Overcoming Challenges of the Disabled Community in the Workforce
By Joshua Cajulis
Today's workplaces face a critical challenge: how to effectively hire and accommodate people with disabilities. While some employers express concerns about accommodating individuals with disabilities, there is a growing demand from the disabled community for greater workforce inclusion. This article aims to highlight the obstacles faced by disabled workers and to suggest solutions for accommodating those with physical and mental disabilities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 protects people with disabilities from discrimination in all settings, particularly in the workplace. However, many within the disabled community struggle to find work. The employment rate for individuals with disabilities has not significantly increased in 25 years, indicating that many companies are unsure about the benefits this group brings to the workforce. Factors contributing to high unemployment among individuals with disabilities include societal apathy towards the disabled community, concerns about the financial repercussions of accommodating employees with disabilities, assumptions that this group requires additional company resources or specialized management, and barriers to online job applications.
Much of society generally has low expectations for the disabled community, due in part to generalizations about the extent and limitations associated with disabilities. This leads to a reluctance to invest in individuals perceived as less likely to contribute. It can take as long as two years for people with disabilities actively seeking work to land a job. These factors contribute to a lack of confidence among the disabled community about their place in the workforce.
Individuals with autism face unique hurdles in finding a job that suits both their and the employer's needs. Autism, being a spectrum, manifests in a variety of ways. There are many misconceptions about autism, such as the assumption that they are universally talented in certain (tech-related) jobs, will do what’s asked of them without question, or excel at repetitive tasks. However, the abilities and challenges of someone on the autism spectrum are specific to the individual. There is no Federal Law requiring the continuing provision of services to autistic people after they leave High School Special Ed. This leads to a services cliff, a gap in eligibility, making the search for employment aid incredibly difficult. Only about 1.1% of autistic individuals receive the employment aid services they need to successfully enter the workforce (Drexel).
Despite these issues, there has been a remarkable increase in the number of disabled people entering the workforce in the last couple of years. As of 2022, twenty-one percent of disabled people have entered the workforce compared to nineteen percent in 2021. Thirty percent of disabled people are employed part-time (Gonzalas). Reasons for this increase include the worker shortage following COVID-19, creating a demand that the disabled community has been able to fulfill (Wills). The rise in remote jobs and the decreased stigma around working from home have provided the disabled community with opportunities to be involved in the workforce with reduced stress (Gonzalas/NBC). More work-from-home opportunities have led to more chances to enter challenging fields, such as business entrepreneurship (Gonzalas).
However, many challenges remain. The easing of COVID-19 restrictions has led to many companies insisting on employees returning to on-site work, confronting disabled people with the issues that previously kept them out of the workforce (Gonzalas). In addition, many inclusivity programs in the workplace fail to accommodate the individual needs of the disabled communities (Boudreau). This makes it much harder for the disabled community to find support within the workplace, as many companies do not adequately consider the disabled community's input when creating support plans, sometimes leading to miscommunication of goals (Pulrang).
What are solutions that workplaces can incorporate to help disabled people thrive? The answer is more complicated than it appears. It is not enough to promote diversity and encourage inclusivity. We must fundamentally shift the way we relate to each other on an interpersonal level, creating a workplace culture that encourages acceptance, compassion, and kindness. Companies must take a proactive approach to a holistic plan for the inclusion of the disabled community (Boudreau).
To accommodate individuals with physical disabilities, employers must understand the right questions to ask, inquiring not only about the individual’s skills and motivations but also about their needs within the workplace. With some ADA-compliant modifications, companies can gain highly skilled workers they might have otherwise overlooked.
Employers can offer services to disabled employees via benefits packages tailored to the needs of the disabled community. These packages can offer services like consultations for various government, financial, and company-based benefits. Caregivers and concierges are also services that packages can provide for those who need them (Gonzalas). Efforts must be made to stress the importance of workplace accommodations to those in charge of companies and in courts that hear workers' rights cases (Wills).
For individuals on the autism spectrum, employers should consider how to adapt the physical workspace environment, including modifying factors that contribute to sensory overload. This may involve reducing light, visual, noise, and tactile stimuli. Some individuals on the autism spectrum benefit from eliminating fluorescent lights and overbearing colors, reducing sound volume with earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, and selecting soft upholstery with simple designs.
Individuals with autism can thrive in various working environments when employers understand their needs, but communication is key. Clearly stating workplace and job expectations through one-on-one communication helps reduce uncertainty and foster success. A study by PubMed found that autistic individuals often have advantages such as the ability to hyperfocus on tasks, exceptional attention to detail, efficiency, and logical and systematic ways of analyzing situations. These strengths provide a unique perspective in the workplace, making autistic individuals valuable assets to companies (Cope/Remington).
To make work opportunities more accessible to people on the autism spectrum, job descriptions should be clear, concise, and free of jargon and superfluous descriptions. Interviews should focus on job requirements, not personality characteristics, and be clear about expectations for work schedules and workplace conduct. Additionally, interviewers can increase a candidate's comfort level by allowing them time to acclimate to the room, process information, reflect on questions, and formulate proper answers. Candidates should be encouraged to present about their previous work experience instead of solely answering questions.
It is the responsibility of companies to create a level playing field for the disabled community to ensure the highest rate of success for those with disabilities. Companies must also strive to educate their non-disabled members of the workforce about their disabled coworkers.
The challenges facing the disabled community are vast and often barriers to success. But with proper education and understanding, companies can create inclusive workplaces that encourage people with disabilities, allowing them to find their place within the workforce and make valuable contributions. If companies can understand the value of disabled people, they can contribute to creating an environment that gives disabled workers the best chance at success. With open minds and open hearts, everyone wins.
About The Author: Joshua Cajulis… Joshua Cajulis is an intern in the 2023 Good Karma Festival Project, where he served a variety of job roles including marketing, voice over, research, and camera operating. At age 7, Joshua was diagnosed as on the Autism spectrum. As he is finishing his year-long internship with Good Karma, Joshua is actively seeking meaningful career and employment opportunities.