Disabled Workforce
The 4 C’s of Success for Implementing an ADA Disability Compliance Program
By Rachel Shaw, Principal Consultant & Founder, Rachel Shaw, Inc.
Disability compliance is hard work. It is not enough to have tools and processes when managing accommodation requests in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Employers need to assign people to manage this work who have and believe in the four C’s. When traditionally successful people are interviewed, the four C’s are the characteristics they share. When these skills are added to the science behind happiness and success, they become a guide for managing accommodations and more.
The Four C’s
- Competency: People who do this work are not advocates for individual employees or their employers; they need to see themselves as advocates for the ADA. Simply put, as a disability compliance practitioner, you have to know your stuff and be prepared intellectually to do this work. Competency is about the skills, knowledge, abilities, and behaviors that enable you to perform your role effectively. Competencies are essential for success in a personal and professional context, which requires people to apply knowledge and skills in real-world situations.
- Curiosity: Great practitioners don’t assume; they ask. Curiosity means being open to learning, questioning, and exploring. Two ways to assess whether you are embracing curiosity:
- When a union representative refers to a memorandum of understanding, do you want to read it for yourself?
- When a manager says, “This is how we’ve always done it,” do you ask, “But why?”
People who are curious embrace the fact that they don’t always have the answers and that one side of the story is rarely a complete story. Embracing curiosity is about holding space for uncertainty, being willing to investigate, and recognizing that one perspective rarely provides the full picture. In ADA compliance, curiosity leads to better data gathering, and better data leads to more defensible decisions.
- Confidence: Confidence doesn’t mean knowing everything; it means trusting your ability to figure things out. It’s the belief that you belong in the room, that you’re capable of navigating tough conversations, and that your efforts matter. Confidence grows with experience and a mindset that embraces mistakes as part of the learning process. In this work, confidence allows you to stand firm even when a path isn’t clear. Your employees and employer need someone who can lead with conviction, and that someone is you.
- Courage: People who are courageous are frequently willing to do the right thing, even when it’s hard and they are scared. ADA work can be isolating especially when you’re holding the line legally or pushing back against established practices or biases. Courageous people know when to pause and gather support, and when to speak up and stand firm. There will be moments when you don’t like an outcome, and you move forward anyway. But if you’re ever asked to compromise your integrity or stray from established best practices or protocols, have the courage to say no and seek the support you need to get the organization or process back on track.
Which of these four C’s is your strength (or weakness)? None of them are fixed traits. They can be learned and strengthened with time, reflection, and intention. And while they are the foundation of disability compliance done well, they are also the cornerstone of professional and personal success.
It’s important to consider professional growth as a choice, not a fixed trait, especially when you consider the connection to compliance and ongoing success.
Whether you’re managing accommodation requests or leading a team, the four C’s should be a compass. Let them guide your growth, not just as an ADA practitioner but as a leader worth following.
DMEC-Related Resources
