Helping employees with disabilities

What’s the number one rule when helping employees with disabilities?

Give them fair treatment, not special treatment, says Quinselle Duce, an associate director and program specialist with the Wheat Country Special Needs Society in Vulcan, Alta., 100 kilometres southeast of Calgary.

Duce should know. She has found and created jobs for people with disabilities for more than two decades. This year, she received the Premier’s Council Award of Excellence in Employment from the province, an award recognizing people and organizations that create barrier-free, inclusive environments in the workplace.

One of Duce’s most successful projects has been helping a group of people with disabilities establish and operate two for-profit businesses. The bottle depot and thrift store are operated not as charities but as competitive businesses within the community.

“There were always two rules,” she says. “They were never to ask for handouts and they were going to earn everything that they had, so we don’t do casinos, et cetera. Everything they have, they’ve earned the good old-fashioned way: They’ve worked for it.”

Duce has also successfully placed dozens of people, with a range of disabilities, into a variety of workplaces. Again, her emphasis has been on treating the employee as a regular worker, not a handicapped person.

“I tell my employers that I want them to make money. If they feel they’re doing charity, then we don’t have a good relationship,” says Duce. “I don’t want them to do social work. I’m honest and upfront: You have the right to fire them, you have the right to expect something from them. I don’t want you to treat them differently.”

In Ottawa, Kim Elmer actively recruits workers with what she prefers to call “differing” abilities. An HR manager for Bridgehead, a specialty coffee company with 10 locations in the city, Elmer says accommodating those employees starts with understanding the nature of the job and configuring it to the nature of the disability.

“Our job (in coffee houses) is really hard to do. There’s a lot of noise,” she says. “But if someone reads lips well, it might be an ability rather than a disability.”

Beyond the physical accommodations, workers with disabilities — especially hidden ones, such as a mental health issue — may also require emotional assistance, says Elmer. Employers should keep those struggles confidential, but also be honest with all employees about how they accommodate disabilities.

“One of our buzzwords is to say we will treat all of you fairly, but not necessarily equally,” she says. “It means, ultimately, you’re going to have to accommodate for different people’s abilities. It requires sophistication on the part of the manager to say, ‘I’m dealing with this and you’re just going to have to trust me.’”

It can also be helpful to call in people whose expertise is accommodating disabilities, says Sandra Whiffen, manager of the Partners for Workplace Inclusion program, a federally funded employment service for jobseekers with disabilities across the country.

“You never know what might come up. It can seem very simple,” she says. “It can be communication between the employer and the employee. Sometimes the client is reluctant to discuss it with the employer for fear of losing their job or being looked at differently. The employer may wonder if this is politically correct.”

Consultants can often find creative or inexpensive ways to accommodate workers with disabilities, says Whiffen, based in St. John’s, N.L.

“We’ve dealt with many small employers and we realize they have to have someone that’s multi-tasking. We’ll look at whether there’s a way we can carve the job,” she says. “This person has a talent — is there any way that we can make changes so it will work for both of you?”

Whiffen also reminds employers not to stereotype or lump all people with disabilities into one category.

“Everybody is unique and different. One size doesn’t fit all. What might work for one person may not work for another. It often involves getting to know the person and not assuming things,” she says.

Most important, says Whiffen, is employers need to give employees a chance to do things themselves.

“Approach them and say, ‘Would you like some help with this?’ rather than taking away something from them and saying, ‘I’ll do that. I’ll get that for you.’”

Danielle Harder is a Whitby, Ont.-based freelance writer.

Tips for employers

Managing employees with disabilities

Here are a few ways employers can manage employees with disabilities:

• Respect employees’ confidentiality — discourage gossip among staff at all levels of the organization.

• Ensure employees know they are valued members of a team.

• Find creative ways to solve problems and create win-win situations.

• Seek best practices that have been successfully implemented by other organizations.

• Ensure policies and practices are applied consistently for all employees.

• Retain and promote staff using the same criteria for all employees.

• Provide all employees with opportunities and personal development.

• Check facilities and learning tools to determine whether or not they are accessible.

• As employees’ needs and abilities change, be sure to adapt as necessary.

• Identify training needs when reviewing work performances of employees throughout the organization.

• Focus on achievements when assessing performance — avoid placing any focus on a disability.

• Make all employees aware of opportunities for transfers and promotions — ensure this information is available in accessible formats.

• Keep track of positive changes for making the workplace accessible through monitoring results.

• Make accessibility and accommodation part of regular health and safety audits.

• Conduct third-party, confidential surveys to obtain feedback or encourage self-identification in the workplace.

• Establish a committee to discuss diversity issues or specific disability issues.

• Seek opinions from employees with disabilities — they best understand their needs.

• Ask questions and obtain information from experts to address any questions you may have about disability issues.

Source: www.businesstakesaction.ca