Not so fast, claims a group of unemployed workers who say they're not only willing to take on these jobs, but they are reliable, skilled and committed to quality work. Still, these voices are often ignored as employers continue to outsource millions of jobs to places such as India and Mexico.
''All we're really trying to do is get employers to give these people a chance,'' says Wayne McMillan. ''Employers in this country are overlooking a valuable work force component.''
That component, the mentally and physically disabled, make up 20 percent of the population - the largest minority group - yet have the highest unemployment rate, says McMillan, CEO and president of the Bobby Dodd Institute, a nonprofit group that trains the disabled for the work force.
''There are 50 million people in this country with disabilities, and they have a 70 percent unemployment rate. Most businesses are unaware of that. There is just a general lack of knowledge about the disabled, and we want to make sure that companies know the disabled have skills and abilities, low turnover and are great employees,'' he says.
With those qualifications, why aren't more employers hiring the disabled? McMillan says employers often view the disabled as having too many physical limitations to fit into a job.
''Disabilities can range from having hearing or vision problems to having cognitive problems to being in a wheelchair,'' he says. ''What many employers don't realize is that most accommodations for the disabled in the workplace can be made for less than $500. Being disabled is not a monolithic thing. It's specific to each person.''
Further, McMillan says that the growing number of disabled Americans returning from overseas military conflicts, in addition to the aging baby boomers and more accident and stroke victims, means that employers will need to adjust to the disabled in the workplace now more than ever.
''It's important to get the message out that people with disabilities are just people. They have strengths and attributes just like anyone else that allow them to make a contribution to the workplace,'' he says. ''But sometimes it's hard to get past misconceptions.''
In an attempt to educate employers and promote disabled workers, October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month. According to several agencies that promote employment for the disabled, employers need to put aside the myths about the disabled, and learn the facts, including:
* Turnover for the disabled is much lower than for other workers, around 8 percent, as compared with an overall turnover rate of 45 percent.
* People with disabilities represent $1 trillion in annual aggregate consumer spending, $220 billion of which is discretionary funds.
* A study by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers found that 90 percent of the 279 companies surveyed reported no effect on insurance costs as a result of hiring workers with disabilities.
* In several studies, 91 percent of workers with disabilities scored average or better when compared with the general work force, and their attendance was also found to be better.
''The biggest problem is that people get labeled as a disability,'' McMillan says. ''They get evaluated at face value, instead of being considered for their capabilities.''
* A special tax credit of up to $5,000 annually is available to help smaller employers make accommodations required by the Americans with Disability Act (ADA).
If you're interested in more information on hiring the disabled, or getting job training if you are disabled, check out these Web sites: Bobby Dodd Institute at http://www.bobbydodd.com; NISH (a nonprofit that seeks to create employment for the disabled) at http://www.nish.org; and the American With Disabilities Act at http://www.ada.gov.
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* ANITA BRUZZESE can be reached c/o Business Editor, Gannett News Service, 7950 Jones Branch Drive, McLean, Va. 22107.
