More can be done to expand inclusive hiring practices for people with disabilities

Undeterred by the disabilities of deafness and blindness, Helen Keller rose to become a major 20th century humanitarian, educator and writer. One of her famous quotes is, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight but no vision.”

Most are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) signed into law by President George H.W. Bush July 26, 1990 and intended to affirm and protect the rights of those with disabilities regarding employment, government services and other aspects of public life.

The National Center for Learning Disabilities reminds us of an equally dramatic event that took place earlier March 12 of that year when members of the Americans Disabled for Accessible Public Transit tossed their handicap devices and crawled up the Capitol steps as a move to pressure Congress to pass the ADA — our disabled citizens are a brave and determined lot!

The Ford Foundation’s 2019 “Road Map for Inclusion” from the department of Disability Inclusion suggests that media in all its forms has yet to adequately reflect disabled people and their life experiences.

Ford also asserts that the private philanthropic community must play a more active role to empower people of all ages to be able to receive support and services to help them remain in their homes.

Also, access to employment, one of the main goals of the ADA, is still a challenge.

It’s not news that our country’s businesses are having a problem finding willing workers. I submit that one solution to this dilemma is for more American businesses to have the kind of vision Helen Keller speaks of and include more of the disabled among their employees.

“Hiring and recruiting people with disabilities was more important to upper management in 2022 than in, say, 2017,” reports Dr. John O’Neill, Ph.D. of the Kessler Foundation, adding, “We also see more companies adopting training on disability issues.”

So, employers, get on the bandwagon of this successful cultural uptick!

101 Mobility, a full-service franchise business that specializes in mobility and accessibility equipment, reports that the IBM corporation leads the pack when it comes to being disability friendly. This technology and consulting company puts a heavy emphasis on recruiting, hiring and retaining workers with disabilities.

Also, Proctor & Gamble, the multinational manufacturer of Crest, Tide, Folgers and other products also caters to a wide assortment of abilities by offering a people with disabilities employee group.

Hey, if it’s good enough for IBM and P&G, the Small Business Administration (SBA) asserts mom and pop companies are not exempt and can “create a culture of inclusivity and write inclusive job postings.”

If employers want to hire more disabled people, one resource is Talent Knows No Limits (TKNL). The TKNL website features resources for supporting employment of people with disabilities and free online training for service providers, jobseekers with disabilities and employers.

Albert Einstein is credited with the quote, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life, believing it is stupid.”

Let’s not let our disabled brothers and sisters believe they are—like the fictional fish—failures.

Sunny Simonetti is a freelance writer and resident of Palm Desert. Email her at desertscribe6@msn.com

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: More can be done to hire people with disabilities