Disability Inclusion In The Workplace: Sarah Bernard of Inclusively On How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Have a Disability
An Interview With Eric Pines
Grit is everything. Perseverance is what sets successful leaders apart. In the early days of Inclusively, there were moments when things felt impossible. But having the grit to push through has made all the difference.
As we all know, over the past several years there has been a great deal of discussion about inclusion and diversity in the workplace. One aspect of inclusion that is not discussed enough, is how businesses can be inclusive of people with disabilities. We know that the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. What exactly does this look like in practice? What exactly are reasonable accommodations? Aside from what is legally required, what are some best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities? To address these questions, we are talking to successful business leaders who can share stories and insights from their experience about the “How Businesses Make Accommodations For Customers and Employees Who Are Disabled “.
As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Sarah Bernard.
Sarah Bernard is the Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer of Inclusively, a technology platform that empowers companies to improve productivity and retention while fostering inclusive workplaces.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you tell us a bit about your ‘backstory’ and how you ended up where you are?
Thank you for having me! My journey to my current role as COO and co-founder of Inclusively is a bit of a winding road. I started my career at Forrester Research in London, working in enterprise marketing and business development. It was an intense but exciting environment where I worked closely with senior leaders at Fortune 500 companies, helping them navigate growth and market dynamics. I learned so much about how to think strategically and solve complex business problems learning from the brilliant analysts there.
As much as I loved that work, I knew I wanted to create something that made a real difference in people’s lives. Meanwhile, my now co-founder, still living in London, had just had her first child and sold her first company to American Express. We got to talking about what’s next and she was so impressed with her cousin, who became the first licensed aesthetician in the state of Florida with Down Syndrome. Suddenly we were detailing how it would be amazing if there was a software solution to help people with disabilities get a job without the fear of stigma.
This is when the spark hit, and we came up with the idea for Inclusively. My business partner, Charlotte, and I started with a simple goal: break down barriers related to the accommodations process for job seekers with disabilities. Along the way, we realized we could do even more by helping companies reimagine how inclusion is built into their broader workforce and change management strategies for employees. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I’m so proud of what we’re building.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
First, I think optimism is essential for any entrepreneur. When we were starting Inclusively, there were moments when it felt like everything was an uphill battle — whether it was convincing investors of our vision, onboarding our first clients, or hiring for our growing team. But having a clear, positive vision of what’s possible kept me moving forward. Second, passion. For me, passion comes from genuinely believing in the work we do. That belief has fueled my drive through the long days and tough decisions. It’s also what attracts people to join our team or partner with us — they can see that passion in everything we do. And last, but not least, intuition. As a leader, there’s never enough data to make decisions perfectly, especially in a startup. I’ve learned to better trust my gut instincts.
Can you share a story about one of your greatest work related struggles? Can you share what you did to overcome it?
Building the right team has been one of the most rewarding yet challenging aspects of growing Inclusively. As a fast-moving startup with ambitious goals, it’s critical to have people who not only believe in our mission but are also ready to adapt and grow with us. Early on, we realized how important it is to align everyone around the company’s goals and ensure each person understands how their contributions drive our success. So today, we focus heavily on an “operating model” that helps entrepreneurs stay focused on key elements like vision, people, and data to gain traction. It has been a great way to empower our team to see how they can directly impact our company’s growth.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m really excited about the partnerships we’re building. For example, working with larger organizations like Salesforce has been amazing because it allows us to scale our impact across their entire employee base. It’s rewarding to see our platform integrated at such a broad level. On top of that, we’re really focused on refining our product-market fit. That’s been a fun challenge because it requires us to really listen to our clients and adapt our solutions to meet their evolving needs.
Let’s now shift to our discussion about inclusion. Can you tell our readers a bit about your experience working with initiatives to promote diversity and inclusion? Can you share a story with us?
Inclusively initially was founded to break down barriers for job seekers with disabilities, but our work quickly expanded into helping companies transform their approach to supporting their existing employees as well. As I mentioned earlier, we realized that inclusion couldn’t just be a standalone initiative, it had to be integrated into workforce planning and tied directly to business impact.
That’s why we created our Retain Platform. This tool helps enterprises organize all the investments they’ve made across benefits, accommodations, and general employee support. Companies map all those investments into our framework and then we make it very easy for employees to search and discover the resources (we call them “Success Enablers”) that can help them be most successful. Success Enablers could be anything from flexible hours to assistive technology, and they benefit everyone, not just people with disabilities. Our data from usage validates that employees want to safely utilize personalized tools like our Retain platform to search and discover the support they need. In January of 2025 alone we saw a 41% increase in views from employees on Retain looking for Success Enablers.
One of our clients saw significant improvements in employee retention and morale after implementing these tools, which showed how inclusion directly drives business success.
This may be obvious to you, but it will be helpful to spell this out. Can you articulate to our readers a few reasons why it is so important for a business or organization to have an inclusive work culture?
We were just at the World Economic Forum and of course, one of the biggest themes discussed was the adoption of AI at companies. AI isn’t just a disruptor right now, it’s reshaping work faster than companies can adapt. Old talent strategies won’t survive in an era of constant reinvention. That’s why building a culture of trust is critical for enterprises. Companies must rethink how they work, and that takes real change management. Companies that abandon building a culture of inclusion and belonging will have a much harder time getting their organization to embrace AI and risk falling behind.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities. For the benefit of our readers, can you help explain what this looks like in practice? What exactly are reasonable accommodations? Can you please share a few examples?
The ADA provides an essential baseline for workplace accessibility. Key word: baseline. It requires businesses to offer reasonable accommodations that ensure individuals with disabilities can access the workplace equally. Examples include accessible technology, flexible schedules, or quiet spaces for employees with sensory needs. While these changes are often small, their impact can be significant.
