U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 

A Four-Step Reference Guide 

to Recruiting, Hiring, & Retaining 

Employees with Disabilities 

Diversifying 


Your Workforce 

INTRODUCTION 

INCENTIVES & ROI 

RECRUITING 

INTERVIEWING & HIRING 

ACHIEVING WORKPLACE SUCCESS 

RETAINING VALUED EMPLOYEES 

LINKS & RESOURCES 
U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 

INTRODUCTION 

Introduction


Competence and Flexibility... 

...they are vital skills that employers seek in new hires. Today more than ever, 

businesses need people with a demonstrated ability to adapt to different situations 

and circumstances. And perhaps more than any other group, people with disabilities 

possess precisely these attributes. On a daily basis, people with disabilities must 

think creatively about how to solve problems and accomplish tasks. In the workplace, 

this resourcefulness translates into innovative thinking, fresh ideas and varied 

approaches to confronting business challenges and achieving success. 

While research shows that people with disabilities make excellent employees, 

not all employers know how to effectively recruit, hire and retain such individuals. 

That’s where this booklet comes in. It’s a quick reference guide outlining the 

advantages of hiring people with disabilities, along with four simple steps to 

increasing the inclusiveness of your workforce. With n umerous resources and 

Web links, the following pages are a helpful starting 

point for organizations looking to benefit from the 

talents of qualified individuals with disabilities. 

This tool was developed by the U.S. Department of 

Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) 

and reviewed by its Alliance partner, SHRM, and 

members of its Circle of Champions. For the business 

case on proactively including people with 

disabilities in your workforce, please visit 

www.earnworks.com/businesscase. 

For additional information, 

please visit www.dol.gov/odep. 
Incentives & Roi


Why Hire People with Disabilities? 

Access the resources below to learn why hiring employees with disabilities makes 

good business sense. 

Return on Investment. Employing people with disabilities boosts your bottom line. 

• Diverse Perspectives: People with Disabilities Fulfilling Your Business Goals 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/diverse.htm 

• Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities 

www.earnworks.com/businesscase 

• How to Improve ROI: Employment Solutions for Small Business (video) 

www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/coc2007/videos.htm 

Tax Benefits for Private Employers. Three types of tax incentives are available to help 

employers cover accommodation costs for employees with disabilities and/or to make 

their workplaces accessible. 

• Employer Tax Incentives 

www.jan.wvu.edu/media/tax.html 

Human Capital Benefits for Federal Employers. The Federal government has specific 

hiring rules that allow certain flexibilities in hiring people with disabilities and certain 

veterans with disabilities. 

• Hiring Authorities for Federal Employers 

www.earnworks.com/employers/tools/index.asp#hiring 

INCENTIVES & ROI 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Recruiting


STEP #1: Recruiting People with Disabilities 

The first step in tapping this labor pool is effective recruitment. The following are 

practical resources to help with the process. 

Be Proactive. Expand your outreach to target qualified candidates who will expand your 

talent pool. Visit the USBLN web site at http://www.usbln.org for ideas and resources. 

Ensure Access. For personalized guidance on making your recruitment activities totally 

accessible, contact the Job Accommodation Network, a free service for employers and 

others, at www.jan.wvu.edu. 

Build Tomorrow’s Talent Pipeline. Mentoring activities and internships targeting youth 

and college students with disabilities can help you cultivate talent for the future. 

• Career-Focused Mentoring for Youth: The What, Why, and How 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/cfm.htm 

• Cultivating Leadership: Mentoring Youth with Disabilities 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/cultivate.htm 

• Workforce Recruitment Program (WRP) 

www.wrp.gov 

• Private Sector Internships for Students with Disabilities 

http://www.earnworks.com/wrp/


http://www.aapd.com/disabilityinternships


Utilize New Resources. Seek new avenues for publicizing job opportunities and 

identifying qualified candidates with disabilities. 

• Strategic Connections: Recruiting Candidates with Disabilities 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/connect.htm 

• HireVetsFirst/REALifeline 

www.hirevetsfirst.gov/realifelines/index.asp 

RECRUITING 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Interviewing & Hiring


STEP #2: Interviewing & Hiring People with Disabilities 

The successful employment of people with disabilities requires accessible hiring 

processes and an understanding of the legal environment in which hiring takes place. 

The following resources can help. 

General Guidance. As always, the goal of the interviewing and hiring process is to 

identify individuals who have the best mix of skills and attributes for a particular job. 

For more information on how to ensure that all qualified individuals can participate in 

this process, review Opening Doors to All Candidates: Tips for Ensuring Access for 

Applicants with Disabilities at www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/opening.htm. 

