Inclusion in the Workplace and Hiring Those with Disabilities
People with disabilities are eager to enter the labor market, however, are not being given the proper tools or opportunities to enter. As an individual with disabilities myself, I fall into the 71% of disabled, “out of work” Americans, that do not feel as though there is an appropriate organization that can accommodate their needs (Accenture, pp 4, 2019). In comparison to the 25% “out of work” Americans that do not have disabilities, it’s rather shocking. Employers tend to believe that there is a “burden” in hiring people with disabilities, for monetary and performance reasons, when in fact, organizations would not only profit from creating a more inclusive culture and hiring those with disabilities, but also create a healthier work environment for themselves and others.
Currently the United States is experiencing unusually high unemployment rates, due to the hit of COVID-19, however, even prior to the pandemic, the unemployment rate within the population of persons with disabilities has been exceptionally low. If organizations were to create a more inclusive workplace, it would provide people with disabilities a comfortable and accepting stance in the U.S. labor market. According to Accenture — a global consulting firm that focuses on improving the culture of their client’s businesses — creating a more inclusive workplace can also resulting in “reaping the benefits.” (Accenture, 2019). Businesses that employ people with disabilities receive tax credits to award them for the expenses incurred to hire and retain employees with disabilities. Incurred expenses would include accommodating equipment for the blind, deaf, or immobile, such as special programs, or building modifications (Murillo, 2016). Additionally, businesses could receive tax credits for special training programs for employees with disabilities. Special training programs are designed to provide specific training for special technology or job expectations that may not be available from in-house training.
Beyond tax credits, organizations have shown to gain numerous benefits from hiring people with disabilities. According to Sally Lindsay, the employers in her study “A Systematic Review of the Benefits of Hiring People with Disabilities,” suggested that the main advantage of hiring people with disabilities, was developing the “increased awareness of the abilities of people with disabilities” (Lindsay, pp 651, 2018). Despite the common misconception that people with disabilities are a “burden” to hire, studies have shown that individuals with disabilities are in fact just as capable as those without disabilities, when provided the proper tools. Joaquin Ortiz, consultant at Accenture, states, “Deafness is just a way of life, a lifestyle. I tell my colleagues all the time, just because someone has a disability, it doesn’t prevent them from delivering great work” (Accenture, pp 8, 2019). Employees with disabilities have proven to be more reliable and have an overall better retention rate than their colleagues who do not have disabilities (Murillo, 2016). An organization who hires people with disabilities can expect to see those employees take less time off work and actively be more engaged in the company’s mission.
One may ask, “why should I invest in additional tools to hire employees that have the same capabilities as the ones without disabilities?” Truth be told, people with disabilities provide unique capabilities that those without disabilities cannot provide to the workplace, and they have proven time-and-time again that they will work harder to deliver better quality work than their colleagues who do not have disabilities. According to Disability:IN, people with disabilities are required to learn and adapt to the world around them in creative ways, which in turn, provides them with strengths that set them apart from other collogues who do not have disabilities; problem solving skills, agility, persistence, forethought, and willingness to experiment (Disability:IN, 2019). Strengths such as these are essential for innovation, giving an organization the advantage of increased innovation.
Employers have a duty to hire people that align with the company’s mission and help improve the company for the best. Traditionally, it’s been believed that people with disabilities do not fit those expectations and will create more issues for the company, monetary and performance wise. Studies are proving that believe is nothing more than a misconception, and employees with disabilities are regularly outperforming their non-disabled collogues. Organizations must begin providing an inclusive workplace in order to obtain the diverse talent that is provided from people with disabilities. People with disabilities are a hidden treasure that many organizations are deprived of, without even being aware of it.
Bibliography
Accenture, Disability:IN, and The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). “Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage.” Accenture, The American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD), 2019, www.accenture.com/t20181108T081959Z__w__/us-en/_acnmedia/PDF-89/Accenture-Disability-Inclusion-Research-Report.pdf#zoom=50.
Lindsay, Sally, et al. “A Systematic Review of the Benefits of Hiring People with Disabilities.” Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, vol. 28, no. 4, 2018, pp. 634–655., doi:10.1007/s10926–018–9756-z.
Murillo, Sandy. “Top 5 Benefits of Hiring People with Disabilities.” The Chicago Lighthouse, 7 Oct. 2016, chicagolighthouse.org/sandys-view/top-5-benefits-hiring-people-disabilities/.
