October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and for many employers, hiring people with disabilities is more than a feel-good social initiative. Research indicates that businesses that prioritize disability inclusivity outperform their competitors in several metrics. While there are still some misconceptions about hiring workers with disabilities, the solutions to many of these barriers can be low-cost and easy to implement.
According to a report from Accenture, there is a strong business case for hiring people with disabilities. The report, in partnership with Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), found that businesses that scored highly in the Disability Equity Index, a global benchmarking tool, saw 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income, and two times more economic profit than other companies in the index.
Businesses might hesitate to hire people with disabilities because of various misconceptions about cost, accommodation, and other issues. Experts say that many of these perceptions are myths, and they’re preventing employers from tapping into an underutilized labor pool.
Make Low-Cost Accommodations
One misconception is that hiring people with disabilities requires employers to invest in expensive construction projects or advanced technology. According to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a service from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, 58% of accommodations cost nothing to make, while the rest typically cost $500 or less. Tax incentives are available to help employers cover these costs.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires reasonable accommodations, which include some simple solutions. “Many people with disabilities can be successful workers but may need some small modifications,” says Julie Reiskin, co-executive director of Colorado Cross-Disability Coalition, a Denver-based advocacy group.
Have a reasonable accommodation policy in place, Reiskin says, and make sure the policy includes how the employee makes a request and who makes and communicates the decision. These modifications can include:
- Raising a desk by putting it on cinder blocks for people using wheelchairs
- Setting up a seat for a cashier who cannot stand for hours, for people with physical disabilities
- Providing a headset for someone who may need sound blocked out
- Making minor schedule modifications
- Printing laminated instructions or checklists for people with cognitive disabilities
Leverage Skills
Hiring people with disabilities brings a wide range of talents and strengths to the workforce. “The single largest looming misconception is the belief that the individuals lack skills to perform whatever task they have to perform,” says Darelyn Pazdel, vice president of workforce inclusion at PRIDE Industries, a Roseville, California-based social enterprise that creates employment for people with disabilities. “They look at the disability, and they can see nothing else.”
The job interview can be stressful, so Pazdel recommends taking these steps:
- Create an accessible and psychologically safe interview environment
- Allow the job candidate to bring an employment specialist — such as from PRIDE Industries — to the interview, but continue to speak directly to the candidate
- Avoid jargon, acronyms, and other unclear language
“One of the most important steps a business can take is to make sure the workplace is disability inclusive,” Pazdel says. “We create an environment where people can succeed, and the employer wants them to succeed.” PRIDE Industries places individuals in employment in facilities operations, contract manufacturing, custodial, packaging and fulfillment, and other services.
If a worker is blind, Pazdel says, and they have a designated workspace, do not rearrange the furniture. For autistic people, avoid having blinking or strobing lights.
Allow Ample Training Time
Training people with disabilities might take longer, but the results are worth the effort. “You might hire someone with disabilities, and it takes a week to train them on something that takes two days to train a person without disabilities,” says Jed Seifert, cofounder of Stakes Manufacturing in Eastlake, Ohio. “But if that person is going to stay twice as long, the turnover rate is lower.”
Stakes Manufacturing offers print-on-demand apparel, bags, and hats. Of the 250 employees, 10% are people with disabilities, who thrive in the inclusive workspace. “People with disabilities tend to flourish with repetition, and they find it comforting,” says Seifert, who is also co-author of INKclusivity: Company Benefits of Disability Inclusion and How-To Implementation Guide. “Ninety percent of the job is doing the same thing, folding T-shirts, placing hang tags. People without disabilities have ebbs and flows and burnout.”
Seifert adds that workers with disabilities are more grateful, more upbeat, and have fewer HR problems and better attendance. They score highly on various Key Performance Indicators (KPI) and inspire coworkers to perform better. “Employees with disabilities were beating them in KPIs,” he says.
Seifert recommends these processes:
- Offer scannable QR codes so workers can view training videos on their phones
- Provide a quiet place to work for people who prefer less social interaction
- Use color coding and other visual details to simplify learning
One best practice, Seifert says, is to partner with a disability service provider or a state vocational rehabilitation office. These entities can help businesses find job candidates, send in a job coach to provide feedback to the worker when needed, and instruct the business on how to apply for tax breaks.
Schedule Flexibly
Part-time work is best, as many people with disabilities cannot work full-time because they would lose benefits. Crystal Hunt, support employment manager at Mountain Valley Developmental Services in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, says some area employers schedule people with disabilities for two- or three-hour shifts. Workers clean tables at local restaurants during the lunch rush, stock shelves at the supermarket, hardware store, and other retailers, and steam the wrinkles out of clothing at the thrift store.
“For us the small businesses are the best because there is not so much red tape,” Hunt says. “The owners want to support us.” Mountain Valley provides transportation, the state pays for job coaches, and the employers do not have to pay benefits.
Two workers at one restaurant have been there for five years, which is longer than other workers. “We find whatever task we can,” Hunt says. “We let employers know our clients can do this for you.”
Expect Productivity
Lower turnover and increased productivity are two benefits of hiring people with disabilities. According to the National Organization on Disability (NOD), in its report, Misconceptions that Limit Disability Inclusion at Work: The Impact of Disability Inclusion in Business, individuals tend to stay with diversity-inclusive employers and excel there. The report, citing a Gartner study, noted that organizations with higher diversity experience a 12% increase in employee performance compared to those with lower diversity.
One key to success is to find a suitable match for worker and job. Employers seeking workers with advanced degrees and specific skills can participate in a disability-focused career fair. NOD hosts online career fairs that are attended by college students and recent graduates with disabilities. These job seekers majored in finance, advertising, computer science, and other areas.
“Most businesses are already recruiting talent from colleges and universities, so participating in a career fair for students with disabilities is an easy win,” says Beth Sirull, NOD president and CEO.
For businesses that want to go to the next level, Sirull recommends:
- Bring the training into your workplace by adding customized workshops to employee retreats
- Host an employee resource group (ERG), voluntary, employee-led groups that bring together workers with shared interests
- Fold asynchronous lessons on disability employment into existing employee learning and development curriculum
“Disability-focused training demonstrates your company’s values and goes a long way to build a welcoming culture, where not only new hires with disabilities, but also current employees who are disabled or are caregivers, can contribute and advance,” Sirull says.
Additional Resources
Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability (EARN): AskEARN | Small Business Toolkit: Offer Reasonable Accommodations
Job Accommodation Network (JAN): Employers’ Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodation Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Myths and Facts about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) from the U.S. Department of Labor: Employers and the ADA: Myths and Facts | U.S. Department of Labor
NORA CALEY is a freelance writer covering topics including business, food service, and retail.
