An increase in people with disabilities in boardrooms and corporate leadership isn’t always translating to more inclusive workplaces for rank-and-file employees.

Of the 415 companies that participated in the 2022 nonprofit Disability:IN’s Disability Equality Index Report, 30% have at least one senior executive who is disabled and 6% have someone who identifies as disabled serving on their corporate boards. The companies surveyed include large employers such as Starbucks Corp., Twitter Inc., and Amazon.com Inc.

The 2021 DEI report—which surveyed a smaller pool of companies—showed that only 10% said they had any senior executives who identified as disabled.

“If we want to advance and make a culture where people with disabilities belong, we need to know about people with disabilities, leaders with disabilities,” said Jill Houghton, president and CEO of Disability:IN, a nonprofit resource for business disability inclusion that compiles the report. “It starts at the top.”

About 80% of employers list disability inclusion in statements about commitment to diversity, according to the DEI Report.

Yet a May 2022 study from the World Economic Forum found that just 4% of global businesses prioritize disability inclusivity, despite 90% expressing a commitment to diversity overall.

“Disability inclusion is yet to be seen as a driver of market opportunity, reputational strength and long-term...

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