate at 66%. Approximately 3% of the US population experience IDD with ~85% in the mild range. That’s over 5 million working-age adults who could contribute meaningful work with appropriate accommodations.
Who needs inclusion?
In January 2025, two sweeping executive orders dismantled six decades of DEI policy—closing federal offices, halting training, and removing historical references. For the first time since the 1960s, inclusion was no longer federally mandated but left to corporate choice and activism.
Overlooked: Disability and IDD
DEI shapes who participates at work, yet corporate efforts still focus mainly on race and gender. Disability, and especially IDD, remain sidelined. While nearly 97% of Fortune 500 companies promoted DEI initiatives in late 2024, only 12% tracked disability representation or explicitly included it in their strategies, limiting the impact and returns of inclusion.
Scholarly Oversight
Likewise, most DEI scholarships focus on race and gender, with insufficient attention to understanding disability in the workplace. When disability is studied, it is often framed medically or as compliance, not as a source of contribution. There’s a scarcity of robust, longitudinal, and cross-industry evidence on the career trajectories of disabled workers. Moreover, much of the scholarly work on DEI continues to focus on marginalization rather than workforce contributions. Research in management and hospitality journals overlooks disabled employees as equal. contributors.
Policies of Exclusion
Federal policy has long shaped the opportunities for people with IDD—often by limiting them. The Fair Labor Standards Act (1938) excluded whole categories of workers, and from 1966 Section 14(c) allowed employers to pay people with disabilities less than minimum wage based on “productivity,” a practice that still impacts tens of thousands today.
The Rehabilitation Act (1973) was the first to prohibit disability discrimination in federally funded programs, laying the groundwork for the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), which expanded protections in employment and public life. Yet implementation lags for people with IDD, who face persistent barriers in perception, communication, and workplace accommodation.
A brief acceleration followed Executive Order 14035 in 2021, but recent federal and state rollbacks now leave disability inclusion largely to private employers, making corporate leadership more consequential than ever.
‘But I’m not biased’ / An Opportunity Cost
Employers often hesitate to hire people with IDD due to concerns about productivity or costly accommodations, yet these fears are largely unfounded. Social exclusion and inaccessible communication—not ability—limit advancement. A 2019 survey found that nearly 3/4 of companies that intentionally include people with IDD report higher morale, stronger engagement, and improved productivity. Most accommodations cost little or nothing, while higher retention and reliability reduce turnover—turning perceived risk into measurable return.
The Decision Point
In the wake of 2025 federal rollback, corporate responses have varied. Companies like Walmart and IBM–withdrew their DEI targets and initiatives; others like Apple and Delta Airlines publicly reaffirmed inclusion as integral to retention, innovation, and brand strength. Coca-Cola warned abandoning DEI would hurt business since its diverse workforce “helps drive a culture of inclusion, innovation and growth” and reflects the “broad range of consumers and markets we serve around the world.”
Authentic Advocacy
DEI initiatives succeed only when they are genuine, not performative. Even well-intentioned organizations can fall into “benevolent marginalization” by shielding employees from challenges. Research shows that authentic, culturally embedded efforts boost morale, retention, and customer engagement, while symbolic efforts breed cynicism. Inclusion must center employee voice—especially around disability disclosure—because leadership ultimately determines whether people like Dennis are overlooked or valued, and whether organizations capture the benefits of true inclusion or allow inequality to persist.
How to Move Forward
Employers can seek to overcome barriers around knowledge of disabilities and adjustments, organizational processes for making and monitoring adjustments, and effective hiring strategies and work practices. Key strategies include:
- Partner with local disability employment services and join campaigns that promote the business benefits of hiring people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Review your recruitment and onboarding practices to ensure accessibility and inclusivity.
- Provide disability inclusion training to build confidence and reduce bias.
- Create roles based on strengths (job carving) to unlock hidden potential.
- Take the leap to hire, as previous experience is the strongest predictor of future intent.
- Consider your organizational advocacy on social issues to influence the workforce and community.
- From a research perspective, scrutinizing DEI implementation and impact is essential to ensure tangible improvements for disabled employees and fully appreciate their positive impacts on organizational performance worldwide.
James R. Bailey is the Hochberg Professor of Leadership at the George Washington University. Over his 35–year career, he has been the recipient of many educational, academic, and professional distinctions, and has published six books and 100 articles. He resides in Washington, DC.
Dr. Jungho Suh is an award-winning business professor at the George Washington University. As an expert in Evidence-Based Entrepreneurship and Strategic HRM, he has conducted research that informs global organizations and has been featured in major media outlets, including CNN, ABC, CBS, and The Washington Post.
Yollana Shore is a leadership coach and organizational development practitioner based in Australia. Her work focuses on embodied leadership, emotional intelligence, and inclusive leadership in complex systems. She works across corporate, public, and social-impact sectors, supporting leaders to navigate complexity with clarity, compassion, and inclusion.