Costs and Benefits of Hiring Workers with Disabilities

In the US, one of the greatest challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities is employment. Research indicates that employer attitudes contribute to this pervasive problem. Specifically, some employers have misperceptions about the abilities of individuals with disabilities and the costs associated with the provision of accommodations. The purpose of this Economic Impact Study was to examine the economic costs and benefits of workers with disabilities within three sectors (healthcare, retail, and hospitality).

Findings indicated that employees with disabilities have much to contribute to the labor force. Participants with disabilities from the retail and hospitality sectors stayed on the job longer than participants without disabilities.

• Across all sectors, participants with disabilities had fewer scheduled absences than those without disabilities.
• Retail participants with disabilities had fewer days of unscheduled absences than those without disabilities.
• Regardless of sector, participants with and without disabilities had nearly identical job performance ratings.
• Across all sectors, the difference in amount of supervision required ratings were relatively minor among participants with and without disabilities.

The number of worker's compensation claims of retail participants with and without disabilities were equivalent. Areas where participants with disabilities did not fare as well were:

• Healthcare participants with disabilities stayed on the job for shorter lengths of time than participants without disabilities.
• Healthcare participants with disabilities had more days of unscheduled absences than those without disabilities.
• Both healthcare and hospitality participants with disabilities had more worker's compensation claims than their counterparts.

Lastly, employers from the healthcare and hospitality sectors reported very few accommodations for employees with disabilities, with an average cost of $313. In contrast, both employees with and without disabilities from the retail sector reported that accommodations were provided by their employer to help them perform the essential functions of their job, with "changes to the work schedule" ranking first.

As the disability community aims for full inclusion in our society, collecting objective data on the costs and benefits of workers with disabilities can play a vital role in combating negative preceptions. As a whole, findings indicated that the work variables of employees with disabilities were often cost neutral.

The study used focus groups and a survey. Twenty-one administrators from 16 companies participated in a focus group to discuss their experiences with workers with disabilities. Thirteen companies provided quantitative data for the cost-benefit survey phase. From these companies, 314 employees were selected to participate (95 with and 219 without disabilities).

Source: The Journal of Rehabilitation, Brigida Hernandez and Katherine McDonald, 7/1/10