Employment Resources for Employers Wanting a Stable, Capable Workforce

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) represent a large pool of untapped talent.  Recent data estimates that only 33% of individuals with disabilities are competitively employed.  In comparison, 76% Individuals without disabilities are competitively employed:

• Employees with disabilities have proven to be more punctual, reliable, conscientious, and have low turnover rates.
• A national survey found that 92% of consumers felt more favorable towards companies hiring individuals with disabilities and that 87% would prefer to give their business to organizations employing individuals with disabilities.
• Data has shown that individuals who are deaf or are on the autism spectrum are creative, innovative, and have a strong work ethic and attention to detail.  These employees bring valuable contributions and increase diversity by representing another point of view.
• Hiring individuals with disabilities can improve the internal atmosphere of an organization by creating an atmosphere of inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance of differences.
• Research has shown that hiring individuals with disabilities can increase profitability due to the sense of accomplishment and satisfaction employees with disabilities received from employment and the sense of loyalty they felt towards the companies that invested in recruiting and training them.

All these findings are backed by data from the article A Systematic Review of the Benefits of Hiring People with Disabilities. This article synthesized 39 different studies conducted between 1997 and 2017 on the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities.

Resources

American Association of People with Disabilities

Association for Persons in Supported Employment (APSE)

Federal Bonding Program

The Business Benefits of Hiring People with Intellectual Disabilities

Connecticut Business Leadership Network

Department of Labor (DOL)

The Employer assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN)

Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
JAN provides free consulting services for all employers, regardless of the size of an employer’s workforce. Services include one-on-one consultation about all aspects of job accommodations, including the accommodation process, accommodation ideas, product vendors, referral to other resources, and ADA compliance assistance.

Real People Real Jobs Employment Success Stories from Think Work/ICI

The Red Book - A Guide to Work Incentives

U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Disability Discrimination

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