Overview
- Business benefits of hiring persons with disabilities
- Business that accommodate employees needs seen as Employer of Choice
- Business response to customers and clients with disabilities a growing market
- Accommodating workplace has productive workforce.
- Accommodation changes (wheelchair ramps, people with crutches and others with disabilities)
- Legal Context
- Federal and provincial laws ensure diverse groups have equal opportunity and equal access without discrimination.
- 75% of human rights complaints occur due to discriminatory action without employers realizing
- Primary Types of Disabilities and Examples
- Mobility
- Multiple sclerosis, Spinal chord injury
- Sensory
- Vision and Hearing impairment
- Mental
- Depression, Schizophrenia
- Intellectual/Development
- Acquired brain inquiry, Autism
- Dispelling Workplace Myths. Research shows:
- Employees with disabilities are often highly motivated and have better record for job attendance
- Employees with disabilities meet the same job performance standards
- Employees with disabilities are not more likely to have accidents in the workplace.
- Most employees with disabilities do not always require expensive accommodations
- An employers premium will not be increased because they hire employees with disabilities
- Employers are not required to give health care insurance providers any medical records unless this is required for all employees
- Physical Barriers
- Ramps leading to entrance
- No elevators inside
- Narrow doorways for wheel chair accessibility
- Telephone without a valid signal for those with hearing impairment
- Computer, Touch screens for someone with visual impairment
- Accessible restroom
- Elevators without voice announcements or Braille numbering
- Lack of interpreter or written notes
- Systemic Barriers
- Speed testing applications when speed is not an actual job requirement
- Automatically screening out applicants due to a spelling error in the application
- Rejecting applicants that have employment gaps in work history
Getting Started
- Involve your workforce. Plan an orientation for the new employee
- Create a diversity policy/ human rights statement
- Learn the correct terms for referring to persons with disabilities
- Allow employees with disabilities to get directly connected with the performance of the job
- Employer and coworkers must believe they are necessary for doing the job
- The standard required by the employer must be reasonable and fair
Terminology
How to address people with disabilities
Incorrect
The Blind
Confined to a wheelchair
Crippled, lame
Fit, attack, spell
The Handicapped
Insane, crazy, demented
Mentally retarted, Idiot, mongoloid
Normal
Physically challenged
Suffers from or a victim of
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Correct
- Person who is blind
- Person who uses a wheelchair
- Person with mobility impairment
- Seizure
- Personal with a disability
- Person with a mental health disability
- Personal with a development disability
- Person who does not have a disability
- Person with a disability
- Person with a disability or impairment
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Recruitment
- Attracting qualified applicants from a new pool
- Send your job postings to Online Abilities job board
- Advertising in alternate formats (large print, Braille or audio tape)
- In your advertisement include “We are an equal opportunity employer” or “We welcome applications from persons with disabilities”
- Consider including graphics of persons with disabilities on the job posting
Selection
- Avoid questions classifying a person based on their disability
- Ask every applicant the same questions and leave a person’s disability until after job offer
- Ensure tests are based on persons ability to do the job
- Focus on applicants skill, abilities and qualifications during the interview
- If the applicant brings up the topic of accommodation, then discuss by focusing on abilities.
- Avoid personal questions as they do not have a bearing on the job
- If a medical is required by all new hires, wait until after job offer to request applicant
- Provide detailed information about interview location, length of interview so transportation arrangements are made
- Ask applicants if they need to be accommodated during the interview.
Workplace Sensitivity and Accommodation;
- Job accommodations are about flexibility and creativity not physical changes and sophisticated technology
- Risks after accommodation must outweigh the benefits or equality
- Discriminatory attitudes of co workers
- Understanding business inconvenience, customer preference or speculative future risks
- Adapting equipment to allow employee to function independently
- Altering the ways in which tasks get done
- Offering flexible working options
- Making minor physical changes to the worksite
Supervision and Performance Management;
Supervisor’s can take an active role in facilitating an employees professional development by
- Establishing goals and determining training
- Ensure training sessions, materials and program delivery methods are accessible
- Encourage employees to find mentors
- Include employees with disabilities in all work related and social activities (ask about their accommodations)
- Don’t make assumptions , just ask them
- Get to know your employees
Hiring Incentives
Incentives are provided directly from the federal, provincial and municipal governments as well as through community organization partners.
- Save time and advertising dollars by placing job advertisement through Online Abilities Job Board
- Employers receive only pre screen and qualified candidates
- Final interviews and selection decisions are totally at the employers discretion
- Employment Related Costs
- Job Orientation and training costs
- Accommodations (keyboards, adaptive software)
- Interpreter cost
- Job Coach can be provided for orientation and training
- Post hiring followup could be available from 3 to 12 months
Equitable Employer
- Job accommodations are about flexibility and creativity not physical changes and sophisticated technology
- Risks after accommodation must outweigh the benefits or equality
- Discriminatory attitudes of co workers
- Understanding business inconvenience, customer preference or speculative future risks
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