More than ever, employers are now faced with being creative, protecting their investments, and gaining market share while competitors falter.  The most important resource to a company is human capital so now’s the time to invest.  There’s a highly-qualified segment of the population underrepresented in employers across the US that delivers huge ROI.  Be an enabler….

Employees with disabilities deliver:
• Low absenteeism
• Low turnover
• Unique skills, perspectives, and work ethics to the workplace that help reduce costs♥

Direct benefits for your business:
• 92% of Americans view companies that hire people with disabilities more favorably than those that do not*
• 87% of the public would prefer to give their business to companies that hire people with disabilities*
• 65% of Americans are willing to switch to a brand associated with a good cause in price and quality are relatively equal◦

But you’re reading this thinking, “Yea, great reasons but it’s really expensive to accommodate someone with a disability in our work setting.” 
Ah, not so…….

In a 2002 study by the Job Accommodation Network, the national average for accommodating an employee with a disability is $35 and 70% of employees with disabilities do not even require an accommodation.**  After reading the benefits and doing the math, nice investment!!!

Now your thinking “well, sure, but I can’t imagine a person with a disability is creative enough for our work environment.”  Consider that people with disabilities may be better equipped as problem solvers than their peers without disabilities.  People with disabilities must be creative and performing many of the day-to-day tasks others do without thinking. 

So, given the benefits expressed above, hiring people with disabilities is an excellent investment as this can impact your bottom line in a huge way (reread that list of initial bullets please ).

When you hire people with disabilities, you can increase employee loyalty and productivity while attracting and retaining the best talent.

*www.dol.gov/odep/categories/employer/competitive_edge/business_case.htm

◦ www.earnworks.com/BusinessCase/soc_resp_level2.asp

♥Hidden talent: how leading companies hire, retain, and benefit from people with disabilities, edited by Mark L. Lengnick-Hall, 2007, Praeger Publishers, Westport, CT

**http://www.jan.wvu.edu/Erguide/