Why It's Smart to Hire People with Disabilities

Sponsored by: AARP, Adecco, DisabilityWorks, Inc.

Introduction

Over the next decade, the culture of work in the United States will be shaped and defined by shifting demographic trends, groundbreaking technological advances and accelerating economic globalization. Creating sound labor and employment policies requires a greater understanding of how specific trends will impact the changing nature of the global workforce. Hiring and retaining people with disabilities can no longer be seen as a gesture of good will, but instead must be viewed as critical to corporate business success and as an integral piece of the expansion and advancement of the 21st century workforce.

With 56 million Americans with disabilities in the United States (1 in 5 people) and a growing aging demographic, American businesses must reassess how they search for and retain talent.¹ One of the most dramatic trends we face today is the aging and shrinking of our workforce. According to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, by the year 2014, 36 million people are expected to leave their jobs and will need to be replaced.² If companies begin to think about the disability community in terms of capabilities, unique attributes, and powerful assets, a new, virtually untapped talent pool opens up that could be lucrative for corporations.

Currently, between 65-70 percent of Americans with disabilities of working age (16-64) are either underemployed or unemployed.3 The reasons are varied; data from the Office of Disability Employment Policy indicates that most people with disabilities want to work but are provided fewer opportunities to do so than non-disabled individuals.

Disability and Gender

In 2006, the prevalence of disability in the U.S. was:

• 15.6% of females 5 and older
• 14.4% of males 5 and older

Disability and Race

In 2006, the prevalence of disability in the U.S. was:

• 12.7% among Whites
• 17.5% among Black/African Americans
• 6.3% among Asians
• 21.7% among Native Americans
• 11.9% among other races

"We at Adecco believe there is a true benefit to expanding the employment opportunities for people with disabilities. For employers, governments and the overall workforce alike, the societal and cultural benefits of inclusiveness are critical to the continued advancement and growth of our economy and global competitiveness," says Lois Cooper, vice president of Employee Relations and Diversity for Adecco USA. To read Adecco's new report, "Empowerment for Americans with Disabilities: Breaking Barriers to Careers and Full Employment", visit: http://www.adeccousa.com.

Debunking Myths about Hiring Disabled Workers
Many corporate leaders feel trepidation about hiring people with disabilities. In a 2006 speech, W. Roy Grizzard, Assistant Secretary for the U.S. Department of Labor, spoke of the top three concerns that companies have about hiring people with disabilities: 1) finding qualified employees, 2) performance and retention of employees, and 3) costly job accommodations.⁴ Companies fear that people with disabilities will just not "cut it" in the fast-paced, high-stakes business world due to the notion that they are low-skilled, expensive short-termers who will drain companies of valuable time and resources without providing an adequate return on investment.

Yet, data support quite the opposite conclusion. The Office of Disability Economic Policy (ODEP) has found that greater numbers of young people with disabilities are graduating from high school and college with valuable skills, such as creative problem solving. According to the Job Accommodation Network (JAN), workers with disabilities have a comparable performance and retention rating to those without disabilities. ODEP research finds that almost half of all accommodations required for workers with disabilities cost nothing, and that those that are not free typically cost about $600.⁵

To be competitive, employers need to understand that investing in workers with disabilities is not just about compliance, but rather, hiring the best person for the job. Hiring people with disabilities is critical to the long-term growth of any business, and businesses must adapt their strategies to find new talent while continuing to retain and advance diverse and productive human capital. The disability community is a cornerstone of the workforce for the 21st century, and only when companies modify their corporate cultures to recognize and include the disabled community will they reap the benefits associated with a larger, skilled, loyal talent pool.