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Even when companies are successful at recruiting
applicants with disabilities, they may not be successful at hiring those
individuals into their workforces. Some of the following resources may
be of assistance to you in shoring up your company's hiring practices to
be most effective at hiring people with disabilities.
INTERVIEWING
For companies that want to be successful at hiring people
with disabilities, interviewing applicants with disabilities is a
particularly critical issue to address. Often times interviewers are
overly nervous and uncomfortable when interviewing an applicant with a
disability. This discomfort is typically based on one or more of the
following:
1. Their unfamiliarity with
disability-related etiquette and communication issues.
2. Their concerns about the legal issues that enforce
non-discrimination in the interview process.
3. Their lack of experience in interacting with people with
disabilities and the fear of uncertainty that arises from this.
Unless an interviewer can find a way to be comfortable in
interviewing candidates with disabilities, they are unlikely to be
ineffective. Without a level of comfort, they will probably not be able
to thoroughly probe the interviewees or resolve any disability-related
concerns that they have. Without being able to accomplish this, they
will not have complete confidence in the interviewee's ability to do the
job - and the interviewee will not be hired.
There are many online resources that provide interviewers
with information on the legal guidelines that they need to know - and
others that outline the basic etiquette and communication issues that
need to be considered. (Several of these are listed below.) In most
communities, government agencies and community organizations can provide
employers with additional printed information and/or on-site training on
these issues.
Experience, however, is the only cure for lack of
experience. Companies should consider providing opportunities for their
hiring managers and/or recruiters to interact directly with people with
a variety of disabilities. Interestingly, many organizations that
provide employment services to people with disabilities are looking for
opportunities for their clients to practice and hone their interviewing
skills. Scheduling "mock interviews" is an ideal way for businesses and
disability-related organizations to partner on a project of mutual
benefit.
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RESOURCES
Interviewing Guide
- A concise listing of common-sense guidelines
developed by the University of Florida.
Disability Etiquette - A handy little online (pdf) booklet
from United Spinal Association that
covers most of the common disability-related terms and considerations
that take the awkwardness out of interactions.
Legal Considerations
- The EEOC has developed some helpful
information on the legal considerations that are involved when
considering job applicants with disabilities.
Interviewing Persons with Disabilities
- Considerations from
Americorps/The World Institute on disability.
Scheduling Etiquette
- The City of San Antonio has compiled a very
handy little summary of pre-interview considerations for best
accommodating interviewees with disabilities.
The Ten Commandments of Communicating with People with Disabilities
is an excellent video for addressing etiquette and communication issues.
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NOTE: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
requires employers to accommodate people with disabilities throughout
the hiring process. This may include such considerations as having
printed materials available in alternate formats (Braille, large print,
etc.), providing a sign language interpreter during interviews, and
similar such accommodations. Return to Top
JOB DESCRIPTIONS
In hiring people with disabilities, an important
consideration is the distinction between "essential" and "non-essential"
job duties. An applicant with a disability who cannot perform an
essential function of a job (with or without an accommodation) can
legally be disqualified from competition for a particular job. No one
can be disqualified by being unable to perform non-essential job duties.
Generally, essential job duties would be those which are
central to the central purpose for which the job was created, those that
cannot be readily performed by other people in the workplace and/or
those which require a specialized skill set. A
good job description can help you to identify essential functions from
non-essential ones - and focus your recruiting activities and
interviewing processes on the essential ones.
RESOURCES
Job
Descriptions - Guidelines on making job descriptions compliant with
the Americans with disabilities Act (ADA) from CA University
Northridge's Succeeding Together.
Job Descriptions - Guidelines on developing ADA compliant job
descriptions from the Job Accommodation Network.
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Return to Top
ACCOMMODATIONS
People in your organization who are
responsible for hiring decisions need to have a good basic understanding
of job accommodations if they are going to be effective at considering
people with disabilities for your job openings. In a poll of members of
the Society for Human Resources Management, when asked to identify the
major barrier to the employment and hiring of people with disabilities,
31% cited
supervisors’ lack of knowledge about accommodations.
Another study revealed that
40% of employers believe that it is difficult or costly
to accommodate workers with disabilities.
Whether it is accomplished by
informational brochures, live training sessions, or intranet
content, it is important for people who make hiring decisions to be
aware of the following key points about job accommodations:
They need to know that most people
with disabilities don't
need them.
Studies show that less than 25% of employees with disabilities use job
accommodations of any kind.
They need to know that most aren't
expensive.
Only about 15% of employees with disabilities require accommodations
that incur a cost (approximately 7% of accommodations are no-cost
solutions). Of those, about 56% cost less than $500, 28% cost $501 -
$1000, and only 16% cost more than $1000. In fact, only 0.2% of
accommodations cost more than $5000.
They need to be aware of
your company's
commitment to them.
If they are interviewing a job applicant requires an accommodation, your
employees need to know where your company's commitment, policies and
practices around job accommodations - how job accommodations are
selected, approved and purchased.
They need to understand that
essentially they are
just productivity tools.
Whether they consist of specialized equipment, altered routines, or
revised schedules, job accommodations are simply just a way to enhance
the performance of employees with disabilities in order to maximize
their productivity on the job. Most companies seek to enhance the
productivity of their employees with the best possible tools and
equipment. Job accommodations for employees with disabilities are simply
an extension of this principle.
They need to
know that providing REASONABLE accommodations is a legal obligation.
If your company has 15 or more employees it is covered by the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Your employees need to be
aware that, under this legislation, you are obligated to provide any
"reasonable" job accommodations that are required by an applicant or
employee with a disability. Your employees cannot choose not to
interview or hire someone with a disability because of the cost of
accommodations (assuming they are reasonable). Such an action would
be considered discrimination - and be the basis for taking legal
action against your company.
They need to know what accommodations are
possible.
Your employees that make hiring decisions need to be aware that
"common sense" assumptions about what people with disabilities can
and cannot do are not reliable. They need to be aware that job
accommodations make the seemingly impossible, possible. They don't
have to become job accommodation experts, but they should be made
aware of some of the amazing technologies that exist - elevating
wheelchairs, screen readers, remote (video conferencing) sign
language interpreting, voice activated computers, etc.
NOTE:
Your best source for determining needed accommodations for the
interview or the job is likely going to be the person with a
disability themselves.
Return to Top
BELIEFS
According
to a recent survey, 32%
of employers said that that people with disabilities cannot effectively
perform the type of work that is required by people employed by their
company. Obviously widespread, this belief is entirely erroneous. As
renowned disability expert Richard Pimentel says: "There is a good
person with a disability for every job in your company... including
CEO."
Most of the hiring discrimination encountered by people
with disabilities probably stems from this kind of belief. Rooted in
ignorance and misinformation, it can be readily removed from your
workforce by providing your employees with new information - examples of
people with different disabilities who are flourishing in their careers.
Return to Top
FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE
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RESOURCES
Work Opportunity Tax Credit - A federal tax credit program for
employers who hire people with disabilities (designated criteria).
Tax
Incentives For Improving Accessibility - A federal tax credit for
employers who make their workplaces accessible to people with
disabilities and/or an
annual deduction for expenses incurred to remove physical, structural,
and transportation barriers for persons with disabilities at the
workplace.
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