Kirk Adams’s The Disability Dividend Reaches Amazon Bestseller Lists

Kirk Adams ’19 (GSLC, PhD), a nationally recognized leader in disability inclusion and employment, has achieved a new milestone with his book, The Disability Dividend: $upercharge Your Bottom-Line Through Disability Inclusion. The book recently became an Amazon bestseller, ranking No. 3 in Business Diversity & Inclusion and No. 5 in Business Ethics.

The bestseller ranking adds to Adams’s three decades of work advancing employment and workplace inclusion for people with disabilities. Blind since age five, Adams has served as President and CEO of both the American Foundation for the Blind and The Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc. He now leads Innovative Impact LLC, advising organizations on disability-inclusive hiring, workplace accommodations, accessibility, and organizational culture. Adams also serves as executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Diversity and Inclusion.

Kirk Adams smiles at the camera in a black suit, white shirt, and black tie against a textured purple-and-white background. Large white text in the upper right reads, “Thank you for making this possible!” Below it, a dark purple banner reads, “Get your copy on amazon,” with the Amazon logo. In the lower left, Adams holds a copy of his book, The Disability Dividend: Supercharge Your Bottom-Line Through Disability Inclusion. The black-and-purple book cover includes the title in large white and purple lettering, a dotted Braille-inspired design, and the author’s name, “Kirk Adams, PhD.” A gold “Amazon #1 Bestseller” seal appears near the upper-right corner of the book. To the right, black text reading “Scan here to order” and a curved purple arrow point toward a large black-and-white QR code in the lower-right corner. The overall image is a promotional graphic celebrating the book’s Amazon bestseller achievement and directing readers to purchase a copy.

In The Disability Dividend, Adams challenges employers to move beyond thinking of disability inclusion primarily as a matter of compliance or charity. Instead, he argues that people with disabilities bring valuable skills, perspectives, and problem-solving abilities to the workplace and that organizations that build truly inclusive cultures can strengthen both their workforce and their business performance. The book includes case studies, a self-assessment tool, and strategies for developing a more disability-inclusive workforce.

“People with disabilities are not liabilities or exceptions — we are assets, innovators, problem-solvers, and leaders,” Adams writes. “This is not about charity. It’s about equity. It’s about excellence.”

The book builds directly on Adams’s scholarly work at Antioch University, where he earned a PhD in Leadership and Change in 2019. His dissertation, Journeys Through Rough Country: An Ethnographic Study of Blind Adults Successfully Employed in American Corporations, examined the experiences of blind adults in the workforce and the barriers that limit full participation. His research argued for a model of inclusion that does more than accommodate individual differences; it recognizes them as sources of organizational value, an idea now central to The Disability Dividend.

Adams has put that philosophy into practice throughout his career. While leading The Lighthouse for the Blind, he worked to expand employment and career opportunities for people who are blind and visually impaired. He has also advised and consulted with leaders at companies including Google, Facebook, and Microsoft on issues ranging from digital and product accessibility to disability and civil rights.

His advocacy has earned recognition beyond the workplace. In 2024, Adams received the Henry Viscardi Achievement Award, an international honor recognizing individuals with disabilities whose accomplishments and leadership have improved the lives of people with disabilities.