Why Hire People with Disabilities?

503 Compliance: New rules from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP), relating to Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, went into effect in March 2014. Among other changes, these new regulations require federal contractors to set a goal of having 7% of their workforce comprised of individuals with disabilities. Click here for more information and resources on 503 compliance.

Equal Opportunity: It’s the Law

Building an Inclusive Workforce A Four-Step Reference Guide to Recruiting, Hiring and Retaining Employees with Disabilities

Incentives

Federal Tax Benefits for Businesses Who Have Employees with Disabilities:

Tax incentives for hiring people with disabilities are available to eligible small businesses to hire individuals with disabilities and removing architectural barriers. Call the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) Program at 617-626-5353 to learn how to qualify for and receive tax credits–or visit the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s website, where you will find basic information for small employers about EEOC-enforced laws and processes.

Veteran-Specific Incentives:

U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP): the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) administers four major disability compensation programs that provide wage replacement benefits, medical treatment, vocational rehabilitation and other benefits to certain workers or their dependents who experience work-related injury or occupational disease. These programs:

State Employer Tax Incentives: Some state-specific tax credit programs for hiring people with disabilities are based on the Federal Government’s Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC) and others are related to accessibility improvements and employment supports.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) Services: State vocational rehabilitation agencies may be able to help employers with some of the costs associated with assistive and rehabilitation technology for employees with disabilities. Employees who are VR clients can request VR assistance to help pay for this type of technology and other employment supports, such as sign language interpreters and readers.

On the Job training funds available through MA Rehabilitation Commission

Accommodations

Job accommodations are usually not expensive. The actual costs for 68% of workers with disabilities is $0-$500. For more about free job accommodations specific to your worker and workplace needs, call the Job Accommodations Network(JAN) at: (800) 526-7234 or visit the Job Accommodations Network web site. The Job Accommodations Network (JAN) provides free consulting services for all employers, regardless of the size of an employer’s workforce. Services include one-on-one consultation about all aspects of job accommodations, including the accommodation process, accommodation ideas, product vendors, referral to other resources, and ADA compliance assistance.

MassMatch assistive technology – guide for employers

Training & Consulting Services

Job Accommodation Network (JAN) offers free consulting for employers.

Work Without Limits provides training and consulting for employers to build their capacity to successfully include individuals with disabilities in their workplaces, and for employment service providers to address some of the biggest employment challenges that people with disabilities face, including how work income affects public benefits.

The Polus Center for Social & Economic Development, Inc. is a non-governmental organization based in Massachusetts that endeavors to create opportunities for persons with disabilities and members of other vulnerable groups in the United States and internationally. Our international efforts create opportunities for persons with disabilities in post-conflict areas which have included the development of rehabilitation programs, vocational training, and psychosocial trauma services. The Polus Center works around the world to build national rehabilitation capacities by offering local organizations training in human service design, inclusive design principles, and ongoing support for project implementation. In the United States, the Polus Center designs and implements innovative, person-centered work readiness and job-driven employment initiatives for adults and young people with disabilities and other barriers to employment.

The NOD Employment Tracker™ provides employers a view of where you are in your disability inclusion journey – and helps you create an action plan to advance your efforts. The National Organization on Disability experts will analyze your The NOD Employment Tracker™ responses and meet with you, in-person or virtually, for an in-depth discussion of How your company stacks up against others in the Tracker database, with question-by-question benchmarking; Leading practices with expert observations – informed by 35 years of experience – on where your company excels and your opportunities for improvement; A customized plan with quick wins, and medium and long-term actions, tailored to your business; A playbook on how to use the Accelerator to build buy-in across the organization.

The National Center on Leadership for the Employment and Economic Advancement of People with Disabilities (LEAD) is a Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) policy development center. The LEAD Center delivers policy research and recommendations, technical assistance, and demonstration projects to promote inclusion and equity, and facilitate the adoption and integration of inclusive WIOA programs, policies, and practices.

Recruiting People with Disabilities

The Employer Assistance and Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) offers information and resources to help organizations of all sizes recruit, hire, retain, and advance people with disabilities; build inclusive workplace cultures; and meet diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) goals.

“Where can I find job candidates with disabilities?” Many employers tell us that one of the biggest barriers they face in recruiting people with disabilities, including disabled veterans, is where to find candidates who have the skills, interests, and experience to make them a good fit for the organization. Various state and local service providers and other community-based organizations are available to help source candidates with disabilities.

Posting Jobs to Recruit People with Disabilities – If you’re interested in having your positions posted on the Work Without Limits job board and have access to a database of prepared, professional candidates, contact Bonnie Rivers at [email protected].

Massachusetts Business Leadership Network (MABLN) is a Massachusetts-based network of both private and public sector employers who are committed to diversity and inclusion and interested in building capacity to attract, recruit and retain employees with disabilities; market to and service customers with disabilities, and include disability-owned businesses in their supply chains. For more information contact Work Without Limits.

Workforce Recruitment Program

Strategies to Support Employer-Driven Initiatives to Recruit and Retain Employees with Disabilities

The Disability Employment TA Center will provide evidence-based training and technical assistance (TA) to the Administration on Disabilities (AoD) grantees aimed at improving competitive, integrated employment (CIE) and economic outcomes for individuals with disabilities across the nation. AoD grantees include:

Centers for Independent Living (CIL)
State Councils on Developmental Disabilities (Councils)
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD)
State Protection and Advocacy Systems (P&A)
Traumatic Brain Injury State Partnership Programs (TBI)
Projects of National Significance, Community Collaborations for Employment (PNS)