Hiring the Invisible Workforce

Computerworld - Information technology workers with disabilities remain one of the most overlooked segments of the workforce. But when someone is seated in front of a computer and communicating through a Web site, a wheelchair, a cane or a hearing aide becomes invisible. That's why the IT field is such a nice fit for people with disabilities, says Richard Dodds, a 20-year veteran of IT and director of technology at Community Options Inc., a national nonprofit group that provides employment and residential services for people with disabilities. "Communication of ideas, and not communication of body language - that is the key of this whole thing," Dodds says. "Get beyond the minutiae." In a recent interview with Computerworld's Melissa Solomon, he spoke about benefits workers with disabilities have to offer and how IT employers can help accommodate them on the job.



What are some ways employers can accommodate IT workers with disabilities? First, every individual is just that, an individual, so what might work for one person might not work for another. Using technology, virtually everyone can succeed at doing the job in the workplace. What most people fail at is the social side of their job. Typically, when it comes to employing people with disabilities, the very basics that employers need to know [are] No. 1, they need to interview people based on their skills, not on what they look like or what they sound like and if they come in in a wheelchair. . . . Ask questions via e-mail before [job candidates] come in.

Then, if you figure out that "this person's got the skill set we want" . . . you can't ask them at the very beginning, "Well, what's your disability, and what do I have to do to accommodate that?" That's patently illegal. The Americans With Disabilities Act [ADA] prevents you from doing that. But what you can do is say, "We're making you a job offer; is there anything else we need to know about you? Any particular accommodations we need to know so we can have this job all set up correctly for you?"



What are some common accommodations for IT workers? Many accommodations are discovered as the job goes on. It's very difficult for anyone who hasn't done the job yet to say, "Gosh, I've just done the interview and I think I'm going to need X, Y and Z." The majority of job-site accommodations that are done in this country - I think it's 80% - cost less than $500. . . .