HR's role in managing disability in the workplace

It is estimated that there are 43 million Americans with disabilities. Many of these citizens are significantly unemployed or underemployed compared with their nondisabled peers. This is true despite the fact that it has been a decade since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits disability discrimination. The role of employers, management, and especially human resources professionals in minimizing discrimination is described. Findings from a recent study of private- and federal-sector employers (Bruyere, 2000) point to way to successfully minimize the negative consequences of disability both for the individual and the workplace. How the study was conducted, its key findings, and its implications are discussed. With both a shrinking and aging labor force in the US, and the increasing need for skilled labor in certain industries, it is timely to explore effective recruitment and workplace integration of employees with disabilities.