Source: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/pcsdp-cpmcph/pdf/brochures/MythBusters.pdf
“Individuals with disabilities who are not in the labour force are faced with the misperception
that they are either unable or unwilling to work. Failure to recognize and address these
myths and negative stereotypes results in discrimination and the exclusion of individuals with
disabilities from the workplace despite their willingness and ability to actively participate in
the labour force.”
Myth
Employees with disabilities have a higher absentee rate than employees without
disabilities.
Fact
Studies by firms such as DuPont show that employees with disabilities are not absent
any more than employees without disabilities. In fact, these studies show that on the
average, individuals with disabilities have better attendance rates than their non-disabled
counterparts.
———-
Myth
Individuals with disabilities should be placed in jobs where they will not fail.
Fact
Everyone has the right to fail as well as to succeed. Be careful not to hold someone
back from a position or a promotion because you think that there is a possibility that he or
she might fail in the position. If this person is the best-qualified candidate, give them the
same opportunity to try that you would give anyone else.
———-
Myth
Individuals with disabilities are not reliable.
Fact
Individuals with disabilities tend to remain on the job and to maintain better levels of
attendance. A US Chamber of Commerce study revealed that workers with disabilities had
an 80% lower turnover rate.
———–
Myth
Someone will always have to help them.
Fact
This is not the case with proper training. Individuals with disabilities have adjusted to
their disability in most cases. It does not affect their ability to work unaided.
———-
Myth
Persons who are deaf make ideal employees for noisy work environments.
Fact
Loud noises of a certain vibratory nature can cause further harm to the auditory
system. Persons who are deaf should be hired for all jobs that they have the skills and
talents to perform. No person with a disability should be prejudged regarding employment
opportunities.
———-
Myth
Considerable expense is necessary to accommodate workers with disabilities.
Fact
In reality and with proper planning and knowledge, most job accommodations are
simple and inexpensive. According to the Job Accommodation Network Canada, 80% of
accommodations cost less than $500. In addition, the 1991 Health and Activity Limitations
Survey (HALS) found that fewer than 30,000, or 4% of the 890,000 working Canadians with
disabilities required accessible washrooms, ramps or other building modifications. There are
government programs which can defer some or all of the cost of the accommodation.
Most frequently reported accommodations were changes in job duties and modified hours of
work. Accommodations mostly have more to do with creativity, flexibility and sound
management practices than expensive structural modifications or specialized technology.
Accommodations like ramps, automatic door openers, widened doorways, and wheelchair
accessible washrooms make the employers workplace more accessible to other potential
employees with disabilities. Clients and customers like parents with baby strollers and people
making deliveries also enjoy the comforts of a less cumbersome environment. It is therefore
misleading to consider the cost of these changes as the cost of accommodating just one
employee.
———-
Myth
I can’t fire or discipline an employee with a disability.
Fact
While there are laws in place, such as the Human Rights Act and the Charter of Rights
and Freedoms that serve to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities by providing
equal access in the areas of employment, transportation, public accommodations, public
services, and telecommunications, there are no special procedures for firing or disciplining
employees with disabilities.
Establish clear performance expectations from the start. If a performance problem does
occur, follow your company’s usual guidelines: discuss the problem with the worker, look for
solutions, document the situation and, if necessary, terminate the employment agreement.
———-
Myth
An employer’s worker’s compensation rates rise when they hire individuals with
disabilities.
Fact
Insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of the operation and the
organization’s accident experience, not on whether workers have disabilities. A study
conducted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of
Manufacturers showed that 90% of the 279 companies surveyed reported no effect on
insurance costs as a result of hiring workers with disabilities.
———-
Myth
People with disabilities are more likely to have accidents.
