Ignoring the Disabled is Costing Your Small Business

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The life of a business owner is a world of bottom lines – You get what you put into it. You work to see it grow. You make the best decisions you can in order to provide for yourself, your family, your customers and your employees.

Very often, however, business owners have focused so acutely on their traditional client base and their typical approaches to employment, that they miss out on a completely untapped market. Yet more and more we can see large corporations starting to shift their focus towards this market.

A Shift in the Fortune 500 Landscape

For example, in 2019 launched the Xbox Adaptive Controller; a customizable, accessible video gaming controller marketed towards gamers with disabilities. A device, one should note, that is only compatible with the Microsoft library of products. This is a move that was far more than a Public Relations payoff…This was a direct attempt to reach a (thus far) under-realized customer base. Tapping into a market of several million people worldwide that would be purchasers of their consoles, games and digital content — if not for their physical disabilities.

In May of 2018, Google launched a new resource center aimed directly at empowering their creative teams to design with accessibility in mind. The reason? According to a statement from Google’s executive team; “Building products that don’t consider a diverse range of needs could mean missing a substantial group of potential users and customers”. Google has identified a key core of its target market that is finding themselves unable to fully utilize Google’s suite of products, and they are actively working to

When it comes to employing disabled workers, some large companies are embracing the idea and incorporating it into their hiring practices. IBM has been one of the large pioneers of opening up inclusive hiring practices. In fact, they officially hired their first disabled employee over 100 years ago, in 1914. Today, Jim Sinnochi, a 35+ year employee of IBM (and quadriplegic since 1980), states that the company has built an inclusive attitude into their foundation, saying, “Our diversity strategy became our people strategy…We have created an environment where people feel welcome and valued. We take away the barriers to success and help them contribute to both clients and the company at the highest level of their abilities.”

So, are these approaches finding their way into the world of small business?

In a way, yes. But it’s still not nearly at the level it should be. According to a 2017 economic study, 18.7% of people with a disability were employed, compared to 65.7% of the general population (The study doesn’t factor in those who are retired and those who are too young to work, that is simply the figures among the entire population). The unemployment rate among those with disabilities who are “available for work, and were actively looking for a job” is over twice what it is for non-disabled employees in the same position.

“Our diversity strategy became our people strategy…We have created an environment where people feel welcome and valued” — Jim Sinnochi, (quadriplegic) IBM Marketing and Communications Executive

To those who have little experience with adults with disabilities, this might appear to stand to reason. Especially when considering the traditional employment model of; I have a need — I hire someone who can fill that need — I pay them to fill that need.

We hear things such as “People with disabilities need more support. People with disabilities probably can’t do what I need. People with disabilities can’t learn…”

These perceptions are not uncommon. But are misplaced. There is a disconnect due to the different experiences of people who DO interact with people with disabilities regularly, and those who DON’T. To those who do, it comes as no surprise that people with disabilities are finding success in employment despite. Whether it be the fact that a quadriplegic man could be a play-by-play reporter or that or that a man born with cerebral palsy could be the CEO of a NY Stock Exchange traded Company.

A man sitting in a chair, holding a box of books, representing the commitment to disability employment in Alberta.
Rich Donovan, CEO of The Return on Disability Group, poses with his book, “Unleash Different”. Donovan was born with Cerebral Palsy, and is an advocate for employing people with disabilities (Credit: The Edge Magazine)

Of course, the term “disability” is broad. How can ANY business ensure that it’s “fully-inclusive” in its hiring practices or it’s marketing strategy when there are just so many definitions of what it means to have a disability? What would a disability-friendly organization even look like?

It’s an organization that sees the ability. One that sees people with disabilities as equals. But that also is very good about ensuring that the disability community knows it.

Let’s talk plainly for a minute. The disability community is not just a social justice movement or a human rights campaign. That’s superficial. That’s surface level.

Let’s consider the disability community from a purely business perspective:

Disability is a Market

A market, by the way, that constitutes over half of Canadians. 54% of Canadians either have a disability, or have someone important in their life with a disability. That is 54% of the general population who is called to action by something that supports the disability community.

As an exercise; try and think of a demographic that is larger, more likely to respond to direct marketing, and which also spans age groups, genders, income levels, and buying patterns.

