LEADS Framework for Disability Inclusion
A bottom-up, employee-centered disability inclusion assessment framework. LEADS is designed to give employees, ERGs, and inclusion leaders a practical, autonomous, and employee-centered tool that amplifies employee voices in ways that top-down organizational assessments cannot.
Why LEADS Exists
Existing corporate disability inclusion assessments primarily rely on having organizations and company leadership evaluate their own policies, practices, and accommodations. Research consistently shows that this top-down approach overstates disability inclusion outcomes relative to the actual experiences of employees with disabilities, in part because most individuals choose not to disclose their disability status to employers.
LEADS emerged to provide employees, ERGs, and inclusion leaders with a practical, autonomous, and employee-centered disability inclusion framework that amplifies employee voices in ways that top-down organizational assessments cannot. LEADS is designed to supplement existing tools by giving a voice to employees with disabilities.
How LEADS Compares
There is a growing ecosystem of disability inclusion assessment frameworks that has led to meaningful progress and measurable improvements in corporate disability inclusion. However, most of these assessments work from the top-down, meaning that they rely on organizations and company leadership to assess their own policies, practices, and accommodations. They do not directly ask employees with disabilities about their lived experience with disability inclusion during day-to-day work. LEADS does not seek to replace any of the existing frameworks referenced below. Instead, it aims to supplement top-down assessments with the voices of employees.
| Framework / Tool | Assessment Approach | Employee Voice | Independently Deployable | Key Design Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Disability Smart Self-Assessment Business Disability Forum |
Top-down (employer) | ✗ | ✓ | Lack of employee voice |
| Disability Index Disability:IN |
Top-down (employer) | ✗ | ✓ | Lack of employee voice |
| ERG/BRG Maturity Model Disability:IN |
ERG (organizational) | ✗ | ✓ | Assesses ERG effectiveness, not individual employee experience |
| BenchmarkABILITY Cornell University ILR School |
Top-down (employer) | ✗ | ✓ | Lack of employee voice |
| Disability Inclusion Gap Analysis AbilityNet |
Employer / consultancy-led | ✗ | ✗ | Not independently deployable by organizations or ERGs |
| Inclusive Employer Toolbox Humanity & Inclusion HI |
Employer / consultancy-led | ✗ | ✗ | Not independently deployable by organizations or ERGs |
| Disability Inclusion Workplace Assessment Understood |
Employer / consultancy-led | ✗ | ✗ | Not independently deployable by organizations or ERGs |
| Disability Inclusion Blueprint National Organization on Disability |
Top-down (employer) | ✗ | ✓ | Lack of employee voice |
| Disability Confident Scheme UK Dept. for Work and Pensions |
Top-down (employer) | ✗ | ✓ | Lack of employee voice |
| LEADS Framework David Xiao |
Bottom-up (employee-centered) | ✓ Direct employee voice | ✓ ERG & inclusion leaders | Designed to supplement existing tools by giving a voice to employees with disabilities |
Sources: Framework descriptions drawn from publicly available documentation for each tool. The Disability Index (formerly Disability Equality Index) was internationalized in 2024. LEADS is the only open-access, bottom-up, employee-centered framework in this landscape — designed for use by employees, ERGs, and inclusion leaders without external consultants or licensing fees.
Design Principles
Five Domains, One Acronym
The domains were chosen to assess disability inclusion at all levels through an employee-centered approach. In addition to the 25 domain items, LEADS includes 10 context questions for subgroup analysis, which appear at the end of the assessment.
All 25 Assessment Items
Leadership Support
Does my manager actively support my workplace accommodation needs?
- L1My manager creates an inclusive environment for employees with disabilities.5-pt Likert
- L2My manager is open to conversations with employees about disability and workplace needs.5-pt Likert
- L3My manager applies workplace policies consistently to employees with and without disabilities.5-pt Likert
- L4My manager would advocate for employees who require workplace accommodations.5-pt Likert
- L5My manager has the knowledge and resources to support employees with disabilities effectively.5-pt Likert
Equity in Opportunity
Do I have equal access to career development, promotion, and recognition?
- E1I have equal access to career development opportunities compared with my colleagues, regardless of disability status.5-pt Likert
- E2I have received fair performance evaluations relative to my colleagues, regardless of disability status.5-pt Likert
- E3I receive the same recognition for my contributions as my colleagues, regardless of disability status.5-pt Likert
- E4I have the same access to mentorship and sponsorship as my colleagues, regardless of disability status.5-pt Likert
- E5I have the same opportunity to pursue leadership roles at my organization as my colleagues, regardless of disability status.5-pt Likert
Accommodation Adequacy
Are my accommodation needs met in an effective, timely, and dignified way?
- A1Employees can obtain the workplace adjustments they need to perform their jobs effectively.5-pt Likert
- A2Employees’ accommodation requests are processed in a timely manner.5-pt Likert
- A3Employees’ accommodation requests are handled in a respectful and dignified manner.5-pt Likert
- A4The physical workspaces at my organization are accessible for employees with disabilities.5-pt Likert
- A5The digital tools and technologies used at my organization are accessible for employees with disabilities.5-pt Likert
Disclosure and Dignity
Do I feel safe disclosing my disability without fear of discrimination or privacy concerns?
- D1I would feel safe voluntarily disclosing a disability at my organization without fear of discrimination or retaliation.5-pt Likert
- D2I would feel comfortable disclosing a disability to my manager.5-pt Likert
- D3I would feel comfortable disclosing a disability to HR or a formal point of contact.5-pt Likert
- D4I would feel comfortable disclosing a disability to my colleagues.5-pt Likert
- D5I trust that information I disclose about a disability would remain confidential.5-pt Likert
Systemic and Cultural Inclusion
Does the culture of my organization actively support disability inclusion?
- S1Senior leadership at my organization visibly and actively champions disability inclusion.5-pt Likert
- S2Colleagues at my organization help create an inclusive workplace for employees with disabilities.5-pt Likert
- S3My organization treats disability as an important dimension of workplace diversity.5-pt Likert
- S4My organization proactively solicits feedback from employees with disabilities to improve inclusion outcomes.5-pt Likert
- S5My organization’s disability inclusion commitments are reflected in day-to-day practices, not only in stated policies.5-pt Likert
How to Deploy LEADS
LEADS is designed to be openly available for use and implementation by employees, disability ERGs, and inclusion leaders within Canadian and U.S. organizations. Because no external party or consultant is required to administer the assessment, administrators should review their data privacy obligations prior to implementing LEADS. A minimum of 100 responses is recommended for organization-level analysis; 50 for office-level; 30 for subgroup analysis.
Rooted in Law, Centered on People
LEADS is grounded in Canadian and U.S. disability law, including the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Accessible Canada Act, the ADA, and Section 503, along with international standards such as the UN CRPD and ILO Convention No. 159.
Access the Full Framework
LEADS is published as an open-access working paper on SSRN. The full document includes the complete 25-item survey instrument, implementation guide, domain scorecard template, scoring rubric, demographic questions, and regional adaptation guidance for Latin America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
Formal psychometric validation, including exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity testing, is planned following pilot organization implementations. Organizations and researchers who compile results based on LEADS are strongly encouraged to share aggregate findings and feedback with the author to support this process.
Access Framework on SSRN →
Commercial use requires the author's explicit written consent.