Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship

What Apprenticeship Employers Need 

To Know About Working with Young 

Adults with Disabilities

5
An Overview: 

According to the 2007 American Community Survey (ACS), 12.8 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population ages 21 to 64 years in the United States reported a disability 

— more than 22 million people. This makes individuals with disabilities one of the largest 

minority groups in the country. The employment rate for people with disabilities is 22.8 

percent compared to 70.9 percent for people without disabilities. Individuals with disabilities 

are the largest untapped pool of potential workers.

Many employers are reluctant to hire individuals with disabilities because they lack 

understanding about their abilities. In addition, they have fears about their responsibilities 

for providing reasonable accommodations. Yet, employing people with disabilities improves an 

employer’s bottom line by reducing recruiting and training costs because they are productive 

capable workers who tend to stay with their employers longer. Also, in some cases, employers 

can receive tax benefits for hiring individuals with disabilities.

What You Need to Know: 

Prospective apprenticeship employers should 

have basic information about people with 

disabilities, including information about their 

legal responsibilities to provide reasonable 

accommodations in the workplace. This kind 

of information can dispel some of the more 

commonly held myths that create barriers to 

hiring individuals with disabilities.

When asked to define what it means for a 

person to have a disability, many of us think 

of individuals who are hearing or visually 

impaired, or who have mobility limitations. 

Certainly, these conditions are included in 

the definition of disabilities, but the term 

is far broader. Census Bureau data shows 

that individuals with sensory (i.e. vision and 

hearing) and physical disabilities constitute 

a little over 20 percent of people with 

disabilities. This means that the largest 

percentages of disabilities are those with socalled “hidden disabilities,” such as learning 

and psychological disabilities.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - What Apprenticeship Employers Need To Know 
The Americans with Disabilities 

Act (ADA), as amended by the 

Americans with Disabilities 

Act Amendments of 2008, 

was intended to address the 

inequities that people with 

disabilities face in their daily 

lives and in the workplace. 

Under the ADA, employers 

with 15 or more employees 

must provide individuals 

with disabilities an equal 

opportunity for employment. 

This includes providing 

reasonable accommodations 

to individuals with disabilities 

who are qualified to perform 

the work required. A common 

myth is that employers 

must hire individuals with 

disabilities regardless of 

whether they are qualified. 

Employers are not required 

to hire individuals, including 

those with disabilities, 

who do not meet the basic 

qualifications to perform a 

particular job. The applicable 

criterion is whether the 

individual can perform the job 

with or without reasonable 

accommodations.

Reasonable accommodations are modifications 

or adjustments to the job, the work 

environment, or the way things are usually 

done that enable qualified people with 

disabilities to perform the work. Employers 

must provide reasonable accommodations 

unless doing so would cause an “undue 

hardship”. While “undue hardship” does not 

have a specific definition, considerations 

include: the impact of the costs involved, the 

overall financial resources of the employer; 

and the impact of the accommodation on the 

facility. 

A common misconception is that 

accommodations are costly. Two-thirds of 

accommodations, however cost less than $500; 

nearly a quarter cost nothing. Reasonable 

accommodations may include:

• Modifying the work schedule.

• Modifying existing equipment or devices.

• Installing new equipment or devices.

• Modifying how instructions are provided.

Learning disabilities are the most prevalent 

type of disability. Learning disabilities can 

affect an individual’s ability to interpret what 

they see or hear, or impair one’s capacity 

to link information from different parts of 

the brain. Difficulties with reading, writing, 

doing math, coordination and attention are 

common. A 2007 National Institutes of Health 

study estimates that at least 15 percent of 

the population has some form of a learning 

disability, many of which are not diagnosed. 

Educational data on school age youth who 

have been classified as disabled show that 

over 60 percent have learning disabilities. 

Given the high prevalence of learning 

disabilities among the population, it is likely 

that many, if not most, employers already 

employ an individual with a disability.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - What Apprenticeship Employers Need To Know 
Accommodations are specific to the 

individual. Typical accommodations that 

individuals with learning disabilities may 

need include:

• Reduced-distraction work environments.

• Computer technology for written work.

• Allowing more time to learn new job tasks.

• Instructions presented both in written and 

oral formats.

• Breaking information into small steps 

rather than providing a lot of information 

at once.

People with other types of disabilities 

will require a variety of other types of 

accommodations. 

Public and private agencies and organizations 

that work directly with individuals with 

disabilities can help employers identify and 

implement reasonable accommodations. 

Foundations and other funding entities are 

sources of potential support. These agencies 

and organizations may also be able to 

provide assistance in defraying the costs of 

accommodati

are available 

businesses to

order to remo

disabilities at

Employers also need to understand their legal 

obligations in the recruiting process. It is 

important to know that disability information 

is confidential, and it is solely up to the 

individual whether to disclose disability 

status. Many people with disabilities choose 

not to disclose that they have a disability. 

When interviewing an individual, an employer 

may not directly ask about disability status. 

Employers may ask questions regarding an 

individuals’ ability to perform specific tasks 

provided the same questions are asked of 

all applicants. After an individual has been 

offered a job, an employer may ask disabilityrelated questions and require medical 

exams. However, the rule of thumb is that all 

applicants, regardless of a possible disability, 

should be treated alike and not according to 

any assumptions, myths, or stereotypes. 

There are many sources of information 

to assist employers in providing 

accommodations and working with employees 

with disabilities. For example, the U.S. 

Department of Labor’s Office of Disability 

ponsors the Job 

N) to connect 

isabilities to 

ccommodations, 

business 

.edu. Additional 

er “Where to Go 

ons. Additionally, tax credits 

to defray the costs for small 

 provide accommodations in 

ve barriers for people with 

 the workplace.

Employment Policy (ODEP) s

Accommodation Network (JA

employers and people with d

resources pertaining to job a

self-employment, and small 

opportunities: www.jan.wvu

resources are identified und

For More Information”.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - What Apprenticeship Employers Need To Know 
Where to Go For More Information: 

Visit the Department of Justice’s Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) homepage at 

www.ada.gov to learn more about this legislation. 

For information from ODEP about tax incentives for providing business accessibility, visit: 

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

The Disability and Business Technical Assistance Center (DBTAC ) is a national network of 

10 regional DBTAC: ADA Centers that provide up-to-date information, referrals, resources, and 

training on the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to businesses, employers, government 

entities, and individuals with disabilities: www.adata.org.

A wide variety of disability related information, including that pertaining to employment and 

civil rights, can be found on the DisabilityInfo.gov Web site at: www.disabilityinfo.gov.

Youth with Disabilities Entering the Workplace through Apprenticeship - What Apprenticeship Employers Need To Know 

1. Understanding Apprenticeship Basics

2. Preparing Youth and Young Adults for 

Apprenticeship Programs

3. Increasing Participation of Young Adults 

with Disabilities In Apprenticeship 

Programs

4. Establishing New Apprenticeship Programs

5. What Apprenticeship Employers Need to 

Know About Working with Young Adults 

with Disabilities

6. Looking to Future Opportunities in 

Apprenticeship

Office of Disability 

Employment Policy

U.S. Department of Labor

200 Constitution Ave., NW

Washington, DC 20210

Voice 

1-866-ODEP-DOL (633-7365) 

TTY 

1-877-889-5627

www.dol.gov/odep

Learn More