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This study examined the costs and benefits of workers with and without disabilities within three sectors: healthcare, retail, and hospitality. Three hundred and fourteen employees (95 with and 219 without disabilities) from 13 companies participated. Comparisons between both groups were made across six work variables: job performance, supervision, tenure, absenteeism, worker's compensation claims, and accommodations. Across the three sectors, job performance and supervision were similar for both groups of employees. However, findings were mixed when tenure, absenteeism, and worker's compensation claims were considered. Lastly, costs of accommodations were for the most part minimal.
In the United States, the employment struggles of the disability community have been well-documented. Dating back to 1986, Harris Polls of adults with disabilities indicate low employment figures for this group (Taylor, 2000). Of over 21 million working-age adults with disabilities, only 37.7% work full- or part-time compared to 79.7% of non-disabled working-age adults (Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statistics, 2007). In assessing the reasons to explain this employment gap, a host of internal (i.e., job readiness, academic attainment, and reliance on cash and medical benefits) and external factors (i.e., transportation, community accessibility, and negative employer attitudes) have been proposed (Hernandez, Cometa, Velcoff, Rosen, Schober, & Luna, 2007; Loprest & Maag, 2001; National Council on Disability, 2007). Of these factors, a major contributor to the employment gap has been the attitudes of employers towards hiring people with disabilities (Greenwood & Johnson, 1987; Hernandez, Keys, & Balcazar, 2000; Wilgosh & Skaret, 1987). Notably, Hernandez, Keys, and Balcazar (2000) found that although employers reported positive global attitudes toward workers with disabilities, they were less positive when specific attitudes related to hiring decisions were assessed. In the Hernandez review, employers expressed concerns with the work-related skills, productivity, supervision demands, and promotability of individuals with disabilities (Johnson, Greenwood, & Schriner, 1988; McFarlin, Song, & Sonntag, 1991; Roessler & Sumner, 1997). In addition, employers were worried about the cost of accommodations (Moore & Crimando, 1995; Roessler & Sumner, 1997; Waters & Baker, 1996).
Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities
Employers are concerned about the bottom line: Will costs associated with workers with disabilities outweigh the benefits? There are a few studies indicating that such concerns may be unjustified. Parent and Everson...