Disability and Employment

One in five Americans is affected by disability, and only 15.2% of people with a disability are employed. Although the best reason to hire someone with a disability is because he or she is qualified for the job, it’s important to realize the value of including employees with disability in your workplace. Encourage your place of work to consider these values when employing someone with a disability:

• Including qualified employees with disability in your workforce communicates a strong message of inclusion to your local community.
• Employees with disability often make good team players – that means increased productivity in work groups.
• To include someone with a disability diversifies your workforce, creating a stronger appeal to a diverse consumer base.
• Employees with disabilities often enjoy a long tenure with a company and are less likely to resign or quickly move on to another job.
• A job can mean a great deal to an individual with a disability and translate into equal or higher job performance rates.
• Employees with disability are usually happy to work on creative solutions regarding reasonable accommodation or restructuring of job hours.
• Including someone with a disability in your work force raises the bar on everyone’s awareness and sensitivity toward someone facing hardships.

Does your workplace value employment for people with disability?