They are a valuable untapped labor source for employers
Repeatedly get high ratings from managers on job-related issues
Census found 29 million qualified workers with disabilities and 80% want
to work
Are Accommodations Expensive?
Harris survey found 70% of adults with disabilities need no special equipment
20% of accommodations cost nothing
Additional 50% of accommodations cost less than $500
May be tax deductible
Is it Difficult to Supervise Employees with Disabilities?
1987 Harris poll found 90% of workers with disabilities received good/excellent
ratings
Managers felt most workers with disabilities did their jobs as well or better
than those without disabilities in similar jobs
Will Employees With Disabilities be Absent More Often?
DuPont study found 85% of its employees with disabilities rated average
and above on attendance
Study by International Telephone and Telegraph found its workers with disabilities
had fewer absences than their coworkers
Do Employees With Disabilities Have Good Safety Records?
DuPont study found its employees with disabilities were rated higher on
safety than coworkers
Will Workers With Disabilities Cause Workers' Comp Rates to Rise?
These rates based on previous injuries not the composition of the workforce
Excellent safety records of those with disabilities suggests rates will
not rise
Will My Insurance Rates Go Up if I Hire a Blind Person?
Accident insurance rates are based on the actual experience of a company,
compared with the experience of other companies in the same type of business
Individual characteristics of workers not considered when determining a
company's insurance rates
Are Blind Workers A Higher Insurance Risk?
Every study which has ever been done indicates that the safety records of
blind employees equal or exceed those of sighted workers
In the terminology of the insurance industry, there is no actuarial evidence
that blind workers are a greater risk
Would Blind Workers be Insurable for Those Jobs Which Are Considered Dangerous?
It is reasonable to assume that a blind worker faces the same risk as a
sighted worker
Simple alternative techniques exist which make it possible for blind people
to do things which most people use sight to accomplish
Blind workers operate power tools and other heavy industrial machinery safely
and efficiently
Employers do not pay higher insurance premiums for their blind employees
Do I Have an Obligation to Inform My Insurance Company That I Have a Blind
Employee?
Since blindness is not a lawful consideration in determining liability or
accident insurance rates, your insurance company has no reason to know or
care that you hired a blind person
Questions from insurance companies about blindness are discriminatory
Is There Something I Can Do If My Insurance Company Refuses Coverage or Charges
a Higher Rate Because I Hired a Blind Worker?
The question of insurance for blind workers arises infrequently; this may
be the first time your agent has dealt with the issue
Suggest consultation with officials at the insurance company's headquarters
Fear of exceeding authority may be at the heart of your agent's adverse
decision
