Disabled people are a big source of capable workers, considering that one in five Americans could be affected by disability at some point in their lifetime as they grow older. Unemployment still continues being a serious problem for the disabled as only around 32 percent of disabled Americans aged 18 to 64 have a job but of the 68 percent who are unemployed 2/3 would like to work.
The biggest barriers to disabled people achieving more in society are the attitudes of others, stereotyping, and presumptions of what they can’t do. In actuality, the range of things disabled people are capable of doing is enormous. There is a need to discard this stereotypical way of thinking and view all individuals with equal respect.
Here are some myth’s that serve as barriers to employment for disabled persons:
A person with developmental disabilities and fine motor control difficulty cannot handle complex operations in a manufacturing production line. When in fact a person with these types of limitations was hired in a job where they were able to label, fill, cap, and then pack a liquid product. The only modification needed was a plywood jig that enabled the worker to keep the bottle steady for labeling.
Myth: A mentally retarded person cannot be trained to do a job. Fact: In a National Pizza chain there was a special job program created and over 2/3 of 4,000 participants were mentally retarded. The turnover rate for these employees is 20 percent for the persons with disabilities compared to 150 percent to employees with no disabilities which translates to lesser training and recruitment costs.
Myth: One-legged downhill skiers cannot compete with racers having two legs. Fact: Although the top 2 legged skiers are clocked at 80-85 mph there is small difference with one-legged skiers who have been clocked at 75 mph.
Myth: A man with an amputated right leg six inches above the knee is unable to do duties required to load and unload trucks and deliver supplies to different sections as needed. Fact: A man with this type of disability was hired by a paper warehouse and performed without any modifications. They then moved him to operate a log stacker and he was able to perform that as well. He was able to climb ladders and the log stacker.
A person with psychiatric disability is not able to work in a stressful work environment where you are always pressured to meet deadlines. Fact: Individuals respond to stress differently and have different perceptions about what is stressful and, as individuals, there are some persons who have psychiatric disabilities who do perform effectively in jobs requiring strict adherence to schedules.
Myth: Wheelchair racers cannot compete with the best marathon runners. Fact: It takes 2 hours for a good runner to finish a marathon; the best wheelchair racers can complete this in an hour and a half.
Myth: A person with a double amputation can’t compete with the fastest 100 m dash runners. Fact: The 100 m dash record is 9.9 seconds. A person with double amputation ran the 100 m dash in 11.76 seconds – just 1.8 seconds behind the record.
Myth: Severely disabled persons can’t compete in heavy weight lifting. Fact: A person having cerebral palsy once bench pressed over 500 lbs.
Myth: A blind person with no right hand can’t be a machinist. Fact: A person lost his right hand and vision during the Vietnam War. He trained at a community college as a machinist and after passing applied for a job. At first he was accepted on a trial basis but right from the first day of work he broke previous production records which caused the rest of the workers to have to be as fast as he is. The only accommodation given him was moving a lever from the machines right side to the left.
Many employers think that if you hire a disabled worker they will have to make some major modifications with their doors, desks or other physical structures. Contrary to that belief, surveys show that 73 percent of employers with disabled workers reported their workers with disabilities did not need any kind of accommodation and in cases where they were needed they did not cost anything 15 percent of the time and 50 percent cost less than $500. A flexible schedule for work was the accommodation most requested which does not cost a thing.
Employers must keep in mind to put the person first, the disability second and always keep the lines of communication open by asking questions if unsure of what to do.
The U.S. Dept. of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy has information on accommodations and employability of persons with disability.
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