Trillium Named 2026 SETWorks Inspiring Progress Innovation Award Winner
A new job development roadmap helped Trillium turn individual expertise into a resource the entire team can use.
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What's Happening with DEI Programs — And How Disability Service Providers Are Responding
As DEI becomes more politicized, disability providers are finding new ways to lead on inclusion.
Over the past year, headlines about DEI rollbacks have become hard to ignore. Major employers like Walmart, Lowe’s, and Meta are shutting down DEI departments, abandoning inclusive hiring targets, and quietly removing diversity language from their websites and shareholder reports.
At the federal level, new executive orders have gone further, directing agencies to investigate DEI practices at nonprofits and private businesses. Some policies even threaten funding for organizations that operate equity-focused programs.
These shifts can feel disheartening — especially for those of us who have seen firsthand how DEI has improved access and equity for the disability community. But as Disability Justice champion and national DEI consultant Wally Tablit and SETWorks Executive Consultant of Provider Strategy Heather Janci point out, now is the time to focus on actions and outcomes, not acronyms.
We sat down with Wally and Heather to talk about what providers are seeing on the ground, and how they are responding.
Reality check: The conversation is shifting, but the core work remains the same.
While the headlines about DEI are alarming, Heather cautions providers not to get swept up in the media frenzy.
“A lot of the wild news stories and social media buzz don’t always reflect the actual legal process or what’s really happening,” says Heather, a former DDD/IDD provider. “Even if DEI programs are being ‘slashed’, it doesn’t mean you have to change your leadership style or who you choose to fill roles at your company in order to have a diverse and well-supported team.”
Organizations that have always cared about inclusion aren’t walking away from it now. As Wally puts it, “Many organizations are saying, ‘no, we’re not taking it away’ or even doubling down.”
Apple and Costco are two high-profile examples of companies maintaining or expanding their commitments to diversity and inclusion. Meanwhile, others that pulled back are now reversing course: A recent analysis found that one in three companies that rolled back DEI initiatives are now reinstating them.
In short, the work of inclusion is still happening. It just may not be called “DEI” anymore.
How providers are responding to DEI rollbacks
As the DEI landscape shifts, disability service providers are doubling down on what really matters—making sure their services are accessible, their teams are representative, and their values stay front and center.
Rather than getting caught up in terminology, they’re focusing on practical steps to promote real, lasting inclusion for the people they support:
1. Expanding access to services
Instead of waiting to see how the national conversation shakes out, many providers are looking inward and asking tough questions like: Who’s accessing our services — and who isn’t?
These internal audits help identify barriers and expand access, especially for people of color, LGBTQIA+ communities, and non-English speakers.
Wally, who previously served as Chief Disability Inclusion Officer at Relay Resources, emphasizes the importance of designing services with intersectionality in mind.
“If we don't craft the invitation for disability services to include more people of color, to include more LGBTQIA+ individuals, to include members of the transgender community, then we are not doing the work that we say we're doing." - Wally Tablit
“If we don’t craft the invitation for disability services to include more people of color, to include more LGBTQIA+ individuals, to include members of the transgender community, then we are not doing the work that we say we’re doing,” Wally explains. “We’re keeping it just a disability issue, when we know there is more than that.”
He urges providers to look closely at the demographics of the people they serve and ask: Are we truly responding to their needs?
“If you’re serving 200 people and 50 of them are Spanish speaking, how are you responding to that? If 10 identify as transgender or gender nonconforming, how are you creating space for that?”
For Wally, the answer starts with representation.
2. Increasing representation
In addition to expanding access for clients, providers are also taking a closer look at who’s on their teams and whether their staff reflect the communities they serve.
SETWorks Executive Consultant Heather Janci encourages organizations to consider not just the people they support, but the people doing the supporting.
“Wouldn’t it be such a gift to the individuals we serve if we made a greater effort to hire people who are neurodivergent or fall under the IDD category to some degree?” asks Heather, who is neurodivergent herself. “What better person to understand someone we’re supporting than someone who neurologically thinks, acts, and feels similarly?”
That effort starts with making sure the hiring process is accessible.
