Disability Feasibility

Disability Feasibility in Today's Business

One of the most important rules of business to ensure integrity, and therefore better potential for success, is to treat everybody equally. However, this being said, it should be noted that treating everyone equally does not mean the same thing as treating them the same way. For example, in the case of people with disabilities, they can still be treated equally, however, they may require different treatment from the next person.

Employers must recognize the different accessibility needs of their employees, including those with disabilities. Legally, this is true up to the point that it results in "undue hardship". Therefore, it is up to every company to determine their own disability feasibility. It should be recognized that undue hardship does not simply mean causing an inconvenience or unwanted additional effort.

If a company is to claim that disability feasibility does not work for them due to undue hardship, it means that the business would require undue costs - such as in the case where accommodating a disabled employee affects the financial practicality of the company - or where the health and safety of other employees may be at risk - for example, in the case where accommodating a disabled employee outweighs the benefits of bettering the level of equality within the company.

Businesses should not underestimate the importance of disability feasibility, as it is an extremely important part of today's society, and is rigidly enforced by the law.

What needs to be recognized by businesses in many cases is that disability feasibility need not necessarily mean the implementation of accommodations that are expensive and unrealistic. In fact, in many situations, the changes that need to implement are quite cost effective and actually add value to the workplace. When it all comes down to it, it will almost always make good business sense to make sure that all employees are properly accommodated.

Consider the fact that 68 percent of all businesses that have made changes to their workplaces for disability feasibility spent $500 (US dollars) or less. For such a nominal cost, the changes quickly pay for themselves and greatly add to the company morale and functionality. As a good example of what is required, Sears, Roebuck and Company calculated that the average cost to accommodate disabled workers is $45. This certainly isn't a cost that should be considered out of reach by any business that is successful enough to have employees at all!

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