by Tammy Binford
A new study from business and research organization The Conference Board says that more than 10 percent of the U.S. population currently has some form of disability. Other research from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that disproportionate numbers of people with disabilities are either unemployed or working in jobs that pay low wages. 
Employment statistics for people with disabilities have the potential to grow even bleaker in the near future as employers cope with an aging population and an influx of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with service-related disabilities. It’s clear that employers need to be ready to not just accommodate workers with disabilities but also capitalize on the strengths those employees can bring to the workplace.
Talent solution
The situation presents employers with more than just challenges. The Conference Board’s report, Leveling the Playing Field: Attracting, Engaging, and Advancing People with Disabilities, also outlines opportunities.
For example, the report says workers with disabilities “can be part of the talent solution—both as a source of talent and a spur to make organizations better places to work.” As employers take advantage of technology and design improvements, all employees—not just those with disabilities—can benefit, according to the report, which was released in February after a year of research.
“People with disabilities may even be a bellwether of changes in the workplace for all employees,” the report says. A case study shows that “employers who foster the employment of people with disabilities often see benefits for all employees and the organization as a whole.”
Also, employers need to be motivated to advance people with disabilities because employees can find themselves disabled at any time. “Aggressive outreach to people with disabilities, as well as working to retain employees who incur disabilities after they are hired or later in life, can significantly expand the talent pool and create new business opportunities,” the report states.
The researchers found that most employees with disabilities are unidentified, and they became disabled after being hired. “These employees are often reluctant to disclose a disability in an ‘official’ manner because they are concerned about the repercussions of disclosing, see no benefit from doing so, and have learned to self-accommodate,” the report says.
Myths
The research tries to dispel what it calls myths that hold back people with disabilities. One such myth is that “the only reason to hire people with disabilities is to do the right thing.” Instead, the researchers claim “people with disabilities are a solid business investment.”
The report’s executive summary explains that people with disabilities were examined through “seven lenses: talent pool, costs, benefits, revenue and market share, work group performance, financial incentives, and mandates.”
People with disabilities were found to be at least equal to their peers without disabilities in six of the seven categories. “The exception is the cost lens, through which people with disabilities appear to be costlier employees than people without disabilities (for example, due to higher health costs) but only marginally so,” the summary states.
Another myth is that employees with disabilities can’t meet performance expectations. The report looked at four concerns: employees with disabilities have more accidents, require more supervision, are absent more, and hurt business. The research found those concerns “relatively unfounded.”
“Employers should consider the efforts people with disabilities have made to arrive qualified for the job at the company’s door, especially if the disability is severe,” the summary says. “To overcome personal limitations and externally imposed barriers, such candidates likely possess extraordinary levels of persistence, resilience, and ingenuity.”
The report also says it’s a myth that accommodations required under the Americans with Disabilities Act are expensive. The report cites research showing that 49.4 percent of accommodations implemented or being implemented in 2004 and 2005 had “zero direct cost.” The research shows that the “median cost of an accommodation in the first year was $600, but when those that had zero cost were factored in, the median cost of a first-year accommodation was $25.”
Steps to take
The research includes a list of steps for employers wanting to attract and keep employees with disabilities. Some of those steps are:
- Get a strong senior manager to lead the organization’s efforts.
- Partner with an organization with experience in developing employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
- Use flexible work arrangements for all employees.
- Centralize the process for evaluating reasonable accommodations.
- Make sure employees with disabilities have career development plans.
- Train managers on awareness of and etiquette related to people with disabilities.
Tammy Binford writes and edits news alerts and newsletter articles on labor and employment law topics for BLR web and print publications. In addition, she writes for HR Hero Line and Diversity Insight, two of the ezines and blogs found on HRHero.com.