Six U.S. Airlines Score 100 on Disability Equality Index 2023

Six major airlines in the US have achieved the highest score of 100 on the Disability Equality Index (DEI) 2023, a benchmarking tool that measures disability inclusion practices among Fortune 1000 and Am Law 200 companies.

Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and UPS were among the 405 companies that earned the top score and were recognized as “Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion” by Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), the organizations behind the DEI.

The DEI evaluates companies on six categories: culture and leadership, enterprise-wide access, employment practices, community engagement, supplier diversity and non-US operations. A total of 485 companies across 30 diverse industries participated in the DEI in 2023, a 17% increase from 2022.

The 2023 report found that workplace inclusion for people with disabilities is rising among participating companies, with 93% encouraging employees to self-identify as having a disability, 72% marketing directly to the disability community and 64% having a requirement to make their digital products accessible.

However, the report also revealed some gaps in disability inclusion, such as only 24% of companies including disability data in their annual diversity reports, only 40% auditing their internally facing digital products for accessibility and only 7% reporting disability representation on their board of directors.

The DEI aims to help companies build a roadmap of measurable, tangible actions to advance disability inclusion and equality in business. The full report can be accessed at disabilityin.org/2023-dei-report.