MYTH #1
MYTH
“Hiring employees with disabilities increases workers compensation insurance rates.”
FACT
Insurance rates are based solely on the relative hazards of the operation and the organization’s accident experience, not on whether workers have disabilities.
MYTH #2
MYTH
“Providing accommodations for people with disabilities is expensive.”
FACT
The majority of workers with disabilities do not need accommodations to perform their jobs, and for those who do, the cost is usually minimal. In fact, 56% of accommodations cost less than $600, with many costing nothing at all. Employers also report that accommodations paid for employees WITH disabilities typically cost only $320 more than what they would have paid for an employee WITHOUT a disability who was in the same position(1). And available tax incentives make it even easier for businesses to cover accessibility costs.
MYTH #3
MYTH
“The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) forces employers to hire unqualifi ed individuals with disabilities.”
FACT
Unqualified candidates are not protected under the ADA. To be protected from discrimination in hiring, an individual must first meet all requirements for a job and be able to perform its essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations.
MYTH #4
MYTH
“Employees with disabilities have a higher absentee rate than employees without disabilities.”
FACT
Studies by firms such as DuPont show that employees with disabilities are not absent any more than employees without disabilities.
MYTH #5
MYTH
“Under the ADA, an employer cannot fire an employee who has a disability.”
FACT
Employers can fi re workers with disabilities under three conditions:
1. The termination is unrelated to the disability or
2. The employee does not meet legitimate requirements for the job, such as performance or production standards, with or without a reasonable accommodation or
3. Because of the employee’s disability, he or she poses a direct threat to health or safety in the workplace.
1 Job Accommodation Network (JAN), a service of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy
