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 · McGill University |
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 40 domain questions, LEADS includes 10 demographic questions for subgroup analysis, which appear at the end of the assessment.
All 40 Assessment Questions
Leadership Support
Does my manager actively support my workplace accommodation needs?
- L1My manager actively supports my workplace accommodation needs.5-pt Likert
- L2I feel comfortable approaching my manager to arrange or adjust an accommodation need.5-pt Likert
- L3Leadership at my organization visibly and actively champions disability inclusion.5-pt Likert
- L4My manager applies workplace policies consistently, including for employees with disabilities.5-pt Likert
- L5My manager treats accommodation requests with confidentiality and respect.5-pt Likert
- L6I trust that my manager would advocate for me if I needed a workplace accommodation.5-pt Likert
- L7My manager has the knowledge, training, and tools to support employees with disabilities effectively.5-pt Likert
- L8I have observed my manager take proactive, meaningful action for disability inclusion in the past 12 months.Yes / No / Don't know
Equity in Opportunity
Do I have equal access to career development, promotion, and recognition?
- E1I have equal access to career development and advancement opportunities regardless of my disability status.5-pt Likert
- E2My performance evaluations have been conducted fairly, without regard to my disability status.5-pt Likert
- E3I have the same access to mentorship and sponsorship as my colleagues, regardless of my disability status.5-pt Likert
- E4I am aware of formal mentoring or development programs for employees with disabilities at my organization.Yes / No / Don't know
- E5My contributions are recognized equitably relative to my peers.5-pt Likert
- E6I feel I can pursue leadership roles at my organization without my disability status being a barrier.5-pt Likert
- E7My workload and responsibilities are structured in a way that accounts for my accommodation needs.5-pt Likert
Accommodation Adequacy
Are my accommodation needs met in a transparent, timely, and dignified way?
- A1I am aware of my organization's accommodation request process.Yes / No / Don't know
- A2My organization has a formal, written accommodation policy that is available to all employees.Yes / No / Don't know
- A3The accommodation request process is transparent and easy to navigate.5-pt Likert
- A4My accommodation requests have been processed in a timely manner.5-pt Likert
- A5I have received the workplace adjustments needed to perform my job effectively.5-pt Likert
- A6The process for requesting an accommodation felt respectful and dignified.5-pt Likert
- A7I know who to contact if my accommodation needs change or if I wish to raise a concern about my accommodations.Yes / No / Don't know
- A8The physical workspace in my primary work location is accessible for employees with disabilities.5-pt Likert
- A9The 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 judgment?
- D1My organization has a culture that works to reduce stigma surrounding disability.5-pt Likert
- D2I feel safe voluntarily disclosing a disability at my organization without fear of discrimination or retaliation.5-pt Likert
- D3I am aware of my organization's whistleblower and anti-retaliation protections if I raise disability-related concerns or violations.Yes / No / Don't know
- D4I trust that information I disclose about my disability will remain confidential.5-pt Likert
- D5I would feel comfortable disclosing a disability to my manager.5-pt Likert
- D6I have observed colleagues or leaders speak openly and positively about disability.5-pt Likert
- D7My organization has invited me to voluntarily self-identify my disability status through a formal process.Yes / No / Don't know
Systemic and Cultural Inclusion
Does the culture of my organization actively support disability inclusion?
- S1My organization has a disability-focused Employee Resource Group (ERG) or equivalent.Yes / No / Don't know
- S2I am aware of my organization's stated disability inclusion goals and strategy.Yes / No / Don't know
- S3My organization communicates transparently and regularly about disability inclusion policies, resources, and outcomes.5-pt Likert
- S4My organization provides adequate resources (training, budget, and dedicated personnel) to support disability inclusion.5-pt Likert
- S5I feel a genuine sense of belonging at my organization, regardless of disability status.5-pt Likert
- S6Colleagues without disabilities actively support disability inclusion in my workplace.5-pt Likert
- S7My organization's disability inclusion commitments are reflected in day-to-day practices, not only in stated policies.5-pt Likert
- S8My organization proactively solicits feedback from employees with disabilities to improve inclusion outcomes.5-pt Likert
- S9I feel that disability inclusion is genuinely valued in the culture of my organization.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.
90 – 100% Yes
70 – 89% Yes
50 – 69% Yes
< 50% Yes
Rooted in Law, Centered on People
LEADS was conceived and developed in a Canadian context. While its domains are grounded thematically in Canadian federal disability inclusion policies, the framework draws on a broad range of sources and should be understood as policy-informed, rather than policy-prescriptive. Key Canadian sources include the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Accessible Canada Act, the Employment Equity Act, and PIPEDA. The framework is also readily applicable to U.S. organizations with minimal adaptation, and draws on the ADA, Section 503, EEOC guidance, and WIOA. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and ILO Convention No. 159 apply across all regional implementations.
LEADS collects sensitive personal information. Survey responses must be collected anonymously and reported only in aggregate. Administrators should use enterprise-grade platforms that provide a Data Processing Agreement (e.g., Google Workspace or Microsoft 365 for Business). Organizations in Quebec must additionally comply with Law 25.
Access the Full Framework
LEADS is published as an open-access working paper on SSRN. The full document includes the complete 40-question 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 →Research use · Survey template requests
Commercial use requires the author's explicit written consent.