Research and Resources: Hiring Managers, HR Staff, and Employees with Disabilities
marta.garcia - Mon, 11/04/2019 - 11:54
While unemployment is at an historic low in the United States, working-age adults with disabilities are still more likely to be unemployed than those without disabilities. Businesses in the US are building an inclusive workforce, however, and they are turning to the pool of talented, qualified workers with disabilities to fill their ranks. Hiring managers and human resource (HR) staff may be looking for help in recruiting, interviewing, hiring, and retaining these skilled workers. What research and resources are available to help these businesses hire and support their employees?
Over the years, NIDILRR has funded and continues to fund projects that conduct research on employment for people with disabilities. This includes projects that research supported employment, assistive technology and employment, vocational rehabilitation, and transitioning into employment. The following NIDILRR-funded projects are just a small example of the research that hiring managers can find among the grantees:
- The project Workplace Accommodation Expert Support System (Work ACCESS) is developing an online tool and mobile application, Work ACCESS, to help employers assess the workplace accommodation needs of their employees with disabilities and improve the provision of accommodations that increase workplace performance and participation. Researchers are developing Work ACCESS to be a user-friendly tool that HR staff and employees can use together to make informed, evidence-based decisions.
- Researchers at the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Employer Practices for Individuals with Disabilities (VCU-RRTC-EP) investigate the most successful business practices that companies utilize to hire and retain employees with disabilities. The Center also provides resources for employers, such as the Employer Insights Series, and trainings that include online courses, webcasts and in-person trainings.
Several of the NIDILRR-funded projects also provide resources, training, and tools for hiring managers and HR staff:
- The ADA National Network (ADANN), along with its ten Regional Centers, provides information, training, technical assistance, and capacity building activities to help hiring managers, HR staff, and employees with disabilities learn about their rights and responsibilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For more information or for technical assistance contact the ADANN via email or your Regional Center by calling 800/949-4232.
- The project, Employment for Individuals with Blindness or Other Visual Impairments, has published a guide, A Human Resource Guide for Working with Employees Experiencing Vision Loss. This guide helps HR managers and supervisors unfamiliar with blindness or low vision by providing useful information and guidance that assists them in helping employees who experience vision loss to maintain employment.
NARIC’s REHABDATA database indexes articles, books, and reports from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere, including those on information, solutions, and strategies on recruiting, hiring, accommodating, and the retention of employees with disabilities:
- The article, Collaboration between supported employment and human resource services: Strategies for success, describes the benefits of successful collaborations between supported employment agencies and HR managers when working together to secure employment for job seekers with disabilities.
- The book, Staff recruitment, retention, and training strategies for community human services organizations, offers guidance to supervisors, managers, and administrators for tackling the three most challenging issues facing community support organizations: recruitment, retention, and training of direct support professionals. Each chapter focuses on a critical workforce issue and the book lists specific competencies that every manager or supervisor should develop to help address that issue.
The following organizations assist hiring managers and HR staff in connecting and accommodating job candidates and employees with disabilities:
- The Employer Assistance & Recruiting Network (EARN) is a free service that connects employers with skilled job candidates with disabilities. EARN also assists employers in understanding the practical business reasons for, as well as the practices that facilitate the recruitment and hiring of people with disabilities.
- The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is a free consulting service that is designed to increase the employability of people with disabilities and assist hiring managers and HR staff by providing individualized accommodations solutions and providing technical assistance regarding the ADA and other disability related legislation. JAN provides information and resources for private employers, federal employers, and state and local government employers; union representatives; employees and job seekers with disabilities and others; and provides a Workplace Accommodation Toolkit.
This is just a sample of the research, information, tools, resources, strategies, etc. from the NIDILRR community and elsewhere. If you would like to learn more, please contact NARIC’s information specialists.
