As we mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we're proud to share Oracle's progress in increasing representation of employees with disabilities across our global reach. This achievement is only possible because of the collective commitment and work of our people and teams across the organization—all the way from individual volunteers to our employee resources groups (ERGs).
At Oracle, we've made a conscious effort to create an inclusive culture that inspires people to self-disclose their disabilities, fostering an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing their stories. Our leadership team plays a vital role in promoting this, and we've seen a significant increase in self-disclosure rates over the years.
Empowered to share
Shanna Groves, one of our Oracle Health learning designers and volunteer global co-chair for the Oracle Diverse Abilities Network (ODAN) ERG, believes this kind of sharing opens the way to fairer workplaces and greater accessibility in all kinds of ways. How does she know? Through personal experience…
"I was diagnosed more than 20 years ago with progressive hearing loss. My disability has become part of my identity because it impacts how I live, work, and engage in my community. I have learned about the importance of understanding and properly accommodating individuals who are Deaf and hard of hearing by supporting inclusive communication environments. This includes providing access to sign language interpreters, closed captioning of virtual meetings and events, and live captions for on-site events.
“Oracle’s Self-ID campaign builds awareness each year of the importance of disability representation in the workplace. We do that through encouraging self-disclosure about disability. It is optional to self-disclose, and the annual campaign emphasizes the benefits of doing so: understanding the numbers and needs of employees with disabilities to build a more inclusive workplace.”
Don Watson, an executive sponsor for ODAN, echoes Shanna's sentiments. Belonging works in both directions, and sometimes only those who have walked a similar path can understand.
"I believe ERGs like ODAN are critical to helping empower people to come forward and share a part of themselves. Vocal leaders and active ERGs help create the safe space and feeling of belonging that can be beneficial to someone becoming comfortable enough to share their story.”
Recruiting with purpose
Powerful community influence like this is one thing, but you can’t have a community without like-minded people. That’s why we've taken a deliberate approach to recruiting people living with disabilities and neurodiversity. Global Inclusive Recruiting Lead, Melissa Nicholas explains: “We’re very intentional when it comes to recruiting talent with disabilities or who are neurodiverse.”
“Data in the United States shows that one in four adults has a disability—figures show that this group is also largely unemployed or underemployed. This is not only the right thing to do for an organization; it is also important that we welcome that rich pipeline of talent.”
“We reach people in a variety of ways, from campus recruiting, including attending events at Gallaudet, a school for Deaf and hard of hearing students. Neurodiversity programs, including Beacon College and the University of Washington, partners like the Tourette’s Association of America and Meristem. We also connected with 32 campus disability student centers.”
We have a true commitment to outreach that includes neurodiversity internships as well as disability training for recruiting and hiring managers. Due to our ongoing dedication to the community, we have seen a strong increase in representation for employees with disabilities. We’re committed to continuing this momentum, having revamped our accommodations process for candidates.
Partnerships and leadership
Our partnership with Disability:IN has been instrumental in helping us advance our inclusion efforts according to Don Watson, who serves as a mentor in their NextGen Leaders program.
“Disability:IN NextGen Leaders are college students and recent graduates with disabilities, who are matched with mentors from corporate partners like Oracle, to provide advice and guidance as they pursue career opportunities,” he explains. “Over the course of my involvement in this program I have mentored five students and have truly valued the relationships that have developed as well as the opportunity to share my perspective and help them prepare for graduation and entrance into work.”
Support leads to empowerment, and over time, that becomes leadership. This was the case for NextGen Leader Cosmo Trikes who’s grown his software engineering career since joining us as an intern. Cosmo was paralyzed in a skiing accident in 2018, but refocused on his leadership ambitions in a startling story of determination and self-motivation.
To Cosmo, there’s no doubt in his mind of the effectiveness of programs like this: “There’s nothing to lose and everything to gain,” he shares.
“Since being a wheelchair user, I’ve experienced the world in new ways and gained many unique perspectives. Great leadership involves a lot of critical thinking and requires countless perspectives. When we increase diversity in leadership, especially of people with disabilities, our impact as a company expands to include features, products, and services that will improve the lives of so many people who are often overlooked but equally important.”
It’s clear that by shedding light on the potential of our people, we show others what they can achieve. And while we’ve made significant strides in this area, there's still more work to do.
Melissa Nicholas sums it up: “Employees look to leaders to determine what we care about as an organization and are inspired from their stories of navigating their careers with disabilities.”
This outlook continues to be our guiding light when it comes to meeting the needs of our people. When leadership is representative, fairer outcomes become the norm.
Elevating the conversation
This International Day of Persons with Disabilities is all about amplifying the leadership role of persons with disabilities, from the global to the local. This can’t be achieved in a single year, but we believe that the path before us has never been clearer.
“We focus on awareness in the organization,” Melissa shares. “We provide speakers and panels to elevate this awareness and work to support people in their job search. We know elevating the conversation to all levels of the organization increases our ability to support and attract people with disabilities.”
Our own Leroy Harris Jr, group VP and GM of Oracle Health Consulting understands just how crucial this is and leverages his passion to help others. As a disabled Veteran and senior Oracle leader, he’s instrumental to helping deliver more advanced Veteran care through our latest partnership with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
“I have a deep appreciation for the sacrifices made by our Veterans and am honored to have the opportunity to contribute to their well-being,” he explains. And as part of a company that empowers people with disabilities to drive change, he’s sure to have many more opportunities like this one.
Oracle's journey to inclusion is ongoing, and we're continuing our efforts to increase representation everywhere we can. We believe that by creating a culture of acceptance, we can empower people with disabilities to share their stories and thrive.
As Shanna puts it: "Disability representation matters. It is empowering to see global leaders openly sharing about their disabilities and working in their communities to provide better opportunities and access to environments, products, and services.”
We're proud to be part of this movement, which has helped Oracle achieve a 100 Top Score on the Disability:IN Equality Index in Brazil, Germany, the UK, and the US—but there is always room to do more! We look forward to continuing our work towards a more inclusive future.
Do you want to work somewhere that values the experiences, expertise, and leadership potential of people with disabilities? Learn more about our inclusive culture for people with disabilities and explore our latest roles and create the future of technology with us.
The editorial team is comprised of members of the Oracle Talent Advisory group, with a wide-range of employer branding responsibilities. They partner with employees across Oracle to capture stories that showcase our company, culture and career opportunities, and help candidates envision their #LifeAtOracle.
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