Persons with disabilities are a huge and largely overlooked labour market segment. Even when employers overcome the fear of the unknown and start looking at abilities rather than disabilities, negative attitudes from co-workers and supervisors is still an everyday problem, even in companies committed to hiring disabled persons.
Yves Veulliet, the Global Disability & Inclusion Manager at IBM, who had an accident that deprived him of the use of his legs when he was 21, states, “The reality is that we are all afraid of the unknown. Most people are uncomfortable at first around people with disabilities, it is natural.”
Evidence do suggest that once employers overcome their fear of the unknown, hiring and working with people with disabilities becomes natural. The environment is also important – not just the physical aspects, but also the work culture and an inclusive atmosphere.
“At the end of the day, an employer’s mission is to provide me with an enabling environment so I can manage my disability, and my mission as an employee is to manage my disability and my work. Roles must be clear for both,” says Veulliet.
Also, consumers are likely to look favorably upon companies that employ people with disabilities.
Employers are gradually realizing that hiring people with disabilities is not just charity and that employees with disabilities have a lot to contribute. “It’s not just the right thing to do, but the smart thing to do,” says Sreela Das Gupta, Global Diversity & Inclusion manager at Tata Consulting Services.
In the many presentations he gives about disability inclusion, Veulliet asks managers to ask themselves why they should hire a person with a disability when they can hire a non-disabled one. “The answer is companies do not have to hire a person with a disability. They have to hire someone with the appropriate skills to perform a given job. If that person happens to have a disability, so be it, but disability is not the point. “
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Source: United Nations Social Development Network