Accommodating Workers with Mental Disabilities

Research conducted jointly by NEC America and the University of Oregon suggests that companies can voluntarily accommodate employees with severe mental disabilities by teaching coworkers basic training strategies. More significant, employees regard these training skills as useful in their day-to-day responsibilities, beyond any involvement with disabled employees. Effective training has 3 characteristics: 1. It provides the right type and amount of assistance. 2. It measures learning so that the trainer knows where greater precision or more effective assistance and reinforcement are required. 3. It uses reinforcement to strengthen the learning that is taking place. Training that is tested and proven, relatively inexpensive, easy for training departments to adopt, and effective for all employees must be seen as the type of accommodation that delivers a tangible benefit to both employers and employees. Training employees in support strategies can help build the company's capacity to accommodate nontraditional employees.