Emerging Employment Issues for People with Disabilities

“During the summer and fall of 2011, Cornell University’s Employment and Disability Institute and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) collaborated on the development and implementation of a survey on current critical issues around the employment of people with disabilities. …Three primary issues were addressed in the survey: disability disclosure, leave as a reasonable accommodation, and the use of job applicant screeners. These were emerging issues that may have an important impact (positive or negative) on the employment of people with disabilities. The experiences uncovered in this survey provided a foundation for policy development around these very critical issues” (p. 4). (Abstractor: Author)

“Disclosure was an issue that appeared in all three sections of the survey: disability disclosure, leave as a reasonable accommodation, and the use of job applicant screeners. Respondents discussed the sometimes complex decision of whether to disclose and the barriers and rewards for such disclosure. In the section on workplace leave, several respondents mentioned the need to disclose when requesting and/or returning for leave. This sometimes changed their workplace experience significantly – sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. There was also a fear of disclosure associated with job screeners such as credit checks and employment history. Respondents were concerned that a credit check might reveal SSI/SSDI receipt or medical debt, unintentionally informing an employer of an individual’s disability or health issue. Similarly, respondents were concerned that an employment history with gaps may alert an employer than an applicant has a disability. A wide range of experiences and perspectives were uncovered in this study, both positive and negative. Policy makers, employers (“demand-side”) and others may use this information to guide policy that will lead to more inclusive hiring and retention of individuals with disabilities, ideally, improving the employment situation for people with disabilities” (p. 7-8). (Abstractor: Author)

• Last Updated:
• Created:
• Resource Publication Date: 2011
• Author(s): Von Schrader, Sarah; Malzer, Valerie; Erickson, William; Bruyere, Susanne
• Organizational Author(s): Employment and Disability Institute, ILR School, Cornell University
• Funding Source: U.S. Department of Education
• Resource Availability: Publicly available
• Posted by: Damon Jones
• Posted in: Workforce System Strategies