The workplace is where perceptions of people with disabilities will be changed, said Christine M. Griffin, commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), during her keynote address at NY HR Week on April 17. "Employers must look at individuals' talents, not impairments," she said.

Griffin asked the human resources professionals:"Are disabilities part of your diversity discussions or your diversity mission statement? They should be because individuals with disabilities have experiences that add value." However, she went on to explain how the situation for these workers is still challenging.

She emphasized that dealing with diversity in terms of disabled workers post-Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) goes beyond ramps, websites, and vendor initiatives. "It's people, not policies ? not lip service," that must be addressed, she said.

Griffin said that people think that because there is better physical access to workplaces, the problem is fixed; or they may think that people with disabilities don't really need jobs because of Social Security and other government programs. Of course, this isn't true, she explained, describing how because she uses a wheelchair, she is often brought into workplaces through a loading dock.

She added that ADA responsibilities should include budgeting for accommodations for disabled workers. Companies and public agencies need centrally funded accommodation programs, so the cost isn't coming directly out of departmental budgets, she explained, saying that the perceived high cost of even computer-based accommodations make managers shy about hiring these workers, especially in smaller companies.

The cost of the average accommodation is only $500, she said, so "don't focus on the obstacles. They can be overcome, especially with innovations in technology." She also suggested that employers look into state and nonprofit funding for accommodations.

Unemployment Major Problem

People with disabilities do need these jobs, Griffin reported, because the unemployment rate for disabled adults is "astronomical" at 40 percent to 70 percent. "If any other group in this country had this rate of unemployment, people would be asking for something to be done," she said.

"We have legislated to educate the disabled, but they can't get a job. This is a huge disappointed to those who have attained an education but face the reality that there really is no opportunity for them out there," she said. Griffin told how she called the companies listed in the best places to work for people with disabilities list, but none could give her one statistic about how many people with disabilities they employed, but she was certain they could tell her about other minorities.

Griffin added that of people with disabilities who are employed, very few are managers. "People think of the disabled as good employees, but not the boss, because they think workers can't relate to them."

She said this is true even in the federal government, where only 93 people with disabilities have the highest pay grade, and over 50 percent of these workers are in the lowest federal pay grades.

The government does not have a good track record for hiring this group either, Griffin said. The highest percentages of workers with disabilities are at her agency and the Social Security Administration at about 2 percent; the lowest at the State Department and the Department of Justice, which ironically works with EEOC on litigation, at under .4 percent. "The federal government should be the model employer," Griffin stated, "after all, we tell everyone else what to do."

Hidden Disabilities

Griffin also addressed a question about employee self-identification. With all the issues, employees who do not have a visible disability "don't want to let the cat out of the bag," she said, especially those with mental illness.

"We must create a safe workplace environment where people will not be fearful," Griffin concluded. "We have to move forward so we can have the best workforce we can get."