Why Kevin Rizer Believes Hiring Disabled And Neurodiverse Employees Is Good For Business

In 2020, 17.9% of persons with a disability were employed, down from 19.3% in 2019, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. For persons without a disability, 61.8% were used in 2020, down from 66.3% in the prior year. The unemployment rates for persons with and without a disability increased from 2019 to 2020, to 12.6% and 7.9%, respectively. Data on both groups for 2020 reflect the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

In addition, national data shows that, despite having the skill sets and expertise to excel in the workplace, most autistic adults are unemployed or underemployed. Autism is considered a neurological developmental disability. About 50,000-60,000 autistic people turn 18 years old every year – and that is a conservative estimate. They graduate from high school and are ready to take on college and careers, yet four in 10 adults with autism never work for pay between high school and their early 20s.

It’s time companies take a look at how they are accommodating and creating opportunities for neurodiverse individuals, remote hearing, and visually impaired employees, according to Kevin Rizer, author of Always Wear Pants: And 99 Other Tips for Surviving and Thriving While You Work from Home. Rizer has had roughly 50% hearing loss since birth.

Disability Inclusion Can Improve Businesses

Disability inclusion at work is about more than hiring people with disabilities. An inclusive workplace values all employees for their strengths. It offers employees with disabilities — whether visible or invisible — an equal opportunity to succeed, learn, be compensated fairly, and advance.

Having been an entrepreneur and leading a remote team for a decade, Rizer has taken his insight into his book, Always Wear Pants. Always Wear Pants shares tips and stories of what has and has not worked for him, as well as advice from friends and professionals. The book focuses on the six pillars for surviving and thriving while working from home: Mindset, Environment, Productivity, Purpose, Community and Connection, and Action.

“At its core, business is about solving problems and creating solutions,” Rizer said. “The better an organization is at solving problems and providing solutions, the more marketable (and successful) it stands to be. This is not a skill learned in a classroom or acquired through years on the job for differently-abled people. Rather, it is engrained. Persons with disabilities are used to solving problems and often must work with extra effort and diligence to simply be considered and recognized at the same level as their peers. For the roughly 1 in 4 Americans with some disability, adapting and creating innovative solutions is necessary to survive and thrive in a world not designed for them.”

And research backs this up. One example is the Harvard Business Review shared a study that showed businesses that employ people with autism, intellectual or developmental differences would see a positive impact. This can include increased morale, improved products and services, higher productivity, and ultimately increased bottom lines. 

A large body of previous research shows that disability inclusion efforts are a boon to employers. In fact, businesses that hire persons with disabilities and foster inclusive cultures report bottom-line benefits that offer proven ROI.

Also, a study done by Accenture, AAPD, and Disability  found of the companies they researched who hired those on the spectrum, they achieved, on average, 28% higher revenue, twice the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins compared with other companies in the same sample.

What Is Stopping Companies From Hiring Disabled Employees?

According to employers participating in a study by Job Accommodation Network, a service from the U.S. Department of labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, a high percentage (59%) of accommodations cost absolutely nothing to make.

What’s also worth considering is that in October 2018, Accenture, in partnership with the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability: IN, released “Getting to Equal: The Disability Inclusion Advantage,” a report that revealed that companies that embrace best practices for employing and supporting people with disabilities in their workforces consistently outperform their peers, including having, on average, 28% higher revenue, double the net income, and 30% higher economic profit margins.

“It is not at all surprising that companies that not only make accommodations for but also encourage and embrace, persons with disabilities, succeed at levels above their competitors,” said Rizer. “This is because persons with disabilities add different perspectives, unique problem-solving skills, and an ability to adapt that is useful across business sectors and from the top to bottom of an organizational chart. After all, consumer groups also comprise persons with disabilities, and organizations that make changes and accommodations are doing so not only for the benefit of workers but also for those they serve.”

Approximately 15.1 million working-age people living with disabilities in the U.S., so if companies embrace disability inclusion, they will gain access to a new talent pool of more than 10.7 million people.

Advice for Businesses and Individuals

When asked how he would encourage companies to pursue outreach and recruitment and foster an inclusive business culture for those who are disabled, Rizer answered with an enthusiastic, “Don’t be shy! Too often, companies steer clear from labels and descriptions of how they are willing to accommodate for fear of stepping on toes or of using the wrong language. Differently-abled persons are not looking for a handout or special consideration. They simply want to be given a fair chance. Organizations should highlight the successes of their team members with disabilities, not despite their uniqueness and differences, but rather because of them. In addition, companies can show their inclusiveness by supporting organizations for persons with disabilities in their communities and those they serve. As members of these communities see companies support their mission, they are more likely to want to lend their talents and abilities.”

As for disabled or neurodiverse potential employees, Rizer feels letting your uniqueness shine could be a powerful tool in getting hired. “Companies are becoming more aware of the benefits of employing a workforce that is not only diverse in race, gender, socio-economic background, and sexual orientation, but also based on differing abilities. So be bold, and let your strengths shine through. It may be that the organization you are applying to or are currently employed at is not yet up with the times. Still, many others are, and many more are making the necessary changes to become more inclusive every day.

Rizer also suggests that you should feel comfortable asking for the tools you need to work remotely and successfully make your company a better workplace.

Leaders, companies, businesses (big and small) need to understand the considerable benefits of disability inclusion programs. When we educate others on the advantages, we hope to quickly get more individuals with disabilities into the workforce, where they can thrive and make a significant contribution to the overall objective of every business.