Abstract:

It is no secret that new technologies are being developed and rolled out at record speed, especially within the evolving realm of artificial intelligence (AI). Concern continues to grow amongst Human Resource Management (HRM) professionals regarding the perpetual burden on employees in learning and adapting to new systems and tools which then quickly become obsolete, a contributing factor to the critical issues of burnout, decreasing self-efficacy, and disengagement of employees. This burden is felt to a greater extent by employees with disabilities (EWD) who may be more likely to find that an improper design and development of such tools, which impacts all human capital in organizations, is magnified into significant obstacles to their successful adoption of these new technologies. A multitude of potential causes underlie this unfortunate reality, such as the lack of accessibility features, insufficient access to the technologies, failure to make necessary modifications, or inadequate opportunities for additional training. Some potential opportunities to rectify these issues exist in the form of expanded access to the technologies, modifications to improve the user experience, provision of additional training opportunities, inclusion and representation in the decision-making process, and access to feedback channels to voice concerns and suggestions. Ongoing dialogue within the field of HRM highlights a growing talent deficit while, simultaneously, studies show that the disabled population is often cited as among the largest untapped talent resources at the global level. In fact, although the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was made a federal mandate over 44 years ago, there is still lingering evidence that factors are not always addressed by HRM professionals and management. Thus, identifying and addressing the root causes underlying the barriers to learning faced by EWD in the workplace must be a top priority for HRM professionals. It is important to note that all employees will face some degree of difficulty in adopting new technologies and many EWD may not feel comfortable disclosing their disabilities to their employer. These demographics, especially employees with non-visible disabilities, may be easily overlooked in the development of inclusive workplace learning practices and processes, indicating a need to enable all employees, rather than limiting their efforts to a selected few. As such, this paper will adopt a more generalized scope when discussing inclusion to promote best practices which will benefit the greatest number of individuals. The ultimate goal of this paper is to provide guidance for developing best practices to ensure an inclusive rollout of new technologies, particularly those which have AI components. Consequently, the paper will aim to explore factors over which the organization has a reasonable level of control when planning for, purchasing, and implementing AI tools. It is possible that newer technologies and methodologies will continue to emerge over the course of developing this paper that may not be reflected in the analyses and conclusions.

Keywords:

DEI initiative, best practices, transparency, artificial intelligence, disabilities in the workplace.