At a time when employers routinely complain that they can’t find qualified workers, millions of potential employees continue to face an additional hurdle in getting hired: a disability.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month is a great time to remember that overlooking those candidates isn’t just unfair (and disability discrimination is illegal). Employers may be passing up talented workers.
A report from Accenture found that companies leading in disability inclusion generated 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income, and twice the economic profit of other companies participating in the study. They were also 25% more likely to outperform industry peers in productivity.
Yet a substantial employment gap remains. There are 17 million working age adults with disabilities in the United States, and just 38 percent are employed, compared to 75 percent of people without disabilities. That leaves a labor pool of some 10 million individuals looking for work.
Why does such a large employment gap persist?
Disability discrimination in hiring rarely looks like an outright refusal to hire someone because of a disability. More often, it’s embedded in processes, language, and assumptions that haven’t been examined.
Removing those barriers doesn’t require HR professionals and hiring managers to become experts on every disability. It starts with making the hiring process accessible, focusing on the candidate’s ability to perform the essential functions of the job, and asking candidates what accommodations they may need rather than making assumptions for them.
Here are some practical guidelines employers can follow when interviewing candidates with different types of disabilities.
Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Candidates
Ask the candidate how they would prefer to communicate — whether they use an interpreter, read lips, or prefer written questions and answers. If using an interpreter, speak to the candidate, not the interpreter. If the candidate reads lips, then be sure to look directly at the candidate. And do not raise your voice.
Blind or Low-Vision Candidates
Introduce yourself with your name and title and describe your appearance and how the interview setting is laid out. When offering seating, offer to place the person’s hand on the back or arm of the chair. To initiate a handshake, say something like, “May I shake your hand?” Ask what assistance, if any, the candidate would find helpful. Remember that blind and low-vision candidates cannot “read” body language or facial expressions.
Candidates with Speech Disabilities
People who stutter or have other speech disabilities often just need a bit more time to form and express answers to questions. You can make the process easier if you ask the candidate if they would prefer to use writing materials such as a whiteboard to write responses to questions. Other tips include:
Candidates with Mobility Disabilities
Some wheelchair users may prefer to transfer from their wheelchair to a chair for the interview. In addition, some wheelchair users consider a wheelchair to be part of their body space, so don’t lean against it or move it without permission. Sit down so you can be at eye level with the candidate and allow people with canes or crutches to keep them within easy reach.
Neurodivergent Candidates
Neurodiversity is a broad category of people with developmental, mental health, and intellectual disabilities like Down Syndrome, autism, or PTSD. Communication skills can vary widely in this population, and it is important to remember that soft skills like small talk, eye contact, and humor are not necessarily job qualifications.
In addition:
Ultimately, creating a more inclusive hiring process doesn’t mean lowering standards or giving candidates with disabilities special treatment. It means removing unnecessary barriers so every applicant has a fair opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.
For employers struggling to find qualified workers, that’s more than a matter of inclusion. By taking a fresh look at job requirements, application systems, interview practices, and their own assumptions, employers can see the skills candidates have to offer, not the disability, and discover some of the capable workers they’ve been looking for have been there all along.
