Research Project final report
Chrissy Courtney
As a result of the information that I have collected from the surveys, it is shown that the majority of employers do not want to employ Adults with Developmental Disabilities. As I was asking questions from the survey via the telephone to the employers, I received various responses. Originally I thought that if I asked different types of business the same questions, that I would get the same type of answers from the same business. But that is not what happened. Every business that I talked with had a different response. So, I decided to categorize the answers into 5 groups.
The first group would be the employers that said that they would not employ any individual with a Developmental Disability. I found it interesting because as the employer was asked the question, "Do you feel that individuals with disabilities should work in the community?' Every employer that I asked said yes. But when they were asked, 'Would you consider hiring a person with some type of disability?" This is where I would receive varied responses. The majority of the No answers, had the same explanations. This was that it would not be a suitable environment for them. When I asked why, some stated that, 'it required a lot of physical demands" others stated that, "it required too much cognitive ability." Other answers were, "this is a small business we donıt have room," "I can't afford to pay another staff," and "I don't think that I have any work for them to do."
The second group is the "possibly in the future" group. These were the businesses that said that they would not have anything to give them right now. But, in the future if there was an opening that would be suitable they would consider hiring an individual with a disability. Some of specific responses were, ³I would have to check and make sure that my insurance would allow them to work here," "Once there is an opening and the appropriate tasks were available, I would consider it" and "I would need someone that could work independently."
The third group is the "would employ or currently employs an individual with a disability." This category is pretty much self explanatory. Some of the businesses stated that they were currently employing or had employed an individual with a disability. The employers were also very happy to state that they "enjoyed" having the individual working for them, and that their work performance was "always done very well." Their work was, "always appreciated" and the employer would always consider hiring another individual with a Developmental Disability.
The fourth and fifth groups were the ones that I did not get any answers from. Some businesses said that they, "did not have time to answer questions" and to "call later." Some offered to call back later when they had more time but they never did. Other businesses were not available to talk at all. The employers did not understand that this was just a survey. Some of the comments that I got were "I don't do surveys" or "We have no available positions."
In conclusion, it is my opinion that there could be a lot more positive responses if employers were more aware of the capabilities of individuals with Developmental Disabilities. As soon as a person hears the word ³disability² they automatically think of the worse disability that they have seen or heard of. One of the employers that I spoke with had even stated that he was basing his decision on someone he knew of with a disability. This was an employer who said that he would ³not hire² an individual with a Developmental Disability. I also think that it is a fear of "accidents that could happen" and possibly what employers have heard of in the past that hinders an employer from wanting to hire individuals with a Developmental Disability. It is also apparent that the employers who have experienced working with these individuals have come their own opinion. What some employers do not realize is that each person with a disability has something different to offer, and that everyone is uniquely different.
Employability Survey Results
1 - Would not employ an individual with disabilities.
2 - Would possibly employ an individual with disabilities in the future.
3 - Would employ or currently employs an individual with disabilities.
4 - Would not reply to survey.
5 - Could not answer they were to busy.
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