However, there’s a gap in awareness and confidence when it comes to accessing these resources. According to a report we recently commissioned, “The Disclosure Gap Is Real,” we found that nearly half (47%) of employees lack confidence in understanding their needs for success. This stems from factors like unawareness of available resources (36%), fear of negative career impacts (28%), or the intimidating accommodations process (18%).
This is why we believe accommodations shouldn’t just stop at compliance. They should be part of a broader strategy rooted in universal design: creating systems and environments that work for all.
Aside from what is legally required, what are some best practices that can make a business place feel more welcoming and inclusive of people with disabilities? If you can, please share a few examples.
Create a better process for employees to find the support that they need.
Our latest research highlights the importance of this — nearly two-thirds of employees still do not disclose their disability or need for support to their employers. This underscores the critical need for proactive and inclusive approaches.
From there, focus on inclusive design. Make accessibility a standard practice, not an afterthought. For example, ensure meetings are accessible by adding captions or offer flexible work arrangements that benefit everyone, not just specific groups.
Equally important is fostering a culture of learning and openness. Ensure managers also have a better process for supporting members on their teams. Often the same challenge that employees face in finding support, managers also lack direction in supporting their team. When this process is streamlined and woven into your company’s culture, it transforms from a standalone policy into a natural part of how they operate every day.
Can you share a few examples of ideas that were implemented at Inclusively to help promote disability inclusion? Can you share with us how the work culture was impacted as a result?
One initiative we’re especially proud of, and teased earlier in this interview, is our Success Enabler policy. We’ve implemented this into our own organization and regularly encourage employees to identify the tools or adjustments they need to thrive, and we work to provide them. We are proactive and preempt this process several times throughout the year. We’ve also introduced unlimited PTO, which acknowledges the different life stages and responsibilities people have. It gives our employees the flexibility they need to bring their best selves to work. Hiring people with disabilities has been another core focus. We want our team to reflect the mission we advocate for and approach accessibility with firsthand knowledge. These initiatives have strengthened our culture, making us more innovative, thoughtful, and aligned as a team.
This is our signature question that we ask in many of our interviews. What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Started My Career”? (Please share a story or example for each.)
It’s okay to change what you want to do. Careers don’t have to follow a linear path. For me, co-founding Inclusively was a major pivot. I traded a short stint as a stay-at-home mom (which I happened to love) into co-founding a company that I also love, Inclusively. It was also the most rewarding decision I’ve ever made.
Find mentors and build your circle. No one succeeds alone. Building a network of people who challenge and support you is invaluable, especially when you’re navigating new territory.
It’s okay to scale down. There’s a lot of pressure to always aim for the next big thing, but sometimes scaling down, whether it’s your goals, operations, or expectations, is what allows you to grow sustainably. Simplify what feels overwhelming.
Take risks, but make them calculated. Risk-taking is essential in any career, but it should always be intentional. When we started Inclusively, every decision we made was about balancing ambition with feasibility. That mindset has allowed us to grow while staying true to our mission.
Grit is everything. Perseverance is what sets successful leaders apart. In the early days of Inclusively, there were moments when things felt impossible. But having the grit to push through has made all the difference.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share a story about how that was relevant in your own life?
“Believe it, and it will happen.” This is something my co-founder and I tell ourselves all the time. As we began building Inclusively, there were so many moments where we had to hold onto that belief, whether it was securing our first client or getting investors to see the potential of our platform. Every success we’ve had has come from our conviction that it was possible.
If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
This is exactly what we do at Inclusively. Our mission is to create workplaces that work for all by recognizing the value every individual brings to the table. Everyone has unique strengths, and when companies embrace that, they unlock incredible potential. We’re driving a movement that promotes equity, productivity, and innovation. I truly believe the ripple effect of this work will extend beyond the workplace and create more inclusive communities everywhere.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
- www.inclusively.com
- Fast Company op-ed
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this. We wish you continued success and good health!
About the Interviewer: Eric L. Pines is a nationally recognized federal employment lawyer, mediator, and attorney business coach. He represents federal employees and acts as in-house counsel for over fifty thousand federal employees through his work as a federal employee labor union representative. A formal federal employee himself, Mr. Pines began his federal employment law career as in-house counsel for AFGE Local 1923 which is in Social Security Administration’s headquarters and is the largest federal union local in the world. He presently serves as AFGE 1923’s Chief Counsel as well as in-house counsel for all FEMA bargaining unit employees and numerous Department of Defense and Veteran Affairs unions.
While he and his firm specialize in representing federal employees from all federal agencies and in reference to virtually all federal employee matters, his firm has placed special attention on representing Veteran Affairs doctors and nurses hired under the authority of Title. He and his firm have a particular passion in representing disabled federal employees with their requests for medical and religious reasonable accommodations when those accommodations are warranted under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (ADA). He also represents them with their requests for Federal Employee Disability Retirement (OPM) when an accommodation would not be possible.
Mr. Pines has also served as a mediator for numerous federal agencies including serving a year as the Library of Congress’ in-house EEO Mediator. He has also served as an expert witness in federal court for federal employee matters. He has also worked as an EEO technical writer drafting hundreds of Final Agency Decisions for the federal sector.
Mr. Pines’ firm is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has offices in Baltimore, Maryland and Atlanta, Georgia. His first passion is his wife and five children. He plays classical and rock guitar and enjoys playing ice hockey, running, and biking. Please visit his websites at www.pinesfederal.com and www.toughinjurylawyers.com. He can also be reached at eric@pinesfederal.com.
Disability Inclusion In The Workplace: Sarah Bernard of Inclusively On How Businesses Make… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.