Expert Advice

Send your questions to info@vabln.org and get expert advice from our directors and advisers as a benefit of participation in the VABLN

“I really want to hire people with disabilities but am not sure where to begin?”

So, you are ready for a more diverse workforce including people with disabilities? There are several ways to begin the process and some of these steps can be done simultaneously:

  • Join the VABLN to learn what other employers have done to hire people with disabilities into their workforce.
  • Reach out to service providers in our area like the Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services, Department for the Blind and Vision Impaired, and Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. These organizations have marketing professionals that can help you take the right steps, create a plan, and they can even provide candidates.
  • Make sure your career site and HR processes are fully accessible. For example, can a person with vision loss submit a resume via your online systems? If a candidate asks for an interpreter during the interview, do you know how to accommodate this person?
  • Assure you are actively recruiting people with disabilities in your marketing materials and at all recruiting venues including college campuses, job fairs and other events. Don’t forget to use social media to reach out to candidates with disabilities by posting your positions in groups like the American Association of People with Disabilities, Professionals with Disabilities and other groups formed by or targeted to people with disabilities.
  • Check out resources at these websites: www.askjan.org, www.usbln.org, and www.vabln.org.
  • Attend conferences where employers are talking about best practices. Examples are SHRM Diversity, USBLN, CSUN, ATIA and COSD Conferences.

The VABLN is here to help Virginia Employers successfully hire people with disabilities, so if you would like additional support, please contact us at info@vabln.org. Good luck! This one decision will make your workforce more creative, innovative and diverse. And remember that one out of three households in the U.S. is impacted by disabilities. Worldwide, this group numbers 500-750 million people and is a key influencer of the public’s perceptions.