BEYOND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION: THE BUSINESS CASE FOR HIRING WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES

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BEYOND AFFIRMATIVE ACTION THE BUSINESS CASE FOR
HIRING WORKERS WITH DISABILITIES

• Judy Young
• Vice President, Grants Administration and
  National Program Development
• April 25, 2008

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What is a Disability?
A disability is a physical or mental impairment
that substantially limits a major life activity.
Source Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
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Common Types of Disabilities

• Vision
• Hearing
• Speech
• Cognitive
• Emotional
• Neurological

• Intellectual
• Medical (cancer)
• Orthopedic/Mobility
• Learning/ADHD
• Progressive (MS,
• HIV/AIDS)

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Types of Disabilities by Numbers

• 2.7M people use wheelchair
• 9.1M use ambulatory aids
• 10M have vision impairments
• 1.8M are blind
• 28.6 31.5M experience hearing loss
• 1M are deaf
• 23M live with depression
• 2.5M have bipolar disorder

Source 2000 U.S. Census
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Who Are People with Disabilities?
They are Presidents
They are Entertainers

• Abraham Lincoln
• Franklin D. Roosevelt
• John F. Kennedy
• Woodrow Wilson
• Lyndon B. Johnson

• Stevie Wonder
• Whoopi Goldberg
• Mary Tyler Moore
• Tom Cruise
• Jane Pauley

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Who Are People with Disabilities? (Contd)
They are business leaders

• Charles Schwab
• Ted Turner
• David Neeleman (Jet Blue)
• John Chambers (Cisco)
• Bernie Newcomb (ETrade)

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Who Are People with Disabilities? (Contd)

• 1 in 5 or 20 of Americans
• 85 acquired disability after birth
• 43 - 70 are unemployed
• 72 have high school diploma or higher
• 11 have college degrees or more

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Future Trends for Americas Workforce

• By the year 2012, there will be
• 162.3 million working age adults
• workers age 55 and over will
• increase by 49.3
• 174 million available jobs
• 95 million in service sector
• 60 million in small businesses
• 19 million in government
• fewer physically demanding jobs

Source Bureau of Labor Statistics
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The Business Case for Hiring People with
Disabilities

• Untapped Labor Pool
• 30.6 million of working age (21 64)
• experts in creative problem solving
• excel in attendance and productivity
• have high retention rates
• most diverse group representing all races,
  ethnicity, age and gender

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Myths and Realities of Hiring Workers with
Disabilities

• negative attitudes and lack of awareness due to
  unfamiliarity
• misinformation regarding cost of and need for
  accommodation
• concerns about
• performance standards
• workers compensation liabilities
• medical insurance costs
• inadequate training of line management

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Myths and Realities of Hiring Workers with
Disabilities (Contd)

• the majority of workers with disabilities require
  no accommodations
• the average cost of accommodation is 600
• due to recent changes in Medicare and Medicaid
  programs, many people with disabilities have
  their own insurance
• workers with disabilities have been consistently
  rated as average or above in
• attendance
• performance
• quality and quantity of work

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What Do Employees with Disabilities Want?

• viable work options
• respect for abilities and
• experience
• inclusion rather than tokenism
• equal access to skill acquisition
• equity in mobility and promotions
• accessible workplace and
• reasonable accommodations
• flexible work schedules

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Tips for Sourcing Employees with Disabilities

• develop a recruitment plan
• communicate your commitment
• advertise in targeted publications
• visit potential recruitment sources
• seek opportunities for involvement
• utilize special internship programs
• contact agencies serving veterans
• ensure website accessibility
• use inclusive language/symbols

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Developing a Recruitment Plan

• approach it as a business decision
• gain buy-in from hiring managers
• review current recruitment initiatives to
  identify barriers to hiring people with
  disabilities
• consider a position devoted to disability
  recruitment
• include people with disabilities in recruitment
  goals
• identify sources of recruitment at all levels of
  employment

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Recruitment Sources

• State and federally funded targeted employment
  programs
• State and private vocational rehabilitation
  service providers
• Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network (EARN)
• Department of Veterans Affairs
• High School Transition Coordinators
• Offices of Disabled Student Services

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Advantages for Hiring Workers with Disabilities

• tax incentives WOTC and IRS Section 44 (small
  business) and Section 190 (architectural and
  transportation barrier removal)
• job coaching assistance reduction of onboarding
  time
• on-the-job training (OJT) dollars
• financial assistance for accommodations through
  state vocational rehabilitation
• documented increase in morale and productivity of
  all employees