What Business Owners Should Know About Hiring Employees With Disabilities

People with disabilities have the same rights to the pursuit of life and career goals as people without disabilities. This statement may seem obvious, but as a business owner, you have a responsibility to make it so. If and when a person with a physical or mental disability interviews for an open position at your company, you need to be prepared to treat him or her with the same respect and dignity with which you treat everyone else. Read on for information about interviewing and hiring employees with disabilities jacksonville, FL.

What To Do In The Interview

The Americans with Disabilities Act stipulates that an interviewer may only question an interviewee about a disability if it is “obvious and visible.” If should be easy enough to determine whether this is the case. If so, simply ask the candidate whether he or she would need any special accommodations in order to succeed in the role. By asking the question in a clear and respectful way, you will relieve stress from both yourself and the candidate, and you will both be able to get a better idea as to whether the job is a good fit.

Starting Work

Once you’ve offered a job to an individual with a disability and he or she has accepted it, the next step is to introduce the new hire to the rest of the team. If your new employee is comfortable with it, it may be a good idea to hold a quick meeting to allow others to ask questions.

As months go by and the time comes for a performance review, resist the temptation that you may feel to hold an employee with a disability to a different standard. Just like your other employees, he or she deserves honest, constructive feedback and the opportunity to improve.

Having people with disabilities as members of your staff shouldn’t be a challenge as long as you are open-minded, honest and respectful. Try to focus on their abilities rather than their disabilities, and you may discover an untapped resource.