Tips to make your summer internship legally compliant and more accessible to people with disabilities
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The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits workplace discrimination on the basis of a disability. Under the ADA, employers are required to make reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals. Thus, under the law, and as businesses strive to foster diversity and inclusion in the workplace, it is crucial for employers to ensure that opportunities extend to people with disabilities.
Summer internship programs offer invaluable experiences for aspiring professionals, and by making these programs more accessible, employers can contribute to a more inclusive society and better the quality of their potential employee pool. This article aims to provide employers with practical strategies to enhance the accessibility of their summer internship programs, thereby empowering people with disabilities to thrive in the workplace. As a disabled professional myself, the employers that actively sought to make the internship program more accessible and valued my perspective in the process are the employers that I wanted to work for.
1. Cultivate an Inclusive Mindset: The first step in creating an accessible internship program is to foster an inclusive mindset within the organization. Employers should internally emphasize the value of diversity and disability inclusion to their staff members. By communicating this message to staff, employers can lay the foundation for a more inclusive atmosphere that values and celebrates the perspective and skill that people with disabilities bring to the workplace.
2. Provide Clear and Accessible Information: Ensure that all internship-related information, including application materials, is presented in accessible formats. Provide captions for videos, use screen-reader friendly documents, and make sure your online application portal is compatible with assistive technologies. At the conclusion of your application instructions, include the contact information of someone within your organization that can assist if any portion of the application is not accessible or compatible with assistive technologies. This not only makes certain that people with disabilities can access the application, but it also sends a message that your workplace was eagerly anticipating a person with a disability would apply.
3. Establish a Disability-Inclusive Recruitment Strategy: Develop a comprehensive recruitment strategy that actively reaches out to individuals with disabilities. Collaborate with disability organizations, vocational rehabilitation agencies, and educational institutions with disability support services to expand your candidate pool. Attend disability-focused career fairs and use inclusive language in job postings to attract a diverse range of applicants.
4. Conduct Disability Awareness Training: Educate your staff members, particularly those involved in the internship program, about disability etiquette, accessibility, and inclusion. Provide disability awareness training to foster a better understanding of different disabilities, communication strategies, and appropriate accommodations. If you are going to outsource disability awareness training, it is my opinion that this training is most accurate and effective when it is taught by people with disabilities themselves, as they are the experts. When your employees hear tips like “don’t use the accessible stall in the bathroom unless you are disabled,” it is likely to mean a lot more coming from me, a visibly disabled wheelchair user, than it is an able-bodied individual.
5. Individualized Accommodations: Recognize that each intern’s needs may vary and be prepared to provide reasonable accommodations, both because they may be required under the ADA and because they are a signal of your commitment to inclusion. Engage in an interactive process that includes open dialogue with interns before they begin their placement to identify specific requirements. Accommodations may include accessible workstations, assistive technology, flexible schedules, or accessible transportation options. By tailoring accommodations to individual needs, you demonstrate your commitment to fostering an inclusive environment. Prior to my summer associate start date, the law firm that I am currently working for invited me in for a meeting to discuss any accommodations that I may need and to tour my prospective office and restroom facilities. In our meeting, we discussed the accommodations I would need and changes to the physical space that would make the office more accessible. On the first day of my summer associate program, everything was set up and ready for me to be successful. To me, this sent an incredibly important message. The firm was communicating that they wanted me to be successful on day one and that they were committed to making their office space more accessible in the long term. Their commitment made me want to work harder for them. If you invest in an employee or an intern with a disability, they will invest in you.
6. Accessibility of Physical Spaces: Ensure that your office environment is accessible. Consider factors such as ramps, elevators, bathrooms, and clear pathways. Make sure signage is clear and uses accessible formats, and that meeting rooms and common areas are designed to accommodate individuals with disabilities. As mentioned above, inviting an intern with a disability to visit your office prior to their start date is a great way to ensure that your office space is accessible to their specific needs. Depending on the nature of your workplace, you may also have other obligations to ensure accessibility to the public as required by Title III the ADA.
7. Accessibility of Events: Promote an inclusive and welcoming social environment within your organization. If your summer internship program contains activities outside of the office, ensure that those events, and the transportation to and from, are accessible. In my opinion as a disabled person, there is nothing worse than watching others participate in a physical activity, while you are asked to “keep score.” Many of us have experienced these superficial attempts at inclusion all our lives. Consider bypassing your annual employee field day, and instead, schedule something where an intern with a disability can fully participate, such as an accessible escape room. Planning the summer internship activities is another great opportunity to seek the input of the person with a disability to ensure that their accessibility needs are met.
8. Evaluate and Improve: Regularly assess the effectiveness of your internship program’s accessibility initiatives by seeking feedback from interns. People with disabilities are the experts when it comes to accessibility. By seeking out their advice, you are not only bettering your workplace, but you are sending a signal to the intern that their perspective is important. Use this feedback to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes to continuously enhance accessibility and inclusion within your summer internship program.
Creating an accessible summer internship program is not only a legal obligation but also a moral imperative. By implementing the strategies outlined above, employers can break down barriers and provide valuable opportunities for people with disabilities. By embracing diversity and fostering inclusion, businesses can benefit from the unique perspectives and talents that interns with disabilities bring to the workplace.
Additional resources here:
- https://www.ada.gov/law-and-regs/ada/#subchapter-ii—public-services-title-ii
- INCLUSIVE INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS: A How-to Guide for Employers (dol.gov)
- https://www.eeoc.gov/laws/guidance/enforcement-guidance-reasonable-accommodation-and-undue-hardship-under-ada
Katie Jackson is a Managing Associate in the Indianapolis office of Dentons, the world’s largest law firm, and is a member of the firm’s Litigation and Dispute Resolution group. Kate Erdel, a Partner in Dentons’ Employment and Labor and Litigation and Dispute Resolution groups, contributed on ADA compliance references.