Dept of Labor Disability Survey 2009

Employer survey on people with disabilities from U.S. Labor Department

Findings of most extensive employer survey ever on people with disabilities
released by U.S. Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment
Policy (ODEP) released findings of the most extensive survey in history of employers' actions and attitudes toward employing people with disabilities. The report is available at: www.dol.gov/odep.

CESSI, a division of Axiom Resource Management Inc., conducted the survey of 3,797 companies, which statistically represent more than 2.4 million companies nationwide. This survey found that a majority of large businesses are hiring people with disabilities and discovering that costs for accommodations differ very little from those for the general employee population. Additionally, the survey showed that once an employer hires one person with a disability, it is much more likely that employer will hire other people with disabilities.

ODEP Assistant Secretary Neil Romano hailed the report. "This research shows us the pathway for workers with disabilities to enter and succeed in the workplace," he said. "Employers consistently discover that hiring and retaining people with disabilities helps their bottom line, and our efforts at the Department of Labor to educate businesses on this fact are paying off for workers."

The survey does provide some disappointing news in that it reveals some resistance among businesses to viewing people with disabilities as able to advance up the corporate ladder.

"While in many cases the front door has begun to open for people with disabilities seeking employment, unfortunately, all too often a glass ceiling still keeps these valuable employees in lower level positions," Romano commented.