Each October since 1945, the U.S. Department of Labor has sponsored National Disability Employment Awareness Month to acknowledge the positive impact people with disabilities have on the American workplace. This year’s theme was “Celebrating Value and Talent.”
Despite mounting evidence that hiring people with disabilities makes good business sense, corporate America has a long way to go in that regard. People with disabilities often face a number of hurdles in finding work. They not only must overcome their disabilities but also must fight inaccurate hiring assumptions. One misconception is that employees with disabilities won’t be there for the long haul, yet studies have shown that workers with disabilities actually have lower rates of turnover than the general staff.
As for concerns about performance, the evidence shows that facilities that hire workers with disabilities perform as well as—or better than—similar operations. A 2023 study by Accenture, in partnership with Disability:IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities, found that companies that employ and support people with disabilities outperform their peers without such programs. They reported 1.6 times more revenue, two times more profit, and 2.6 times more net income than those without a disability hiring program.
It doesn’t take much to adapt a facility for this workforce. Research from the Job Accommodation Network shows that more than half (56%) of accommodations cost nothing at all to implement, while others average around $300. That’s a small price to pay to expand the talent pool.
As for what those accommodations might entail in our corner of the world, many warehouses would require only simple changes. For instance, companies could design picking and packing stations to accommodate wheelchairs. They could provide workers who have visual disabilities with voice systems to provide directions. Likewise, they could equip those with hearing impairments with screens or use pick-to-light systems for guidance.
Simple adaptations can also be made for workers with cognitive issues and learning disabilities, like difficulty reading letters and numbers. For instance, one Walgreens facility I visited used snack-food symbols rather than numbers to designate picking aisles.
It’s difficult finding quality workers these days. Don’t overlook a ready-and-willing workforce of people who only ask for an opportunity.
