Hidden Talent: How Leading Companies Hire, Retain, and Benefit from People with

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Hidden Talent: Book Review by Donnelly

http://www.disaboom.com/Living/books/hidden-talent-book-review.aspx

It's refreshing to read a book that examines the role of people with

disabilities in the workforce in a wholly positive way.

Hidden Talent: How Leading Companies Hire, Retain, and Benefit from

People with Disabilities, a concise resource for employers, begins

with the idea that hiring people with disabilities is a necessity for

businesses that want to remain competitive in the future. Statistics

show that the graying of the workforce and the shrinking of the labor

pool after the Baby Boomers move into retirement will mean both the

presence of more qualified workers with age-related disabilities and

the need to fill jobs with workers from nontraditional sources.

After discussing labor trends and possible reasons for the

comparatively low level of employment among people with disabilities

(22.4 percent in full-time jobs), the book presents seven case

studies of companies that make a business case for hiring people with

disabilities, including Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, and SunTrust

Banks.

Technology companies, for example, rely on employees with

disabilities to improve the accessibility of their products. Smaller

companies like A & F Wood Products of Michigan found that a chronic

labor shortage meant finding new sources of workers. After hiring a

person with a disability, the company made a point of bringing on

board new employees with disabilities because of these workers'

loyalty and the quality of their work.

The book makes a solid business case for hiring people with

disabilities and offers information on creating a disability-friendly

working culture. The appendices include a list of tax incentives for

hiring people with disabilities, hiring resources, and a guide to

employers' responsibilities regarding the ADA. Employers in all-sized

companies will find compelling reasons here to make hiring people

with disabilities a business priority.

Hidden Talent: How Leading Companies Hire, Retain, and Benefit from

People with Disabilities. Mark L. Lengnick-Hall, ed. Praeger, 2007,

168p. ISBN 0275992869.