Hiring an Individual with a Disability - Simply a Good Business Decision

If you’re a business owner or employer planning on hiring, you should consider hiring a person with a disability. Smart businesses know that mirroring the market attracts a wider customer base and increases market share. When you hire and retain qualified employees with disabilities, you not only get valuable employees, you also greatly increase your opportunity to gain a lasting customer base, the disability market. Don’t think that’s significant? Read on.

• According to MarketResearch.com, 54 million Americans with disabilities represent the third largest market segment in the United States, right behind Baby Boomers and the mature market.
• People with disabilities and their network, as reported by the U.S. Census, represent $1 trillion dollars in discretionary spending.
• Nearly 30% of the 70 million American families have at least one family member with a disability. Of these family members, 73% are heads of households, 48% are principle shoppers and 58% own their own homes.
• According to a National Survey of Consumer Attitudes, 92% of Americans view companies that hire people with disabilities more favorably than those that do not, 87% would prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with disabilities and 65% would be willing to switch to a brand associated with a good cause if price and quality were relatively equal.

Those figures alone should have you scampering to your HR Manager. But maybe you’re not sure that a person with a disability can meet the demands of the workplace; if so, you’re not alone. This myth is the number one barrier to people with disabilities becoming gainfully employed,.

Studies by DuPont, DePaul University and others, have shown that employees with disabilities, when fully engaged, are as productive, have less absenteeism and tend to remain with their employer longer than their nondisabled counterparts. In addition, individuals who work for companies that hire people with disabilities also see the company in a more positive light and tend to be more loyal employees. Don’t think loyalty counts? Recruiting, rehiring and retraining can cost an employer 94% to more than 200% of an employee’s yearly salary!

Still not sure? Maybe you think you can’t afford to hire a person with a disability. What about those expensive accommodations? Well, think again.

• Surveys of employers who used the Job Accommodation Network show that 50% of all accommodations, if needed at all, cost less than $50 and 88% cost less than $1,000.
• Walgreens found that modifications intended for workers with disabilities at one of their distribution centers helped everyone work more efficiently and increased productivity across the facility nearly 20%. How’s that for return on investment?
• Finally, there are State and Federal incentives for hiring qualified individuals with disabilities, including tax credits amounting to thousands of dollars that come directly off your bottom line at filing time.

Hiring people with disabilities—you can’t afford not to. It’s the right thing. It’s the profitable thing. It’s a good business decision. To learn more, contact your state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, ora local Human Service Agency that provides employment services to people with disabilities in your community, such as Good Shepherd Work Services. You can also visit www.dol.gov/odep