How Salesforce is Supporting Employees with Disabilities Across the Globe

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), a global celebration of the achievements and invaluable contributions of people with disabilities. This year’s theme, “Amplifying the Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future,” highlights a powerful truth: the inclusion of people with disabilities isn’t just about representation — it’s about access, equity, and ensuring their voices actively shape the world around us.

At Salesforce, we embrace the global disability rights movement’s mantra, “Nothing About Us Without Us,” as a guiding principle in our journey toward greater inclusion. Accessibility is not just a value we champion; it’s a catalyst for innovation, equity, and sustainable progress. It means creating spaces where everyone can thrive, contribute their unique talents, and shape solutions that drive meaningful change. We do so through our commitment to product accessibility and through our Office of Accessibility’s programs and initiatives like Disabilities at Work, Workforce Navigators, and more. 

As we celebrate IDPD, we reaffirm our commitment to advancing accessibility every day of the year. From empowering leaders with disabilities to breaking down barriers worldwide, here are a few ways we’re building a future that’s inclusive for all.

The Power of Partnerships

Creating an inclusive workplace isn’t something we can achieve alone. Partnerships play a huge role in driving accessibility and disability inclusion — helping us amplify our impact and ensure equitable opportunities for employees and candidates around the world. Through collaborations with local organizations, nonprofits, and community leaders, we are better equipped to design meaningful programs and implement sustainable changes.

In the United States, we have a partnership with Blind Institute of Technology (BIT), founded by the 2023 Dreamforce Golden Hoodie award winner, Mike Hess. Through our partnership, BIT has been able to secure a 7-figure federal grant to expand their mission to help employees with disabilities find success in the workplace. There’s also our twenty-four-year (and counting!) partnership with The Arc San Francisco. Together, we’ve developed career-building programs that provide mentorship, job training, and meaningful employment opportunities at our Salesforce HQ tower.

In the United Kingdom, we’ve joined the government-led Disability Confident Scheme, which empowers businesses to recruit and retain talent with disabilities. Our partnership with Evenbreak, a specialized disability job board, enhances our outreach to candidates with disabilities and those who are neurodivergent. Evenbreak also provides tailored support for job seekers through their Career Hive, helping candidates feel confident and prepared as they explore opportunities at Salesforce.

By working closely with local stakeholders, we’re embedding accessibility everywhere — from workplace accommodations to organizational culture.

Supporting Employees with Disabilities

Supporting employees with disabilities means creating an environment where they feel confident to share their needs, access tailored resources, and thrive in their roles. 

In the U.S., we’re actively creating opportunities for people with disabilities to build successful careers within the Salesforce ecosystem through programs like our Workforce Navigators Program. This program trains professionals with disabilities in in-demand Salesforce skills and certifications and connects employees with mentors, providing them with the tools to thrive in a competitive job market. For employees seeking tailored one-on-one support, we have a our Accessibility Consultation Program, which helps them identify benefits, workplace adjustments, and tailored resources. One of our tailored resources is Retain — our cutting-edge, AI-powered platform from Inclusively that helps employees find solutions to their workplace accessibility challenges.

We also offer a global mentorship program across the U.S., EMEA, India, and LATAM to grow disability talent through education, storytelling, and peer-to-peer mentorship connections. Our neurodiversity job coach program reaches our employees in AMER, EMEA, Japan, LATAM, and APAC. It provides support for neurodivergent colleagues in managing work strategies, communication, and time management, helping them fully leverage their strengths.

Educating and Empowering People Leaders

Fostering truly inclusive workplaces begins with our people managers, so we’re especially thrilled to recognize IDPD’s theme this year. Our leaders set the tone, drive cultural change, and ensure that all employees feel valued and supported. That’s why we’ve prioritized empowering our people managers with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to lead inclusively.

In Ireland, we partnered with the Disability Federation of Ireland to deliver a hybrid training series that equipped managers with actionable insights on leading disability-inclusive teams, from creating accessible workspaces to understanding the nuances of accommodations.

Localized training sessions for people managers were successfully conducted in Italy, Spain, France, the UK, and Germany, in collaboration with expert partner organizations

In Japan, we expanded our efforts with targeted enablement workshops focused on workplace accommodations. These sessions emphasized the importance of tailoring accommodations to individual needs and fostering an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity. Through these workshops, leaders gained a deeper understanding of best practices for supporting employees with disabilities. 

We have modules on Trailhead, our free online learning platform, focused on disability inclusion topics, including inclusive hiring practices, accessible digital content creation, and building inclusive teams, that educate and empower all employees. These modules equip managers and employees with actionable insights and best practices to champion accessibility in their day-to-day roles.

Recognition and the Road Ahead

This year, we were honored to be recognized with a 100% Disability Equality Index score on Disability:IN’s Best Places to Work for Disability Inclusion list for the sixth consecutive year in 4 countries (US, Germany, UK and Japan). But the work doesn’t stop there. 

As we reflect on this year’s theme of empowering people and fostering participation, we are inspired to continue advocating for accessibility and equity in all aspects of life and work. Together, we can remove barriers and create environments where everyone, regardless of ability, can succeed.

This December 3 and beyond, join us in celebrating accessibility, innovation, and the power of inclusion. Let’s build a future where everyone can thrive.