[Season 2, Episode 4] The Untapped Workforce: Rethinking Disability, Talent and AI

What if one of the biggest opportunities to expand the workforce is a talent pool employers have been overlooking?

In this episode of Workforce Navigator, Eastridge CEO Rodrigo Alcaine sits down with John Samuel, CEO of Abler and author of Don’t Ask the Blind Guy for Directions, to talk about disability, accessibility and the future of work.

After being diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa as a young adult, John spent years navigating a professional world that wasn’t always designed with people like him in mind. Today, he’s using those experiences to help remove barriers for others and change how employers think about talent.

John shares why accessibility needs to start before a candidate is hired, from accessible career sites and applications to an interview and onboarding experience that gives people the opportunity to succeed.

The conversation also explores the growing role of AI. For John, AI isn’t just changing how work gets done. Tools that make information, documents and environments more accessible can create greater independence and open new opportunities for workers with disabilities.

But technology alone isn’t enough. As AI becomes more embedded in the workplace, John argues that human skills like critical thinking, curiosity, communication, collaboration and compassion will become even more important.

Key Takeaways

• Accessibility can expand the talent pool employers are able to reach.
• Barriers can exist throughout recruiting, interviewing and onboarding.
• AI has the potential to create greater independence and opportunity for workers with disabilities.
• Critical thinking, curiosity, communication, collaboration and compassion will remain essential as AI changes work.
• Building a more inclusive workforce requires intentional action, not just good intentions.

“If we start to build AI tools that are inaccessible, we’re not just going to leave a few people behind, but we’re actually going to scale exclusion.”

For employers facing an increasingly complex talent market, John’s message is a reminder to look beyond the traditional talent pool and ask a different question: Who are our current systems unintentionally leaving out?

Listen to the full episode of Workforce Navigator to hear John and Rodrigo discuss accessibility, AI and what it will take to build a workforce where more people have the opportunity to contribute.