Let Disability be About Ability

written on September 09, 2010 by Tameka Taylor

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On July 26, 2010, the 20th Year Anniversary was celebrated for creation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  The establishment of the ADA provides civil rights protections for people with disabilities similar to providing individuals with rights based on race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion.  The ADA provides equal opportunity to individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, housing, State and local government services, and telecommunications.  One out of five Americans has a disability.

So frequently, we think about people with disabilities as people with a Seeing Eye dog, a hearing aide, or in a wheelchair.  There are so many individuals with disabilities that are not visible.  A myth about employees with disabilities that need accommodations is that it costs the employer a lot of money to provide them with their accommodation.  Frequently when we think about accommodations like ramps, elevators, etc. come to mind.  Those accommodations are costly; however, the average accommodation costs the organization less than $600.  All people with a disability do not need the employer to make any modifications to the job or accommodations.

Additionally, many people think that individuals with a disability are not intelligent.  This is a stereotype about individuals with a disability.  For the most part, an individual with a disability does not impact their intelligence or mental capacity.  In terms of working, employers often think that a person with a disability cannot be trained to perform a job well.  The reality is that the turnover rate of employees with disabilities is about 20% compared to 150% those without disabilities.  The benefit of this for an employer is lower recruitment and training costs.

Like people without disabilities many individuals with disabilities can be nice, caring, and helpful people.  Having a disability does not make someone ill or sick; a disability can be a condition not an illness.  Employers are often afraid that people with disabilities will have high absenteeism, which is an unfound fear; on average an employee with a disability has a better attendance rate than an employee without disabilities.

As employers, we have a long way to go in terms of hiring people with disabilities.  Currently, only 32% of working age people with disabilities are employed compared to 81% of the non-disabled population.  When employing people with disabilities it is important to place them in positions that they will be successful in.  Hiring people with disabilities does not increase your workers comp costs.  I would encourage you to give a person with a disability the same opportunity of employment that you would give a non-disabled person.  People with disabilities offer another aspect of diversity to your organization and increases your talent pool.  When hiring someone with a disability you have the responsibility to provide them with an inclusive environment.  Also, educate your other employees about working with people with disabilities to help make a successful transition for all.  Remember to let it be about that individual’s ability not their disability.

 

Tameka L. Taylor, Ph.D.
Partner and Consultant

Compass Consulting Services, LLC
216-299-7335
www.compassconsultingservices.com