Job Advertisements & Applications. For wording tips and samples of accessible online 

applications, check the following resources: 

• 	 Employers’ Guide to Reasonable Accommodations for Job 


Advertisements and Applications www.jan.wvu.edu/Erguide/Two.htm#A


• 	 Making the Online Application Process Accessible 

www.jan.wvu.edu/corner/vol02iss05.htm 

• Tips for Designing Accessible Web Pages www.jan.wvu.edu/media/webpages.html 

Interviews. To be qualified job candidates, individuals with disabilities—like all other 

applicants—must have the necessary qualifications for the job (i.e., education, training, 

experience, skills, and/or licenses) and be able to perform the essential functions or duties 

of the job. When interviewing candidates, keep in mind this basic rule: Ask applicants 

about their abilities, not their disabilities. 

• 	 Focus on Ability: Interviewing Applicants with Disabilities 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/focus.htm 

• 	 The Employer’s Guide to Reasonable Accommodations for Interviews 

www.jan.wvu.edu/Erguide/Two.htm 

• 	 Disability Etiquette Tips for Interviews and Speaking Engagements 

www.jan.wvu.edu/media/etipresent.html 

• 	 Interviewing Resources for Employers 

www.earnworks.com/employers/tools/index.asp#recruit 

INTERVIEWING & HIRING 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Achieving 


Workplace Success


STEP #3: Helping Your Employees Achieve Workplace Success 

Once an employee with a disability is a part of the team, there are many resources 

available to help employers ensure workplace productivity, health, and safety. 

Effective Communication. Employers and co-workers may be concerned that they will 

say the wrong thing, ask an inappropriate question, or unintentionally offend an applicant 

or colleague with a disability. Here are two resources with some excellent tips: 

• 	 Effective Interaction: Communicating With and About People with Disabilities 

 in the Workplace 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/effectiveinteraction.htm 

• 	 Disability Awareness Information Kit (an Australian publication) 

http://www.openroad.net.au/access/dakit/disaware/disawarecontent.htm 

Accommodations. All employees need the right tools and work environment to 


effectively perform their jobs. “Reasonable accommodations” are modifications or 


adjustments to jobs, work environments, or workplace policies that enable qualified 


employees with disabilities to perform the fundamental duties of their jobs and have 


equal access to benefits available to employees without disabilities. The following 


resources can help you understand reasonable accommodations, which are often 


easier and less expensive to implement than commonly believed:


Job Accommodation Network (JAN) 

http://www.jan.wvu.edu/pubsandres/list.htm (JAN’s List of Publications) 

• 	 Searchable Online Accommodation Resource (SOAR) 

www.jan.wvu.edu/soar 

• 	 Employer’s Practical Guide to Reasonable Accommodation 

www.jan.wvu.edu/Erguide/Three.htm#D 

• 	 Federal Accommodation Programs (for Federal employers) 

www.jan.wvu.edu/cgi-win/typequery.Exe?294 

ACHIEVING WORKPLACE SUCCESS 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Achieving 


Workplace Success


STEP #3: Helping Your Employees Achieve Workplace Success 

Office of Disability Employment Policy 

• 	 Investing in People: Job Accommodation Situations and Solutions 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/misc/invest.htm 

• 	 The Job Accommodation Process: Steps to Collaborative Solutions 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/misc/job.htm 

• 	 Maximizing Productivity: Accommodations for Employees with 


Psychiatric Disabilities www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/psychiatric.htm


• 	 Advancing Opportunities: Accommodations Resources for Federal 

Managers and Employees www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/misc/advance.htm 

• 	 Welcoming Returning Wounded & Injured Military Veterans 

www.americasheroesatwork.gov 

Safety & Emergency Preparedness for Employees with Disabilities. A number of 

helpful resources can help employers ensure workplace safety and implement emergency 

management procedures that include people with disabilities, such as the following: 

• 	 Emergency Preparedness and People with Disabilities 

www.dol.gov/odep/programs/emergency.htm 

• 	 Preparing the Workplace for Everyone: Accounting for the Needs 

 of People with Disabilities – A Framework of Emergency Preparedness 

Guidelines for Federal Agencies 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ep/preparing2.htm 

• 	 Effective Emergency Preparedness Planning: 


 Addressing the Needs of Employees with Disabilities


www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/effective.htm 

• 	 Employers’ Guide to Including Employees with Disabilities 


In Emergency Evacuation Plans 


www.jan.wvu.edu/media/emergency.html 

ACHIEVING WORKPLACE SUCCESS 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Retention


STEP #4: Retaining Valued Employees 

Finally, employers must take steps to keep their employees happy, healthy, and 

professionally fulfilled. The resources below address career development for people 

with disabilities, disability-related leave, and return-to-work issues. 

Career Development. One of the main reasons workers leave their jobs is lack of career 

advancement opportunities. To learn how to ensure the inclusion of employees with 

disabilities in training and professional growth opportunities, read Career Development 

for People with Disabilities at www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/ek00/career.htm. ODEP also 

funded the inaugural UCLA Leadership Institute for Managers with Disabilities. For 

information on the Institute go to http://www.anderson.ucla.edu/EEPlimd.xml. 

