Employer Perspectives 

on Employment 

of People with Disabilities 
In the first survey of its magnitude, 3,797 businesses 

representing 2.4 million companies, across 12 industry sectors 

and various company sizes, reported on their beliefs about 

and strategies for recruiting, hiring, retaining and advancing 

employees with disabilities. 

Employer Concerns 

Can an employee with a 

disability get the job done? 

Employers indicated the nature of the work or the skills and 

abilities of people with disabilities are an issue. It is well known 

that every person is not right for every job, but many employers 

don’t realize that people with disabilities represent a diverse 

labor pool with a wide range of backgrounds and experience, 

capable of meeting or exceeding performance standards. A 

Virginia Commonwealth University survey of 250 supervisors 

in 43 businesses indicated that supervisors were satisfi ed with 

the performance of their employees with disabilities, rating their 

performance similar to that of their non-disabled peers. 

How will supervisors manage 

employees with disabilities? 

Managing employees with disabilities is really no different than 

managing any other employee: provide them with the tools and 

procedures they need to get their job done and then evaluate 

and reward them based on performance to expected standards. 

Disability awareness training and other learning experiences can 

help to alleviate this concern. 
Are accommodations 

expensive? 

According to the Job Accommodations Network (JAN), a free, 

confidential service funded by 

ODEP, 46 % of employers report 

that accommodations needed by 

employees and job applicants with

disabilities cost absolutely nothing 

(i.e., simple, no cost adaptations). 

For those accommodations 

requiring a cost, the typical 

one-time expenditure was $500 

(www.jan.wvu.edu/media/LowCostHighImpact.doc). JAN has 

provided expert consultation on cost-effective accommodations, 

the ADA, and assistive technologies for more than 25 years. 

Will my organization’s worker’s 

compensation and health care 

costs increase? 

Most large- and medium-sized businesses report no signifi cant 

increase in costs. Employers also report that any costs are 

outweighed by the value that workers with disabilities bring to 

the workplace. The benefits of hiring workers with disabilities 

are demonstrated in the ODEP Business Case available at 

www.earnworks.com/businesscase. 
Tools & Resources Employers Can 

Use to Hire, Retain and Advance 

Employees with Disabilities 

• Employer tax credits and incentives 

• Disability awareness training 

• Visible top management commitment 

• Mentoring 

• Assistive Technology 

• Using a specialized recruiting source 

• Flexible work schedules 

• Training existing staff 

• On-site consultation or technical assistance 

• Disability targeted internship program 

• Short-term job assistance through a job coach 

• Developing a targeted recruitment program 

• Centralized accommodations fund 

• Reassignment 

Survey of Employer Perspectives on the Employment of People with Disabilities 

Domzal, C., Houtenville, A., and Sharma, R. (2008) Prepared under contract by 

CESSI, Division of Axiom for The Office of Disability and Employment Policy, 

U.S. Department of Labor. 

The findings and conclusions of this report are those of the authors and 

do not necessarily represent the views of the funding agency. 

For copies of survey reports referred to 

in this document, please visit 

http://www.dol.gov/odep/categories/research/ 
Ways to Recruit Talented Workers 

with Disabilities 

• Postings at job service or workforce 

 employment centers 

• Contacting college and university career 

centers 

• Partnerships with disability-related advocacy 

organizations 

• Including people with disabilities in diversity 

 recruitment goals 

• Postings at disability-related publications 

• Postings at disability-related websites 

• Postings or tables at disability-related job fairs 

• Postings at Vocational Rehabilitation 

• Establishing summer internship and mentoring 

 programs 

• Postings at Independent Living Centers 
Services and Information 

The following cost-free programs and organizations assist 

employers to better understand the value and capabilities of 

people with disabilities, to develop pragmatic strategies to expand 

employment of people with disabilities, and to help navigate 

the resources available in your community. 

• Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) 

Provides guidance and assistance to help recruit, hire, retain 

and advance employees with disabilities, including students 

and disabled veterans. www.earnworks.com 1-866-EARN-NOW 

 (1-866-327-6669) (V/TTY) 

• Job Accommodation Network (JAN) 

Provides free, expert confidential consultation on cost-effective 

accommodations, the ADA and assistive technologies. 

www.jan.wvu.edu 1-877-781-9403 (V/TTY) 

• Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) 

Offers information about your responsibilities under the Americans 

with Disabilities Act. www.adata.org 1-800-949-4232 (V/TTY) 

• US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) 

Brings businesses together to learn about and share disability 


 hiring initiatives. www.usbln.org


• Disability.gov 

Provides information on national, state and local disability-oriented 

 programs. 

Office of Disability Employment Policy 

U.S. Department of Labor


200 Constitution Avenue, NW - Washington, DC 20210 


Voice: 1-866-ODEP-DOL (633-7365) • TTY: 1-877-889-5627 

www.dol.gov/odep 06/09