The Northeast ADA Center recently unveiled a new resource to help small businesses successfully hire and retain employees with disabilities.
A no-cost, web-based resource, the Small Business at Work Toolkit offers information and essential resources exploring how small businesses can capitalize on the talents of workers and job seekers with disabilities and the bottom line benefits of doing so. It also features easy-to-understand, practical advice on disability employment best practices, along with expert guidance on following Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The toolkit was developed based on the findings of a 2019 research study focused on small business and disability employment conducted by the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability at Cornell University.
HR Technology News: TecHRseries Interview with Doug Stephen, President, Learning Division at CGS
“Small businesses are the backbone of America, and finding and keeping qualified employees is crucial to their success,” said Wendy Strobel Gower, Northeast ADA Center Project Director. “We created this Small Business at Work toolkit to help small businesses access a wider range of potential employees and to ensure that they are performing at their best.”
Recognizing that many small businesses operate with small or limited human resources (HR) departments, the toolkit’s creators developed a centralized, easy-to-navigate resource that provides the information small businesses need, when they need it. Guidance is segmented into eight relevant categories including the business case for disability inclusion; the ADA’s implications in a small business; recruiting and hiring people with disabilities; providing workplace accommodations; responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; and more.
Key features of the toolkit are Situation Room scenarios to help small businesses practice the information presented, What to Do mini-guides that summarize key points, and Deeper Dives for additional learning from recommended resources.
HR Technology News: 4 Lessons COVID-19 Has Taught Us About The Future Of Work