Affirmative Hackathon for Software Developers with Disabilities: An Industry Initiative
Thayssa Rocha, Nicole Davila, Rafaella Vaccari, Nicoly Menezes, Marcelle Mota, Edward Monteiro, Cleidson de Souza, Gustavo Pinto
TL;DR
This study examines an industry-led, fully remote affirmative hackathon for People with Disabilities (PWD) organized by Zup Innovation to promote inclusion in software development and expand the company’s talent pipeline. Using a three-survey design, it analyzes participant demographics, motivations, challenges, and collaboration factors, linking these to recruitment outcomes (10 hires; 146 talent-pool additions). Key findings show a predominantly White, cisgender male participant base and highlight time pressures, group dropouts, and accessibility challenges as major hurdles, with strong positive effects from structured knowledge-sharing sessions and mentor support. The work demonstrates that well-supported, inclusive hackathons can advance both learning and recruitment for PWD, while offering practical guidance for designing similar initiatives in the tech industry.
Abstract
People with disabilities (PWD) often encounter several barriers to becoming employed. A growing body of evidence in software development highlights the benefits of diversity and inclusion in the field. However, recruiting, hiring, and fostering a supportive environment for PWD remains challenging. These challenges are exacerbated by the lack of skilled professionals with experience in inclusive hiring and management, which prevents companies from effectively increasing PWD representation on software development teams. Inspired by the strategy adopted in some technology companies that attract talent through hackathons and training courses, this paper reports the experience of Zup Innovation, a Brazilian software company, in hosting a fully remote affirmative hackathon with 50 participants to attract PWD developers. This event resulted in 10 new hires and 146 people added to the company's talent pool. Through surveys with participants, we gathered attendees' perceptions and experiences, aiming to improve future hackathons and similar initiatives by providing insights on accessibility and collaboration. Our findings offer lessons for other companies seeking to address similar challenges and promote greater inclusion in tech teams.