Also read: DiversityInc Top 50, DiversityInc Specialty Lists, disability

What makes a company an inclusive and accommodating workplace to attract people with disabilities? We analyzed submissions from the 449 participants in The 2010 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity® for criteria that includes: recruiting programs for people with disabilities; work/life and other accommodation benefits; diversity-awareness training that addresses people with disabilities; employee-resource groups for people with disabilities and/or caregivers; and communications, such as web sites and other materials, that feature employees with disabilities. DiversityInc also held discussions with disability organizations for supplemental information.

In The 2011 DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity survey, as a result of the new US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) certification program for companies owned by people with disabilities, DiversityInc will require that all disability-owned suppliers be certified.
Consider the following about the companies on this year's top 10 list:

• All have at least one resource group for employees with disabilities versus 76 percent of the DiversityInc Top 50
• All offer dependent-care benefits (including childcare and eldercare) versus 94 percent of the DiversityInc Top 50
• All feature images and/or video of people with disabilities on their corporate web sites, compared with 80 percent of the DiversityInc Top 50
• Eighty percent offer alternative career tracks for parents or others with long-term family-care issues; 62 percent of the DiversityInc Top 50 do so
• Eighty percent have mandatory diversity training for all employees versus 64 percent of the DiversityInc Top 50

No. 1: IBM Corp.
Also No. 8 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Supplier Diversity; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Asian Americans; No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees; No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity

IBM offers diversity training that includes "What Every Employee Should Know About Harassment and Inappropriate Conduct, People with Disabilities" guidelines. Globally, the company provides disability-awareness training to all employees to ensure sensitivity to even micro-inequities, small gestures that can easily offend others. With the help of the Global Disability Networking Group, IBM introduced Accessibility & Disability Central—a web-based application that helps identify accommodation needs (such as computer-screen readers and live captioning for teleconferences), as well as accommodation options and sources, and tracks the progress. In addition, the company has active programs to recruit, mentor and train people with disabilities.

No. 2: Ernst & Young
Also No. 5 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 10 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women; No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees

The company has very strong work/life programs for people with disabilities, including telecommuting, dependent-care benefits and alternative career tracks for parents or others with long-term family-care issues. In addition, Ernst & Young offers disability-awareness training, which includes awareness quizzes, to all global employees and has active programs to recruit people with disabilities globally. The company also creates a poster each year for National Disability Employment Awareness Month to further raise awareness.

No. 3: Procter & Gamble
Also No. 18 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity

Procter & Gamble has had its People With Disabilities Interest Groups for more than 10 years. These groups, such as its Employees With Eldercare and Parents of Special Needs Children, aids the company in recruiting, retaining and training employees with disabilities. 

No. 4: Aetna
Also No. 30 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees

The company has very strong work/life programs for people with disabilities, including telecommuting, dependent-care benefits and alternative career tracks for parents or others with long-term family-care issues. More notably, Aetna has an onsite fitness center, physical therapy, a pharmacy, an employee-assistance program, and massage services.

No. 5: KPMG
Also No. 15 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 6 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees; No. 4 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity

KPMG's Disabilities Network helps the firm with recruitment and retention, regularly solicits and obtains feedback from members about diversity issues and holds national training events to recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

No. 6: Cisco Systems
Also No. 37 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 7 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for LGBT Employees

The company offers work/life programs for people with disabilities such as telecommuting, dependent-care benefits, alternative career tracks for parents or others with long-term family-care issues, healthcare incentives, an onsite fitness center, health center and pharmacy.

No. 7: SC Johnson
Also No. 41 in the DiversityInc Top 50

SC Johnson clearly places an emphasis on support for people with disabilities. The company, with just fewer than 3,200 U.S. employees, has three groups for people with disabilities. The groups—Abilities First Business Council, Elder Care Giver Support Group and Parents of Special Needs Children Support Group—help the company with recruitment and marketing efforts.

No. 8: Eli Lilly & Co.
Also one of DiversityInc's 25 Noteworthy Companies

The company has numerous comprehensive work/life programs for people with disabilities. Among them are the company's onsite medical services. The services are at no cost to employees (dependents, including domestic partners) and include personal ambulatory care through staff physicians, psychologists and nurses.

No. 9: Merck & Co.
Also No. 13 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 8 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 9 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity

The Differently Able Global Constituency Group (DA GCG), Merck's global resource group for people with disabilities, aids the company in offering disability-awareness training to all global employees. DA GCG also helps to recruit people with disabilities globally.

No. 10: Sodexo
Also No. 1 in the DiversityInc Top 50; No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Recruitment & Retention; No. 3 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Blacks; No. 2 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Latinos; No. 1 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Executive Women; No. 5 in The DiversityInc Top 10 Companies for Global Diversity

The company offers disability-awareness training to all of its employees and has active programs to recruit people with disabilities. Sodexo's Organization of disAbilities Resources (SOAR) helps the company with its recruitment and marketing efforts.