Disability Employers and the Americans with Disabilities Act

Is your organization working with the Americans with Disabilities Act?  It may seem unreasonable to frame this question nearly 20 years after the enactment of the ADA, but a closer look may prove otherwise.  The rate of unemployment among those with disability hovered around 16% at the end of 2009; nearly double the rate of unemployment among persons with no disability (i).  The assessment of Federal employers, as illustrated in the Unnecessary Boundaries study, indicates little progress in hiring individuals with disability since 1990 as well.

The picture is not entirely dismal, however.  The ADA was enacted.  Presidents have made legislative changes to further disability awareness– Barack Obama’s issuance of Rosa’s Law in late October being one of the most recent.  In spite of these governmental and societal movements, though, unemployment among those with disability continues to hover at almost twice that of those without disability.  To further unravel this conundrum, let us consider the other piece of the equation:  disability employers.

Disability Employers and the Americans with Disabilities Act

Disability employers may not actively seek to diversify their workplace.  On the contrary, the Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits employers from trying to gauge whether or not a particular applicant has a disability (ii).  Persons with disabilities are thus able to disclose their condition at their own discretion.  Employers often hire applicants with disabilities simply in virtue of their qualifications for the job.  Ideally, this would be a victory for both employer and applicant.  However, employers sometimes lack the skills, workplace supports, or technologies to facilitate the employment of a new hire with a disability.  As a result, the new employee is hired, receives inadequate training, suffers from lackluster environmental supports, and is unable to perform to the best of their ability.

Prepare to Work with the ADA

Simple disability education products can equip organizations to reverse this trend.  The ADA has been successful in breaking the barriers to disability employment, however progress now rests in the hands of employers.  Proactive disability awareness training can equip an organization with the knowledge, skills, and etiquette necessary to build inclusive workplaces suitable for today’s diverse workforce.   Additionally, organizations may enlist disability advocacy resources to refine their hiring skills, smoothing the transition of employees with disability into the workplace.

(i)  http://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t06.htm

(ii)  http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/personalissues/a/disability_act.htm