We must dispel myths and misconceptions about persons with disabilities and focus on realities. Employers must be willing to change attitudes about hiring people with disabilities and that means… getting the facts straight.
Myth |
Reality |
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People with disabilities are inferior to “normal” people and their lives are very different. |
What is “normal”? We all have different abilities, talents, interests and personalities — you name it! People with disabilities go to school, get married, work, have families, play, do laundry, go shopping, eat out, travel, volunteer, vote, pay taxes, laugh, cry, plan and dream — just like everyone else. People with disabilities are us! |
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We need to feel sorry for people with disabilities. |
That’s patronizing. People with disabilities don’t need pity. They need access to opportunities. |
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People with disabilities are brave and courageous. |
Adjusting to a disability requires adapting to a lifestyle, not bravery and courage. |
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It’s not a good idea to hire people with disabilities. They have a higher turnover rate and they take sick days more often. |
Many studies show that employees with disabilities are often more productive, dependable and loyal than their co-workers without disabilities and that staff retention is 72 percent higher among persons with disabilities. That adds up to savings of millions of dollars every year in hiring and training costs. The experiences of large corporations such as DuPont and the Royal Bank of Canada show that when business hires people with disabilities: the pool of potential employees becomes larger; staff retention rates increase; absenteeism decreases. |
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You have to be careful when you’re talking to a person with a disability, because they are easily offended if you use the wrong word. |
You just need to be as polite and respectful as you would when speaking to anyone. If you’re not sure what to say or do, it’s okay to ask. |
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It’s difficult serving customers with disabilities. |
Customers with disabilities have the same preferences, perceptions, attitudes, habits, and needs as customers without disabilities, and they are looking for the same quality of products and services. Everyone, regardless of ability, deserves to be treated with the same dignity and respect. |
(Source: Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment, Province of Ontario)
Americans with Disabilities Act – Myths and Facts – Setting the Record Straight
MYTH: If I hire someone with a disability, my workers’ compensation insurance rates will skyrocket.
FACT: Employers’ insurance rates are not based on whether or not workers have disabilities. They are based solely on the workplace’s relative hazards and the company’s accident experience. Supervisors report that workers with disabilities have higher safety rankings then their non-disabled peers, so there is no reason to expect rates to increase.
MYTH: Won’t my medical insurance rates increase?
FACT: Employers are often surprised to learn that most disabilities do not require frequent ongoing doctor visits. The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that an employer treat a worker with disabilities the same as everyone else, and offer the same access to existing medical coverage as offered to other employees.
MYTH: Workers with disabilities will be absent more than others, and it will negatively affect my bottom line.
FACT: A DuPont Corporation study found that 85 percent of its employees with disabilities rated average or above on attendance. International Telephone and Telegraph surveyed a 2,000 employee plant and found that the workers with disabilities had fewer absences than their coworkers. Workers with disabilities are not absent any more than workers without disabilities.
MYTH: It is too expensive to accommodate workers with disabilities.
FACT: Actually, most workers with disabilities do not require any special accommodations. When accommodations are necessary, about 20 percent cost nothing, and 50 percent cost less than $500. There are a variety of national and community-based organizations that help employers identify low-cost or no-cost accommodation alternatives. Employers have always made adjustments in the workplace to accommodate employees’ needs. That same flexibility should be extended to people with disabilities.
MYTH: Workers with disabilities take too long to get acclimated in a new job. Training them is too hard and expensive.
FACT: Every worker, whether disabled or not, will require different amounts of time to learn new job responsibilities. People with disabilities do not take longer to learn a new task than anybody else.
MYTH: Once on the job, workers with disabilities are hard to supervise.
FACT: A Harris poll found that 82 percent of managers said employees with disabilities were not harder to supervise than other employees. A supervisor who can successfully manage people can successfully manage people with disabilities.
MYTH: I’ll have to make special transportation accommodations for employees with disabilities to get to work.
FACT: You are not required to do so. Workers with disabilities are capable of supplying their own transportation, and their modes of transportation are as varied as those of other employees.
MYTH: Workers with disabilities do not perform as well as workers without disabilities.
FACT: The employers I’ve talked to tell me that workers with disabilities are motivated, capable and dependable. Another DuPont study showed almost 90 percent of workers with disabilities received “good” or “excellent” performance ratings from their managers. Managers also felt that most employees with disabilities did their jobs as well as or better than other employees in similar positions.
MYTH: It is impossible to determine a fair salary range for workers with disabilities.
FACT: This is simple. Employees with disabilities should receive prevailing wages and benefits based on productivity and job performance.
MYTH: There is nothing I can do if an individual with disabilities is not the right fit or doesn’t work out in my organization.
FACT: This is the statement everyone is afraid to articulate. They are really trying to say, “I can’t fire a worker with disabilities if he doesn’t work out.” The ADA’s intent is to ensure that individuals with disabilities are given the same opportunities and treatment as everybody else. Employers are not expected or encouraged to go easy on workers with disabilities. They should meet the same performance expectations and be subject to the same disciplinary actions as any employee. If they are not doing the job or are falling short of the workplace’s criteria, they should be coached, counseled, disciplined, and if necessary, terminated based upon established policies. Just as individuals with disabilities deserve equal consideration in the employment arena, they must be held accountable to the standards and expectations of their employment.
(Source: http://content.monster.com/articles/3512/17367/1/home.aspx)
MYTH: It’s almost impossible to interview people with disabilities because it’s so easy to break human rights laws.
FACT: Interviewing is easy. The key is to focus on abilities rather than disabilities. Ask the same job-related questions that you ask other applicants. And once you’ve hired people with disabilities, there’s a good chance they’ll stay. Pizza Hut Corporation finds that workers with disabilities are five times more likely to stay than people without disabilities.
MYTH: Workers with disabilities are more likely than other workers to have accidents.
FACT: You may be surprised to learn that the DuPont study showed that employers rate 97 per cent of workers with disabilities as average or above average in terms of safety.
MYTH: Even though management wants to hire workers with disabilities, our union would never go for it.
or
MYTH: Even though the union wants to hire workers with disabilities, management would never go for it.
FACT: Not true. This may be the assumption, but when management and union representatives get together, more often than not, they are both supportive. If one or the other is not, it is usually due to one or more of the preceding myths.
(Source: http://www.communityinvolvement.org/myths.htm)
Remember; good attitudes are contagious, and employing people with disabilities generates goodwill and fosters positive attitudes among coworkers and customers. Hiring people with disabilities contributes to workforce diversity, which, in turn, contributes to the bottom line.