How to Make Job Posts Inclusive for Those with Special Needs

Searching for a new job or a first job can be somewhat daunting. Couple that with feeling like an outsider (when you shouldn’t have to) and it’s really daunting. But it doesn’t have to be as bad if employers start to lead the way to inclusion.

So, how do you make the process inclusive for those with special needs? The purpose of this article is to present a series of practical tips and ideas that can be used to enhance inclusive job posting processes and set the stage for more inclusive working environments. We'll start by describing some of the barriers individuals with special needs face when searching for employment. 

This piece will also outline some of the practical measures and ideas that employers can use to level the playing field for employees with intellectual, physical, and developmental disabilities.

The Barriers

According to the the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 17.9 percent of people with a disability were employed in 2020, down from 19.3 percent in 2019. For people without a disability, 61.8 percent were employed in 2020, down from 66.3 percent in the prior year. So, the CoronaVirus has hit hard on an already struggling statistic. We need to make moves to make sure that the curve starts to trend upwards again. 

Research on inclusion in the labor market shows that many people are unaware of their rights and may be deterred from pursuing opportunities because of fears and misinformation. As well as this, individuals with intellectual, physical and developmental disabilities are often targets of archaic prejudices that generalize anyone with a disability as 'not able' to hold a job. The thing is, this is a myth. Quite the opposite is most often true in that people who have faced the challenges of disabilities. Having to deal with more obstacles in life has this way of bringing about more strength and creative thinking/doing. Individuals with a disability can often help companies to see challenges in a new light and bring about a whole new way to go about business.

How to Write Inclusive Job Postings

Job postings are like a first impression. Honesty about who you are as a company, what you do and what your policies are shows potential candidates the truth without the jargon. 

Good job postings describe your company and culture well enough to give people a feel for what it’s like to work with you. Just listing the attributes you’re looking for in a candidate, while using confusing and cold jargon, doesn’t give them a real sense of what you’re all about. With that in mind, here are a few ways you can make your job postings inclusive:

• Instead of listing a long statement with every single element you’re looking for in a new employee, try just going for the key elements needed for the job. Also, try to put those key elements within reach of people of all sorts of differing abilities.

• Use inclusive language and avoid corporate jargon.

• Never put the diagnosis before the person. People are people, not a sum of their diagnoses. This is something that still needs to be much better understood by the population at large. Instead of saying “disabled person,” you could write “person with disabilities” or better still “individual with different abilities.”

• Add a salary range

• Be sure to emphasize your company's commitment to diversity and inclusion

• Add language like: 

– “We are an inclusive workplace and do not discriminate against intellectual, developmental and physical disabilities.”

– “We welcome applications from individuals with a disability and other diverse backgrounds to apply.”

– “Our company provides user-friendly tools and accessibility to support individuals with disabilities.”

– “Written materials are available in braille and large print as well as, in some cases, audio and video.”

– "Our office is wheelchair-accessible."

When writing your job post, remember that everyone is different and every single person brings something unique to the table when given accommodations to do so.

Supportive Practices to Help Overcome Obstacles

After searching for inclusive employers, one of the first obstacles that individuals with disabilities face when entering the workforce is the interview stage. And, there's not enough decent information out there for employers who are actively pursuing inclusivity within their business.

https://youtu.be/RQevIk0cbOY

About Stephen’s Place

“We have a number of community partnerships that support Stephen's Place and we support our residents in getting jobs and being successful.”

– Heather Bartholomew, Executive Director at Stephen’s Place

Stephen’s Place is an independent apartment community for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, located in Vancouver, WA (7 minutes from Portland, OR).

If you have a loved one with developmental or intellectual disabilities who is looking for a community to live in, please contact us for more information. 

Stephen’s Place is a private-pay apartment community due to our state-of-the-art amenities and programs. We are a nonprofit and do not profit from our community. We are private pay because we spend more than some housing communities to ensure that our residents are comfortable and can safely live their lives with independence and dignity.