Action 4.1D Highlight opportunities to receive accommodations, offering contact details and accessible modes of communication for disability-related enquires.

Guidance

To ensure you attract the broadest range of suitable candidates for your roles, clearly highlight the availability of accommodations to navigate the recruitment process and provide ways to make further enquiries. Ensure this information is embedded in the job advertisement, and if applicable, the application form.

“(Employers should) clearly ask in the application what disability you have and what supports you need and provide follow up support throughout (recruitment and) employment.”

WIDE Consultation Participant – Disabled Person

Some things to consider when putting together this information together are:

• Provide Step by Step Instructions on How to Notify You of Support Needs: Ensure that candidates can easily understand how to share their disability information and accommodation needs for the recruitment process by clearly outlining this information in the initial application/information booklet. Listing a few non-exhaustive examples of accommodations that might be considered is useful. Focus on the enquiring about the support required rather than the disability as this is what you need to know.
• Include a Named Contact: Where possible, provide a named contact from HR who is not the hiring manager who candidates can confidentially contact to ask question about the job, the process or the availability of supports. Be explicit that this information will remain confidential.
• Provide Multiple Ways to Get in Touch: Ensure the named contact is reachable by multiple channels (e.g. phone or email) so that candidates can use preferred methods of communication to get in touch. This means that for example, deaf candidates who may prefer email communication have an opportunity to reach out with questions on an equitable basis with say Dyslexic candidates, who may prefer phone-based contact.

“We have a separate email and phone number for queries about reasonable accommodations in recruitment – people often worry about emailing a general recruitment address about that.”

WIDE Consultation Participant – Employer

By highlighting these opportunities and providing multiple communication options, you create a supportive and inclusive recruitment process that respects and accommodates the needs of all candidates.