10 Companies That Hire People With Disabilities

Companies that hire people with disabilities, like Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, John’s Crazy Socks, Microsoft, and Google, share a few things in common. They build accessible hiring processes, take accommodation requests seriously, and give employees a safe way to speak up when something goes wrong. Here’s a closer look at 10 employers getting it right, and what every organization can learn from them.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), and this year’s theme is “Celebrating Value and Talent,” carrying last year’s spirit forward through 2026 in honor of America’s 250th birthday. It’s a fitting reminder of how much talent many employers are still leaving on the table. For people ages 16 to 64, the 2025 employment population ratio was 38.1% among people with a disability and 74.8% among those with no disability.

The companies below range from small businesses built around a mission to some of the largest employers in the world.

1. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee: Now this is a coffee shop that has more perks than most. Bitty & Beau’s Coffee is on a mission to create a positive workplace where people with disabilities are accepted, valued and a true part of the community. The first shop opened in 2016 in Wilmington, North Carolina, with 19 team members with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It has since grown into locations across the country and earned national attention for its success.
2. Hugs Cafe: Imagine a world where people are recognized for the things they can do rather than the things they cannot. That’s exactly what Texas’ Hugs Cafe’s mission is. Founder Ruth Thompson combined her love of people and food by teaching cooking classes to adults with special needs, which eventually became the cafe. HUGS stands for hope, understanding, grace, and success.
3. Sunflower Bakery: Something is baking in the world of worker empowerment. Sunflower Bakery in Maryland is a place where caring is the main ingredient to business success. This small but mighty bakery provides skilled job training and employment for adults 18 and older with learning differences, and its model has become an example for organizations around the country.
4. John’s Crazy Socks: Did you know that socks can tell a story? John’s Crazy Socks is a father and son business inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful socks. More than half of its employees have differing abilities, and the brand has become a well known example of what inclusive hiring can look like at a growing company.
5. Publix: Publix shows that large employers can make just as much of an impact as smaller, specialized businesses. The grocery chain has been recognized by the state of Florida for hiring workers through its Vocational Rehabilitation program, demonstrating how a major retailer can build disability hiring into everyday operations.
6. Walgreens: Walgreens has long been known for its disability hiring programs, which create pathways into retail and distribution roles for people with disabilities. By partnering with community organizations, the pharmacy chain has helped show other large corporations that inclusive hiring can work at scale.
7. Microsoft: Here’s one tech giant that’s modernizing inclusive hiring. Microsoft has made accessibility a priority across its workforce and its products. Beyond hiring and supporting employees with disabilities, it builds technology that helps companies around the world support workers with a wide range of needs.
8. Inclusively: Here’s an organization that “inclusively” approaches the hiring process. Inclusively helps employers find and support talent that traditional hiring often overlooks. Its platform focuses on accommodations, insights, training, and support, showing that when it’s done right, supporting workers with disabilities strengthens productivity across the whole organization.
9. Accenture: One brand that knows all about creating opportunities for their disabled employees is Accenture. Accenture uses technology and AI to help workers of all abilities succeed, and it has received multiple awards for its inclusive workplace practices, including the National Organization on Disability Employer Seal of Approval.
10. Google: Known for its empowerment of workers with disabilities, Google works to make its hiring process fair and accessible, and it supports employees with accommodations, resources, and accessible training. It’s a strong example of how a large organization can make sure every employee has the tools to do their best work.

What Employers Can Learn From These Companies

Hiring is only the first step. Keeping employees with disabilities supported, and keeping your organization protected, depends on what happens after day one. Accommodation issues are a growing source of workplace complaints and legal exposure. Disability related charges have increased year over year since FY 2022, and the EEOC has continued to file a substantial number of ADA lawsuits. In fiscal year 2025, reasonable accommodation was the second most commonly asserted issue in EEOC lawsuits, behind only discharge.

Employers that do this well tend to focus on a few key practices.

1. They have a clear, consistent accommodation process that managers understand and follow.
2. They train managers to recognize and respond to accommodation requests, even informal ones.
3. They give employees a safe way to report workplace concerns without fear of retaliation.
4. They respond to complaints quickly and fairly, before small issues turn into formal charges.

That last point is where many organizations fall short. Employees who feel unsupported often stay quiet until a problem becomes serious, which is one of the biggest reasons employees don’t report misconduct. A third party reporting and investigation partner helps close that gap.

Frequently Asked Questions

At Work Shield, we help organizations respond to workplace concerns quickly, fairly, and confidentially, so every employee feels heard and every employer stays protected. Try our ROI calculator to see how much your organization could save, or book a demo to see how Work Shield works.