Fact
Two studies, one conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics during the 1940’s and a
current study recently completed by the DuPont Company support the findings that workers
with disabilities performed significantly higher than their counterparts without disabilities in
the area of safety. These studies included people in professional, technical, managerial,
operational, labor, clerical, and service areas. It evaluated individuals with orthopedic, vision,
heart, health, and hearing disabilities. Conclusion: Workers with disabilities are often more
aware, not less, of safety issues in the workplace.
———-
Myth
Workers with a disability are a bad influence on other workers.
Fact
More often than not, the worker with a disability brings additional diversity into the
workplace. For example: Someone who uses a wheelchair may point out ways to make
physical access better for all by uncluttering walkways and offices. Someone who has a
learning disability may develop a filing system based on colors in addition to words that
increases efficiency and ease of use.
———-
Myth
People with disabilities are not able to contribute to society.
Fact
More than anything, individuals with disabilities are restricted not by their abilities, but
by society. As an employer, do not let a person’s disability get in the way of an opportunity
for him or her to demonstrate talents. Misconceptions that insurance costs/ rates will go up,
and that they have a high rate of absenteeism and low productivity levels should be
overcome and an equal opportunity afforded to individuals with disabilities.
———-
Myth
People with disabilities are more sensitive than other people, more
courageous, kinder, more creative, more admirable or more conscientious.
Fact
Individuals with disabilities do not possess any special characteristics — they are just
like other person you employ.
———-
Myth
It’s almost impossible to interview people with disabilities because it’s so
easy to break human rights laws.
Fact
Interviewing is easy. They 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 someone
with a disability, 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
Individuals with disabilities don’t have the education I need.
Fact
Over half of individuals with disabilities have high school diplomas and over a third
have post-secondary diplomas. Human Resources and Skills Development Canada reports
that, overall, combining university, college and trades, Canadian adults with disabilities are
about two thirds as likely to have a post-secondary education as adults without disabilities.
———-
Myth
It doesn’t matter to my customers if I address the disability issue or not.
Fact
Canadians with disabilities have access to a combined annual disposable income of
$25 billion annually, making this a spending group with significant clout.
———-
Myth
Individuals with disabilities are more prone to additional injuries.
Fact
Workers with disabilities have average or better safety records on and off the job. The
US Department of Labor, through four national studies, has found that individuals with
disabilities experience fewer disabling injuries than the average employee exposed to the
same hazards.
———-
Myth
People with disabilities are unable to meet performance standards, thus
making them a bad employment risk.
Fact
In 1990, DuPont conducted a survey of 811 employees with disabilities and found 90%
rated average or better in job performance compared to 95% for employees without
disabilities. A similar 1981 DuPont study which involved 2,745 employees with disabilities
found that 92% of employees with disabilities rated average or better in job performance
compared to 90% of employees without disabilities. The 1981 study results were comparable
to DuPont’s 1973 job performance study.
———-
Myth
Individuals with disabilities are not as productive or don’t work as hard as
employees without disabilities.
Fact
A 1987 Louis Harris and Associates survey of 920 American employers revealed that
employees with disabilities have about the same (57%) or better (20%) productivity levels
than employees without disabilities. 90% were rated as average or above average in
performance of job duties. 79% of the managers also responded that their disabled
employees work 33% as hard or harder than 46% of their employees without a disability.
———-
Myth
Employees with a disability are more difficult to supervise than employees
without a disability.
Fact
The Harris study also revealed that 82% of managers found employees with disabilities
no more difficult to supervise than employees without disabilities. Employees with disabilities
should be held accountable to the same job standards as any other employee. Managers
should be confident that their supervisory skills will work equally well with employees with
disabilities.”
———-
https://www2.gnb.ca/content/dam/gnb/Departments/pcsdp-cpmcph/pdf/brochures/MythBusters.pdf
| What else would you like to know? |
|---|
| About Job Quest |
| Contact Job Quest |
| Client FAQs |
| Employer FAQs |
| Hiring People with Disabilities - The Myths Versus Reality |
| Job Quest Affiliations |
| Employment-related Links |