Changing human resource professionals from gatekeepers to enablers of disability employment: Lessons learned from disability-employment research

Background People with disabilities are one the most discriminated groups in the United States, and this discrimination negatively impacts the ability to find and maintain employment. While more companies are making it a priority to include people with disabilities in their workforces in order to diversify talent pools, many organizations still lack knowledge regarding the benefits of disability-employment and effective strategies for disability inclusion in the workplace. Objective There is a need to provide an integrative review of the disability inclusion literature for vocational rehabilitation professionals to expand employer engagement efforts by helping companies adopt strategies to hire and support people with disabilities in the workplace. Method A review of disability employment and disability inclusion publications was conducted. Findings from the research were compiled into a discussion of lessons learned for vocational rehabilitation professionals. Results The article shares the lessons learned from conducting disability-employment research with attention to the following domains: (1) stigmatizing attitudes of employers, (2) disability employment legislation, (3) characteristics of companies that promote disability-employment, (4) disability inclusion policies and practices, and (5) implicit bias and disability inclusion training for human resource (HR) professionals. Conclusion Providing employers and HR professionals with trainings on these domains will increase awareness of bias toward people with disabilities in the workplace and develop increasingly effective disability inclusion policies and practices for their organization.