Under the ADA, employers must provide “reasonable accommodations” for employees with disabilities so that they can perform critical job functions. Companies are not required to make an accommodation if it would impose an undue hardship, meaning a significant difficulty or expense. Many business owners are reluctant to hire persons with disabilities in which accommodations need to be made. Most fear that the price of the accommodations will be extensive and expensive. However, a study conducted by the University of Iowa’s Law, Health Policy and Disability Center for JAN, found that the benefits of making accommodations for individuals in the workplace far outweigh the costs. On average, for every one dollar an employer spends on an accommodation, it receives a little over $10 in benefits, JAN reported.

Most employers do not know that there are resources for helping to pay for needed accommodations. Businesses that hire employee’s coming to them through Vocational Rehabilitation Services can have accommodations assessed by the organization and often funded partially, and in some cases completely, by Vocational Rehabilitation.  Also the Architectural/Transportation Tax Deduction: Barrier Removal tax deduction from the federal government can be used for certain architectural or transportation-related modifications involving the removal of barriers to the disabled.

Throughout the country, a wide variety of government agencies, businesses and nonprofit organizations are devoted to removing barriers to employment for individuals with disabilities. The primary federal resource is the ODEP, created by Congress in 2001. Among its programs are the Alliance Initiative, which develops  model policies to recruit, hire, promote and retain workers with disabilities; and the Employer Assistance and Recruiting Network (EARN), a service that helps employers find qualified applicants with disabilities. The federal government also provides financial incentives for hiring people with disabilities. For example, companies that hire a disabled person through a vocational rehabilitation referral may be eligible for the Work Opportunity Tax Credit on an employee’s first two years wages. Other tax benefits are available for making changes to physical facilities. The Small Business Tax Credit allows qualifying businesses to receive tax credits up to $5,000 for making their businesses accessible to disabled persons. A tax deduction of $15,000 per year is available to businesses of any size for the removal of architectural or transportation barriers. Research indicates that HR professionals may not be aware of tax incentives and consequently do not take full advantage of them.

Leaders in Proactively Recruiting People with Disabilities and Providing Disability-friendly       Work Environments

IBM

Through IBM's Global Workforce Diversity program, hiring person's with disabilities is their focus. IBM has a long history of hiring people with disabilities, beginning in 1914. In 1995, the company decided to take its diversity program to the next level by focusing on eight constituencies, including people with disabilities. In that arena, IBM is focused on three areas: accessibility, accommodations and hiring/retention.