KPMG reinforces employee and community commitment to People with Disabilities

KPMG in Canada today released its inaugural multi-year Disability Inclusion Action Plan for People with Disabilities, reaffirming its commitment to advancing equity and fostering an inclusive culture.

The Disability Inclusion Action Plan outlines the actions KPMG will take to build upon its existing commitments to identify, prevent, and remove barriers for Persons with Disabilities in the workplace, encourage allyship, expand existing scholarships, internships, and mentorship programs, and advocate for disability inclusion in corporate Canada and broader society.

“The reality is, People with Disabilities still face physical, cultural, and attitudinal barriers in the Canadian workplace,” says Rob Davis, Chief Inclusion, Diversity and Equity Officer, at KPMG in Canada. “We need to break these down so that we can attract and engage the talents and passions of People with Disabilities to ensure we have the best solutions to address Canada’s economic, environmental, and social challenges.” 

In keeping with the key “nothing without us” principle of the Accessible Canada Act, the Action Plan was created based on the input and feedback of members of KPMG’s Disability Inclusion Network and Special Family and Friends Network, two employee resource groups for those with disabilities and caregivers of People with Disabilities, respectively. The firm’s Advisory Services team in People and Change Management and organizations focused on disability inclusion, including Specialisterne Canada, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, The Valuable 500, and the Rick Hansen Foundation, were also consulted to ensure a holistic and informed approach was taken. 

As outlined in the plan, KPMG will create a Disability Inclusion Action Plan Steering Group to oversee the implementation of 40-plus actions and provide ongoing feedback. An important focus, and one of the many actions the firm is taking to support employees with visible and hidden disabilities and employees who are caregivers, is to encourage storytelling.   

For example, KPMG’s Rafay Khan, who leads the firm’s Disability Inclusion Network, and several other network members recently shared their personal experiences as a Person with a Disability on a firmwide education session.  

“My disability informs who I am and what I am passionate about,” says Mr. Khan, who survived a cerebral hemorrhage from which he was told he might never walk again. “I hope to empower other Persons with Disabilities to feel comfortable disclosing their disability at work and get the support that they need.” 

A Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA), Mr. Khan recently received his Chartered Financial Analysis (CFA) designation and ran the distance in a full 42.2-kilometre marathon, achieving two of his major goals this past year. “I credit my recovery from paralysis in having helped me build endurance to pursue my career and studies. In terms of mobility, I’ve also built endurance one step at a time by taking a few small steps to loving running, which I always hated before the hemorrhage. I started to enjoy each step of the run as an act of defiance,” he says. “I think most people that I’ve worked with at KPMG and clients don’t even know I have a disability unless they see my non-dominant hand.”  

Mr. Khan credits the Special Family and Friends Network, which aims to provide a supportive environment for caregivers of children with exceptionalities, for their support and connecting him with other employees with a disability when he joined KPMG. A year later, in 2020, he was one of the founding members of the Disability Inclusion Network, which provides a forum for employees with disabilities to connect, be voices for change, and raise awareness of workplace issues that affect People with Disabilities to create more accessible and inclusive practices.  

Another goal in the Action Plan is to increase the representation of KPMG employees with disabilities to six per cent by Oct. 1, 2025, which would nearly double their number since 2020. 

Statistics Canada recently reported that eight million Canadians, or 27 per cent aged 15 years and older, have one or more disabilities that limit them in their daily activities. While some disabilities are visible, others are often invisible or hidden, such as autism, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy, Crohn’s Disease, multiple sclerosis, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).  

People with Disabilities are an untapped pool of talent that could help Canada close the labour skills gap.  

“We need to tap into this pool of talent that has too often been ignored or underemployed,” says Mr. Davis. “Our goal is to create a workplace environment that supports people with apparent and non-apparent disabilities. This includes continually listening to their feedback on where we can remove barriers in the workplace, and addresses ableism to ensure they can thrive, reach their career goals, and know they belong.” 

Denis Trottier, KPMG’s Chief Mental Health Officer, says research has shown that most employees do not disclose their non-apparent disability to avoid stigma and discrimination, which often results in social isolation, poorer mental health, and reduced productivity.  

“It’s time we, as a country, strove to be more inclusive of People with Disabilities,” says Mr. Trottier. “Many with non-apparent disabilities hide them for fear of being stigmatized or hurting their chances of employment or promotion. It’s time to change that and talk openly about it.”