That’s 54% of the general population that would likely choose to spend their dollars with a business that supports the disability community.

A more anecdotal example: You hire a person with a disability. You instantly build a connection to them, their family, their social circle, their circle of support, and the greater community that cares about inclusion and people with disabilities.

A visual representation of the business process for Alberta Employment First Network, facilitating employment opportunities for disabled individuals and fostering employer engagement.
When a business hires a person with a disability, they tap into a huge market of potential customers who will b motivated to support.

So, even from a marketing perspective, hiring inclusively is a savvy business decision. Furthermore, there’s so few businesses that are publicly declaring their support for people with disabilities. So this isn’t even a market that is diluted.

I decided to reach out to an organization in my area that experienced this exact situation. In Lethbridge, Alberta, one of the most important event venues is the Enmax Centre. It functions as the home arena for Lethbridge’s Major Junior hockey team, the Lethbridge Hurricanes. It is also the primary venue for major concerts, rodeos, comedy shows, etc. It has a capacity of up to 5,500 guests, concessions, etc.

Their social media pages are very active. Concert announcements, sports updates, and the like.

Their post announcing a Judas Priest concert: 252 reactions, 91 comments, and 124 shares.

A Ringo Starr concert announcement: 56 reactions, 22 comments, 53 shares.

Announcing their successful bid to host the Tim Horton’s Brier (the largest curling event in Canada): 174 reactions, 48 comments, 49 shares.

Then came this post:

Enmax Centre providing free sensory bags with weighted lap pads, ear protection, and fidget tools for guests with sensory concerns to enjoy events comfortably.

A simple post, but an important one. It announces that the Enmax Centre was offering complimentary sensory bags — including weighted lap pads, ear protection, fidgets, etc. — all so that guests with sensory concerns (something very common for people on the Autism Spectrum), could attend events at the Enmax Centre.

The results?

528 reactions, 90 comments, 354 shares.

When I asked a representative at the Enmax Centre about the post. They said that they didn’t have exact figures, but they couldn’t remember a more engaging post. It was also called the most successful initiative that Guest Services had ever had.

This, more than a national curling event.

More than Judas Priest.

More than a BEATLE.

Inclusion and appreciation for people with disabilities works. Simple as that.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

Let’s switch gears and focus specifically on employment. After all, your employees are your assets. If they are not at 100%, neither is your business. So, how would hiring someone with a physical or cognitive barrier not be a financial liability.

According to Charlotte Gerber of the Journal of Rehabilitation, employees with disabilities are absent, on average, 1.24 fewer days per year than non-disabled employees.

According to the US department of labour, employers that hired employees with a disability reported a 90% increase in employee retention. This is not only due to the loyalty of the average disabled worker — who are often more appreciative of employment opportunities — but also due to the impact on the workplace morale amongst companies with an inclusive workforce.

On average, the cost of employee turnover is 30–50% of the annual salary of an entry-level employee. A professional or certified employee? Up to 400% of their annual salary.

A man carefully tending to a tomato plant in a greenhouse, fostering growth and nurturing nature's bounty.
Employees with disabilities, on average, miss fewer days of work and stay with employers longer than non-disabled employees.

So let’s do some math. Let’s say you’re a 15-employee business. On average, your entry-level employees make $20/hour. Which equates to roughly $41,000 per year. Let’s say your business experiencing the national average for turnover — 15%. That means on average you replace 2 employees per year. Based on all of the figures above, it costs your business between $24,000 and $40,000 per year. Let’s split the difference; $32,000 per year.

If you hired inclusively, you lower your turnover by 90%, so you now lose one employee per year on average. That’s a difference of $16,000 per year.

Then there’s the lower absentee rate, 1.24 days on average per employee. That’s around 18 fewer lost work days. Which equates to around $2,880 per year.

Finally, as referenced before, you tap into a massive market of motivated customers who have a significant chance of being influenced to support your business over a business who does not embrace people with disabilities.

No matter how you look at it. No matter how you analyze it. No matter what your reasons are…

…Ignoring the disabled is costing your small business.

This article can also be found on Medium.

Author : Mitch Lawson

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