Hire employees with disabilities

Small businesses can find it challenging to hire talented workers. Hiring disabled individuals can help businesses meet their talent needs. It can also strengthen a business’s competitive edge by fostering creative business solutions.

What is considered a disability? Any physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities. People with disabilities often need workplace accommodations. These could include modifications or adjustments to:

• how the job tasks are accomplished
• the physical work environment
• the way things are usually done during the hiring process

The goal of recruitment is to find the best people for the job. Making sure that all who qualify can take part in the process is essential. It is important to know where to look to find candidates with disabilities.
Companies interested in hiring employees with disabilities can:

• Reach out to the local Workforce Development Board (WDB). WDBs are part of the Public Workforce System. This is network of federal, state, and local offices that connect companies to the resources they need. This includes skilled employees with disabilities.
• Contact your local American Job Center. A Business Services Representative can help with hiring or training employees. This includes people with disabilities who are ready and willing to work.
• Use EARN’s list of online job posting boards to find qualified workers with disabilities. 

An employment strategy can help small businesses. It identifies low-cost, low-tech ways to improve labor effectiveness. This assures a mutually rewarding employment partnership. It also helps recruit workers with disabilities who your business needs.

DOL’s Office on Disability Employment Policy has resources to help employers implement customized employment strategies for recruitment and hiring. 

Expand your reach by partnering with groups such as:

• State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agencies
  • Provide a wide range of services to help people with disabilities find and keep jobs
  • Connect businesses with skilled workers with disabilities in their area
• Your state’s Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities
  • Increases employment opportunities for people with disabilities 
  • Promotes public awareness of the needs and abilities of people with disabilities
• Your local Center for Independent Living (CIL)
  • Promotes independent living and equal access for people of all ages with all types of disabilities
  • Often works with local employers interested in hiring qualified workers with disabilities
• The Social Security Administration’s Ticket to Work (TTW) program
  • Can connect employers with Employment Networks
  • These help businesses find qualified job applicants with disabilities
• The Department of Labor Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP)
  • Connects employers with postsecondary students and recent graduates with disabilities seeking internships and jobs
• State Apprenticeship Agencies
  • Helps connect jobseekers looking to learn new skills with employers and sponsors
  • Watch the #ApprenticeshipWorks video to learn more about these benefits
• Your state’s AT Act Program
  • Helps employers and employees identify the most cost-effective assistive technology to meet accommodation needs

You can also partner with your local college or university’s Office of Disability Student Services, or local organizations and groups that support people with disabilities.

Cultivating relationships with these organizations is a good way to gain visibility. It can also improve your access to the talent pool of people with disabilities.

When interviewing candidates with disabilities, employers must follow certain guidelines. For example, there are certain questions you may not ask. You cannot ask job applicants about their disabilities or medical conditions.

To learn more, read the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission guide.

What matters is an employee’s abilities, not his or her disabilities. Accommodations help employees with disabilities do their job.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines a workplace accommodation. Job accommodations can include:

• Screen reading software for employees who have low vision
• Raised desks for employees who use wheelchairs
• Job coaching for employees with intellectual disabilities
• Modifying a policy to allow a service animal
• Workplace Personal Assistance Services
• Working from home (telecommuting)
• Adjustments to work schedules

For more information about job accommodations:

• Read the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's Reasonable Accommodations. This can tell you what to consider when hiring individuals with disabilities.
• Visit Job Accommodation Network (JAN). JAN provides free, expert and confidential guidance. They also help with disability employment issues like employment laws.

Most workplace accommodations don’t cost much. According to JAN, half of all job accommodations cost employers nothing. When they do have a cost, it's typically around $500. It's also usually a one-time expense. Most employers say it pays for itself many times over. It can reduce insurance and training costs and increase productivity.

Businesses can take advantage of financial incentives to make reasonable accommodations.

Individuals with disabilities must be able to access the same information as others, and this is supported by the Section 508 law. This means that software, documents, forms, online meetings, and other types of technology must be accessible by people with disabilities, whether they use assistive technology or not.

Federal financial incentives encourage businesses to hire individuals with disabilities. They also help offset the costs of workplace accommodations.

There are also state tax credits available. Check your state office of tax and revenue for more details.