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In episode 39 of “The JoyPowered™ Workspace Podcast,” JoDee and Susan discuss how to recruit and retain people with disabilities with Angie Vandersteen of Tangram Business Resourcing. Topics include how to start a disability inclusion program, how to educate staff members to ensure a welcoming workplace, and where to find candidates with disabilities. Theresa Koleszar from Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation calls in to explain how state vocational rehab services work.

Disabilities affect a lot more people than you might think. There are 56 million people with disabilities in the United States, and 30% of families have at least one member with a disability. Unfortunately, though, only 20% of people with disabilities are employed.

We tend to separate disabilities and medical conditions in our minds, when in reality, anything medical, neurological, or intellectual in nature that impairs how you live your life and your ability to be fully independent in daily activities is a disability. There’s also a misconception that accommodations for disabilities are always expensive; it could be something as simple as medical gloves or changing the setup of a room.

It’s important to start your disability inclusion initiative at the top and have that leadership buy-in. Any major program that a company starts is announced by someone c-suite, not in a memo from your immediate supervisor, and that’s why people take it as seriously as they do. Find their connection to the disability community, because a lot of them have one and just may not be connecting it to the workplace. If they don’t, share your personal experience with them, or bring research on why you want to try it in your department. Before you start the program, it’s crucial to do a deep audit of your culture to make sure it’s inviting; if you find out it’s not, then figure out what you need to do to get your culture where it needs to be first.

There are lots of places to find candidates with disabilities, like state vocational rehabilitation departments, universities and high schools, parent organizations and support groups, church and religious organizations. Everyone involved, particularly people who will be managing the staff you’re bringing in, should be required to go through disability awareness and etiquette training, and the training should become part of your culture, your annual training programs, and onboarding. And make sure anyone in the hiring process is trained on how to hire and interview people with disabilities.

Every state has vocational rehabilitation services; the program’s mission is to assist job seekers who happen to have disabilities to achieve their employment goals. Services include (but aren’t limited to) vocational counseling and guidance, supported employment services, rehabilitation technology, and job readiness training. Theresa Koleszar of Indiana’s VR program shares her advice on getting started with a disability inclusive workplace: Just start somewhere. You never know where one small step might lead!

Get in touch with Indiana State Vocational Rehabilitation:

Kristina Blankenship, Director of Business and Community Engagement – (317) 650-9828

In this episode’s listener mail, Sarah in Maryland is getting ready to place a staff member on a written warning and wants to know what to do if the staff member refuses to sign it. JoDee and Susan discuss a bill at the New York City legislature that would give employees the “right to disconnect” from their employers.

Mentioned in This Episode:

• Purple Ink, the HR consulting firm JoDee owns
• Susan Tinder White Consulting, the HR consulting firm Susan owns
• JoyPowered, JoDee’s first book
• The JoyPowered Family, JoDee’s second book
• Indiana Vocational Rehabilitation, the organization Theresa works with, which helped Susan’s daughter rejoin the workforce
• Goodwill, which provided job coaching for Susan’s daughter
• The National SHRM Conference, where JoDee heard about the importance of working with people who are different than us
• Workplace Initiative, where you can find statistics on disability employment
• Tangram Business Resourcing, the organization where Angie works, which specializes in helping business embrace, plan, and incorporate a customized disability inclusion program
• Bosma Enterprises, an organization which provides support services and rehabilitation for people with disabilities, primarily the blind
• The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a law that prohibits discrimination based on disability
• Disability:IN, formerly the United States Business Leadership Network, a great place to get stats and facts
• The Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a great place to find information on this topic
• DePaul and Cornell, universities that have departments focused on and work with businesses on disability inclusion
• Indiana University, which has a great department and online resources for education on disabilities
• The United States Department of Labor, a good place to get information on disability employment
• The Poses Family Foundation and the Kessler Foundation, which fund inclusion initiatives
• “Employing People with Disabilities: Lessons from Kessler Foundation’s Signature Employment Grants”, a white paper about disability employment
• Tangram Business Resourcing on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook