ODEP – Office of Disability Employment Policy
Diverse Perspectives: People with Disabilities Fulfilling Your Business Goals
By fostering a culture of diversity, or a capacity to appreciate and value individual differences, in all aspects of their operations, employers benefit from varied perspectives on how to confront business challenges and achieve success.
Although the term is most often used to refer to differences among individuals such as ethnicity, gender, age and religion, diversity actually encompasses the infinite range of individuals’ unique attributes and experiences. As the nation’s largest minority — comprising almost 50 million individuals — people with disabilities contribute to diversity, and businesses can enhance their competitive edge by taking steps to ensure they are integrated into their workforce and customer base.
In the Workforce
Perhaps more than any other group of people, individuals with disabilities have the ability to adapt to different situations and circumstances. As employees, they add to the range of viewpoints businesses need to succeed, offering fresh ideas on how to solve problems, accomplish tasks and implement strategies. Hiring people with disabilities can positively impact a business’s bottom line. Recruiting and retaining workers with disabilities is one strategy to counter the effects of the aging and shrinking workforce. This untapped labor pool can offer a source of skilled employees and can contribute to increasing retention and reducing turnover. In addition, tax incentives and technical assistance can assist with accommodations, which are often relatively easy and inexpensive to implement. To gain these benefits and others, employers should take steps to attract and retain employees with disabilities, such as:
Seeking out qualified candidates with disabilities for job openings
Establishing a system for educating all workers about the value people with disabilities bring to an organization
Incorporating a disability focus into any diversity training program
Ensuring that internal professional development programs are available to people with disabilities
Providing employees with disabilities with candid and prompt feedback on their performance in the same manner as provided for individuals without disabilities
Making certain that training and other off-site activities are accessible to employees with disabilities
Taking advantage of tax credits and education resources to provide accommodations for both new employees with disabilities and employees returning to work following an illness or injury
In the Marketplace
A business’s commitment to diversity is also reflected in its customer base, and companies are beginning to recognize the value of people with disabilities as a target market. Organizations such as the National Organization on Disability estimate that Americans with disabilities represent more than $200 billion in discretionary spending — not including their extended families and support networks, who are also a significant market segment. When deciding how to spend this money, individuals with disabilities have the same standards as all customers — they want quality products and services at competitive prices. To tap this market, businesses should take steps to ensure their marketing efforts convey that people with disabilities are valued as customers. Such steps may include:
Incorporating people with disabilities into the business’s marketing strategy
Testing proposed marketing tactics among people with disabilities
Implementing promotional tactics specifically targeted to people with disabilities
Ensuring that communication channels for advertising and promotion reach people with disabilities
Incorporating people with disabilities in advertising and other promotional activities
Recognizing that the disability market is a diverse one in and of itself and that one size does not fit all
Defining how and why the disability market needs the business’s products and services
Including people with disabilities in product development, keeping in mind that products created to the meet the needs of people with disabilities often turn out to have widespread applicability
Devising simple modifications to make existing products and services accessible to people with disabilities
Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)
To develop and influence disability employment-related policies and practices, ODEP sponsors five policy and technical assistance resources. One of these is the National Employer Technical Assistance Center, a collaborative that researches, influences and develops inclusive employer practices and policies and — through the Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) — helps employers hire and retain workers with disabilities.
Recent EARN activities and areas of focus include:
Business Strategies that Work: A Framework for Disability Inclusion
Business Strategies that Work identifies promising employment strategies and practices for recruiting, hiring, retaining, and advancing qualified individuals with disabilities. It is a guide for employers who want to ensure that their workplaces are truly diverse and inclusive. It is a valuable tool, with proactive and dynamic human resource strategies for employers who want to be successful in today’s diverse and global markets. The strategies found here are used by employers who make a strong business case for employing people with disabilities. By identifying, adopting, and refining these effective and meaningful employment practices, you too can benefit from having a vibrant, diverse workforce.
Federal Workplace Mentoring Primer
This toolkit is a rich resource for any federal government employee interested in learning the basics of workplace mentoring and how to apply them within the federal work environment.
Toolkit for Establishing and Maintaining Successful Employee Resource Groups
This informational resource outlines 12 steps on how to implement a disability-focused Employee Resource Group (ERG). ERGs, often called Employee Networks or Affinity Groups, are company-sponsored entities comprised of employees who have shared interests and experiences and have at one time felt underrepresented in the workplace.
Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT)
To develop and influence disability employment-related policies and practices, ODEP sponsors five policy and technical assistance resources. One of these is the Partnership on Employment & Accessible Technology (PEAT), which promotes the employment, retention, and career advancement of people with disabilities through the development, adoption, and promotion of accessible technology.
PEAT resources and activities include:
PEATWorks.org, a central hub for accessible technology-related tools and resources, including the latest PEAT research on the accessibility of online job applications and other eRecruiting technologies. PEATworks content is designed to help employers and the technology industry adopt and promote accessible technology as part of everyday business practices, for the benefit of all employers and workers.
PEATTalks, a new virtual speaker series showcasing organizations and individuals whose work is advancing accessible technology in the workplace. Held the third Thursday of every month at 2:00 p.m. ET, PEAT Talks are energetic and interactive discussions highlighting a spectrum of exciting work. Featured speakers deliver a 15-minute talk and then field questions from attendees.
TechCheck, a powerful but simple tool to help employers assess their technology accessibility practices and find tools to help improve them. TechCheck can help employers gauge the current state of their accessible technology policies, the goals they want to reach, and what steps they can take to reach them. TechCheck is intended for U.S. employers of all types — public or private, large or small.