Medical- and Disability-Related Leave. The following are useful resources to help 

employers and human resources professionals sort out which leave laws apply when 

employees have a disability, injury, and/or chronic illnesses: 

• Employment Laws: Medical and Disability-Related Leave 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/fact/employ.htm 

• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) elaws Advisor 

www.dol.gov/elaws/fmla.htm 

Return-to-Work. Consult the following for information on transitioning ill, injured, 

or disabled employees returning to work: 

• Business Case for Hiring People with Disabilities 

www.earnworks.com/businesscase 

• Job Accommodations for Return-to-Work 

www.jan.wvu.edu/media/rtwfact.doc 

Uniformed Services Employment & Reemployment Act (USERRA). Visit the following 

web site for an on-line course and general information on this law that details your rights 

and responsibilities for reemploying employees who were called for active duty. 

http://www.dol.gov/vets/programs/userra/ 

RETAINING VALUED EMPLOYEES 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Links & Resources


Additional Employer Resources 

DOL Resources on Employing People with Disabilities 

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

(www.dol.gov/odep) ODEP is a policy agency that provides national leadership 

 by developing and influencing disability-related employment policy and practice

 affecting the employment of people with disabilities. 

o 	 Employer Resources 

www.dol.gov/odep/categories/employer 

o 	 Publications 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/pulicat.htm 

• 	 Job Accommodation Network (JAN) (www.jan.wvu.edu)


 JAN is a free service of ODEP that provides productivity tools 


 and strategies for hiring, accommodating, and retaining employees 


with disabilities: 


o 	 http://www.jan.wvu.edu/empl/index.htm 

• 	 Employer Assistance and Resource Network (EARN) (www.earnworks.com)

 Funded by ODEP, EARN provides recruiting, hiring, and business case resources 

 for employers, service providers, and individuals with disabilities. 

• 	 DisabilityInfo.gov Employer Resources Page 

http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=11 

• 	 Customized Employment Strategies 

www.dol.gov/odep/categories/workforce/CustomizedEmployment/what/index.htm 

• 	 HireVetsFirst.gov 

www.hirevetsfirst.gov 

LINKS & RESOURCES 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Links & Resources


Additional Employer Resources 

General Employment Resources 

Additional employer resources directly or indirectly related to employees with disabilities: 

• elaws Advisors 

www.dol.gov/elaws/ 

• FlexOptions 

www.we-inc.org/flex.html 

• Innovative Workplace Safety Accommodations for Hearing-Impaired Workers 

www.osha.gov/dts/shib/shib072205.html 

• Ergonomics Resources 

www.osha.gov/SLTC/ergonomics/index.html 

• Safety, Health And Return-to-Employment (SHARE) Initiative 

www.dol.gov/esa/owcp/share/ 

• Career One-Stop: Resources for Business and Human Resources 

www.careeronestop.org/Audience/Businesses/Businesses.aspx 

• Nondiscrimination notices and posters 

www.dol.gov/esa/ofccp/ 

• WIRED (Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development) 

www.doleta.gov/wired/ 

• DBTAC (Disability & Business Technical Assistance Center) 

www.adata.org 

LINKS & RESOURCES 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep 
Links & Resources


Additional Employer Resources 

Related Initiatives & Employer Networks 

• 	 Workforce Excellence Initiative - ODEP’s overarching outreach program to 

 corporate America, which engages leaders of business and industry in the 

 creation of an inclusive corporate culture that welcomes and attracts top talent 

among candidates with disabilities. 

www.dol.gov/odep/pubs/WorkforceExcellence.htm 

• 	 ODEP Alliance Initiative - A cooperative program that enables organizations 

 committed to improving disability workplace practices to work with ODEP to 

 develop and implement model policies and initiatives that increase recruiting, 

 hiring, advancing, and retaining workers with disabilities. 

www.dol.gov/odep/alliances/description.htm 

• 	 Circle of Champions: Innovators in Employing All Americans - A group 

of U.S. businesses that have been recognized for best disability employment 

 practices by the Secretary of Labor. 

www.dol.gov/odep/newfreedom/coc2007/brochure.htm 

• 	 US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) - A national organization that 

 represents employers using a “business to business” strategy to promote the 

 business imperative of including people with disabilities in the workforce. 

www.usbln.org 

• 	 Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) - The world’s largest 

 professional association devoted to human resource management. 

www.shrm.org/ 

• 	 America’s Heroes at Work - A web based resource that focuses on the 

 employing returning wounded and injured military who sustained Traumatic 

 Brain Injuries (TBI) or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). 

www.americasheroesatwork.gov 

LINKS & RESOURCES 

U.S. Department of Labor


Office of Disability Employment Policy


www.dol.gov/odep