Recruiting Employees with Disabilities

“All too often, people with disabilities are pressured to feel gratitude for things that are their basic human rights – subsidized housing, support services, inclusion in the community, basic acceptance and respect,” writes the poet and activist Laura Hershey in “The Good and Bad of Gratitude.”

Among the ‘basic acceptance and respect’ must be the opportunity to work.

“We can’t succumb to feelings like embarrassment or shame regarding our needs, even if those needs are more extensive than the average person’s needs,” continues Hershey.  “That will only reinforce and perpetuate our inequality, and the pulling away of vital state- and federally-funded support services.”

What can recruiters do to support national initiatives to transform workplaces into better places for employees with disabilities?

The U.S. Department identifies recruitment as a critical aspect of this transformation.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy posted an online toolkit comprised of resources to assist federal agencies in recruiting, employing and retaining individuals with disabilities.

Although the toolkit was designed to help recruiters in federal agencies, the available resources might be helpful to recruiters in many niches.

ODEP, in collaboration with the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, designed a five-step process that agencies can readily follow to ensure an inclusive workplace for employees with disabilities.  The steps are: employer training, creating a welcoming environment, recruitment, hiring and retention.

The toolkit focuses on issues like “do’s and don’ts” for interviewing, accessibility and accommodations, how to find technical assistance and creating a pipeline of candidates.

“This online toolkit is designed to make it easy for federal employers to find and hire excellent workers who happen to have disabilities,” said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for the department’s Office of Disability Employment Policy.  “Federal agencies — and all employers — are strengthened when they include people with disabilities among their ranks.”