Hospitality students graduate into roles where they will train other people almost immediately, often as shift leads or assistant managers. Most programs prepare them to know food safety rules and to pass certification. Far fewer prepare them to teach those rules to a diverse team, including employees with disabilities. I argue that this is a gap hospitality education is well placed to close.
The content does not need to be elaborate. Students can learn how to break a task into clear steps, how to demonstrate rather than only explain, how to use visual supports, and how to check understanding without relying on a written quiz. They can also learn the basics of reasonable accommodations and how to ask an employee what works for them, in plain and respectful terms.
These skills fit naturally into courses that already exist. A food safety or sanitation course can include a training practice assignment in which students design and deliver a short inclusive lesson on handwashing or temperature checks. Human resources and leadership courses can address hiring, accommodation, and retention of employees with disabilities alongside other workforce topics.
Graduates who arrive with these skills are better prepared for the realities of foodservice work, and the employees they train benefit from instruction designed with them in mind. Teaching future managers to train inclusively is one of the most direct ways hospitality education can improve both safety and access across the industry.