Debunking Some Lies and Misconceptions Regarding Jobs for Individuals with Disabilities
There’s a huge disparity when it comes to unemployment statistics for disabled people.
In 2016, a study conducted by the Current Population Survey (CPS), sponsored by the Department of Labor's Office of Disability, that surveyed around 60,000 households, revealed that disability employment numbers sat around 17.9 percent while the employment-population ratio for people without disabilities was a 65.3 percent. What is even more troubling in my mind, was the fact that unemployment rate for disabled persons – 10.5 percent – had seen almost no change from previous years, while the rate for those without a disability had declined to 4.6 percent.
And even though this is a complicated subject matter where many factors come to play, I believe one of the main reasons for this issue resides in the public’s perception, and several critical misconceptions – or outright lies –about providing jobs for individuals with disabilities.
Hiring manager bias is a real problem which many minorities have to deal with on a daily basis. I believe that addressing this issue, as it relates to people with disabilities wanting to enter or reincorporate themselves into the workforce, is essential as part of the effort to solving the problem. What follows, are a few of the major misconceptions I’ve seen regarding this issue and the studies that prove them to be false.
“Hiring a disabled person costs a lot of money.”
This is just not true.
Thanks to an annual report by the JAN titled “Workplace Accommodations: Low Cost, High Impact” with data updates to only a few months back, we know that workplace accommodations are not only low costs but also positively impact the workplace in several ways.
Workplace accommodations refer to adjustments or modifications made to a job, work environment, or the way things are usually done at the place of work. Things that impact all employees positively and allow an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to get the job but to successfully perform their tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities.
For some reason, there’s a common misconception in the putting such accommodations in place would cost a lot of money, which understandably steers many employers away from the idea. The JAN study shows us this is not the case.
The report revealed that more than half of the requested workplace accommodations cost absolutely nothing for the companies to implement. Some examples of what these accommodations usually entail include scheduling flexibility, allowances in dress code rules, the ability to sit (or remain standing up) when another positioning is customary.
And even when more encompassing additions were required, like making the existing facilities more accessible, acquiring or modifying equipment, and providing qualified readers or interpreters, had an average cost of only $500. Which is more than compensated by the value of lower employee turnover, which leads me to the next common misconception.
“Employees with disabilities are unreliable.”
This is another one I’ve heard and baffles me. Many a hiring manager thinks that having a person with a disability in the workplace might turn out to be a liability, in the sense of them needing to take time off often, not being on time. Etc.
Now, let’s take a look at this study by De Paul university titled “Exploring the bottom line: A Study of the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities.” It’s a fantastic read on the subject that tackles the most critical aspects of this issue, including the importance of disability employment agencies, the persistence of manager bias, and the actual costs and benefits of providing jobs for individuals with disabilities.
The findings speak for themselves.
Not only did participant companies noted a combination of low absenteeism rates and longer tenures, but they also described their employees with disabilities as loyal, reliable and hardworking. Furthermore, a comparison of job performance made with three levels of measurement (Exceeds expectations, meets expectations, needs improvement.) between employees with and without disabilities reveal nearly identical average ratings (2.30 and 2.31) respectively.
All these numbers start revealing an entirely different picture than what most of the public's perception usually is, however, there’s one more misapprehension I’d like to touch on before we go.
“I’m concerned about the effects on the workplace dynamics.”
This is another irrational insecurity I’ve seen impacting the disability employment statistics.
Many people wrongly think that having a disabled person in the workplace might prove to be too much of a distraction or increase the workloads of those working with them. Once more, when we take a look at the data, it becomes really easy to realize this is simply not the case.
The DePaul study found that diversification in the workplace is nothing but beneficial to a company and its workforce. It cites that diverse workplaces resulted in a more positive and productive working environment, as it improves productivity and morale.
There are many other benefits of providing jobs for individuals with disabilities, things like enjoying tax rebates and a larger pool of talented professionals to draw from, and I might cover those in a future post. But for now, it is vital that we hiring managers to begin to foster awareness of these common misconceptions and unfounded fears regarding this issue and start taking steps to make sure they aren’t affecting our hiring practices.