Disability Job and Career Management

A planted seed cannot grow without the nurturing power of sunlight and water.  In the same way, employees cannot grow without the support of their organization.  In our previous article, we explored a study conducted by the Federal Managers Association that had an alarming message:  managers are perceived as ill equipped to foster a work environment where employees with disabilities can develop into valuable professionals.

Unemployment for individuals with disabilities has risen, despite the strong legislative push to abolish discriminatory hiring practices.[i] A clear reason for this contradictory outcome is a general lack of the proper disability education and advocacy among managers, an argument advanced by the Federal Manager Association’s Unnecessary Boundaries study.

Fortunately, the hardest hurdles have been cleared.  The Federal government has led by example through the 1990s, starting with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act.  President Clinton furthered efforts with his Executive Order 13163, a commitment to award 100,000 Federal jobs to persons with disabilities by 2005.  Organizations are now responsible to follow suit, not only by equitable hiring practices, but also by establishing inclusive work environments where persons with disabilities receive the supports necessary to advance and grow.

The first and most essential step in providing support for an employee with a mental or physical impairment is to evaluate their level of competency.  The mysterious and complex nature of mental illness coupled with a personalized manifestation per individual places extreme importance in management’s ability to assess employees and their varying abilities before attempting to create environmental supports to encourage their growth.  A multitude of tools are available for gauging competency and can be classified by how employees’ abilities are measured.  Self-report instruments, for example, rely on the employee’s ability to display aptitude through written questionnaires or workplace simulations.  Observer rating instruments, on the other hand, rely on an observer to rate an employee’s aptitude based on how well he or she displays an ability to perform specific tasks, either through written questionnaires or simulated work situations.

Self-report instruments are most useful when a mental health professional is helping a person develop social skills across a variety of social contexts.[ii] While a work environment is considered a social context, self-report instruments are not ideal as they require the involvement of a trained mental health professional.  Observer rating instruments, by contrast, work well in the business context.  The observer need not be a professional counselor or psychologist.  They must, however, have a substantial opportunity to observe and learn about the employee and his or her condition prior to administering an assessment.[iii] Managers and other Human Resources personnel are ideal candidates for the role of an observer as they have ample opportunity to get to know new hires before administering an observer-rating assessment.

Once the competency of an employee with a disability is ascertained, management can begin to tailor the company culture in a way that maximizes the employee’s ability to participate, communicate, learn, and develop.  Disability job and career development tools are available to help organizations assess the competency of their workers, and they represent vital tools in creating an inclusive work environment.  Other disability training and education resources can be utilized to spread awareness in a diverse organization, a necessary complement to helping persons with disabilities develop as professionals among their peers.

[ii] http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-71316809/measuring-rehabilitation-outcomes.html

[iii] http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-71316809/measuring-rehabilitation-outcomes.html