“If our hiring practices at the ground level are not accessible, we’re either intentionally or unintentionally leaving people out.”
Of course, representation doesn’t stop at hiring. Providers are also rethinking how they mentor, support, and retain a diverse workforce so that inclusion is part of company culture, not just a checkbox.
3. Adapting the language, upholding the mission
As national conversations around DEI become more polarized, some organizations are finding themselves unsure of what to say — or whether they can say anything at all.
“The conversation has been more difficult,” says Wally Tablit. “Organizations are struggling with what to call themselves. You can be unapologetically so in terms of inclusion and equity. But right now, you can’t necessarily call it that.”
That doesn’t mean the work stops. It just means some organizations are shifting how they talk about it.
Rather than focusing on labels or acronyms, many providers are updating their materials and messaging to reflect core values like dignity, equity, and belonging. That might mean reworking language in brochures or updating a mission statement to better reflect those values.
Wally gives the example of the vision statement he helped develop for Relay resources: “All Disabled People Belong. Everywhere.”
“We made sure to include the intersectionality piece,” Wally adds. “So without saying ‘equity,’ we said: all disabled people belong. That means if you’re Black, if you’re transgender, if you’re an immigrant — you belong, too.”
These small but powerful shifts help organizations stay grounded in their values, even when the terminology gets complicated.
4. Embracing person centered approaches that consider the whole person
At the same time, providers are moving beyond “skills only” mindsets that separate a person’s ability from their identity.
Instead, they’re embracing person-centered practices that reflect the full reality of the people they support — including their race, culture, disability, gender identity, immigration status, and more.
Wally knows firsthand that honoring a person’s full identity is essential to finding opportunities where they can truly belong.
“I’m a proud Filipino man who’s gay and an immigrant, and I have multiple disabilities,” he shares. “I say all of that because all of those things come with me wherever I go.
If someone was working with me to find a job and just asked, ‘What are your skills and abilities?’ — well, let me talk about the other things. I want to feel comfortable. I want to be authentic at work. I want to wear my wedding ring. Is that going to be okay?”
This shift in mindset allows providers to make better matches and place people in roles where they don’t just fit, but thrive.
5. Framing inclusion as a business advantage
As the conversation around DEI shifts, providers are helping employers to see inclusion not just as the right thing to do, but as something that’s good for business.
“Everybody speaks money,” says Heather. “We have to do a better job of marketing the value our clients bring to the table.”
That starts with identifying real-world pain points and showing how someone with a disability might be the solution.
“Is it efficiency? Customer service? Staffing gaps?” Heather asks. “If we can match a person’s strengths with the things that business is struggling with, we create a return on investment for that employer.”
“We have to do a better job of marketing the value our clients bring to the table.” - Heather Janci
That means teaching job developers and coaches to approach placements more strategically — look at reviews, see what customers complain about, and connect the dots.
“Maybe someone wants to work part-time or cover a shift no one else wants. Or maybe they’re amazing with customers and could improve your ratings,” Heather explains.
And when those employees are forward-facing, the business benefits go even further.
“Everybody knows someone who has a disability,” she says. “When customers see that reflected in your workforce, they see themselves, their children, their friends and neighbors. And they’re more likely to give you their business — even if it costs a little more.”
6. Partnering with companies that already value inclusion
Of course, not every business needs convincing.
Rather than worrying about which companies are rolling back DEI, providers can prioritize partnerships with businesses that already value inclusion and have made it part of their DNA from the start.
“Let’s not overlook the champions,” says Wally. “Are we reaching out to Black-owned businesses, LGBTQ-owned businesses — people who already believe in this work?”
That means thinking beyond traditional job placement and building alliances across the broader community.
“We need to reach out,” Wally urges. “We have to build in coalition and work with our partners. And the community is a big word. It’s not just the disability community anymore — it’s the greater community that we need to include.”
Final thoughts
In short, disability inclusion isn’t going away — but it is changing, and how we respond will shape what comes next.
“If we allow ourselves to be consumed with the ways this might negatively impact us,” Heather says, “we’re robbing ourselves of the opportunity to be proactive — and to continue making this part of best practice at your agency.”
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