Bottom-line reasons to hire disabled

[Guest guest]

This was in today's San Diego Union Tribune...

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070724/news_1c24appel.html

Hiring people with disabilities increases profits. Plain and simple.

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In a Department of Education publication through the Office of Special

Education and Rehabilitative Services, " Disability Employment 101, " workers

with disabilities are rated as average or above average in a number of key

employment areas. Performance, quality and quantity of work are cited.

Flexibility on the job and attendance are additional areas of evaluation.

Statistically, retention rates of employees with disabilities are also

better than average.

The good ratings can be partly attributed to the fact that managing life

with a disability involves developing certain personal skills that translate

to the job setting. Problem-solving skills tend to be honed very quickly. As

it is said, " necessity is the mother of invention. " A natural outgrowth of

problem-solving is a tendency to persevere. A kind of personal tenacity, if

you will.

Accommodations on the job cost almost nothing or are not even required by

workers with disabilities. And the average cost to employers of a workplace

accommodation that was required this year was under $600.

As for absentee and sick rates, disabled employees' records have been shown

to be the same as those of non-disabled employees. So the notion of carrying

the burden of more sick leave and higher health care costs is a myth. And

changes to Medicare and Medicaid buy-in programs have meant higher

participation by employees with disabilities. With employees opting for

Medicare and Medicaid as their primary insurance programs, employers' health

care costs for workers with disabilities are being reduced. And the savings

help the bottom line.

Studies also show disability claims are rare. Ninety-one percent of

employers with disabled employees had no complaints under the Americans with

Disabilities Act for the studied 12-month period. All the facts show that

when the smoke screen of myths clears, employees with disabilities simply

want jobs and not lawsuits. They bear no more burden of legal liability than

any other employees.

The most significant barrier for those with disabilities in the workplace

lies in people's misperceptions.

So the message is really simple: Hiring and retaining workers with

disabilities can bring higher profits and be good for business.