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Dixon, Kl, Kruse, D., & Van Horn, C. (2003). Restricted access: A survey of employers about people with disabilities and lowering barriers to work (Work Trends Survey, 3:6). New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University, John J. Heldrich Center for Workforce Development.
Abstract
This report, based on a survey of 501 businesses throughout the U.S., describes the attitudes and experiences of employers in hiring and retaining employees with disabilities, providing accommodations and training for these workers, and policy strategies for increasing workplace accessibility.
Though the majority of employers say that their workplaces are accessible to workers with disabilities, only one-fourth said that their company employs at least one worker with a disability. Employers expressed diverse opinions about the reasons for this under-representation: one-third said that the greatest barrier to hiring is that the work could not be effectively performed by workers with disabilities, and one-fifth identified lack of skills and experience on the part of job seekers with disabilities as a major obstacle.
Employers recognized their own barriers to hiring people with disabilities, including discomfort or unfamiliarity with workers with disabilities and fear of the cost of accommodation. Most employers supported federal tax incentives for companies that hire workers with disabilities, and nearly three-fourths believe employers as well as employees and the government are responsible for ensuring equality in the workplace. The study concludes that, despite perceived barriers, employers would support opportunities to more aggressively recruit, hire, train, and support workers with disabilities.
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