#RespectTheAbility campaign spotlights model employers that demonstrate how hiring workers with disabilities benefits the employer, the employee and society

RespectAbility’s #RespectTheAbility campaign highlights the benefits companies reap when they hire talented people with disabilities. Using the hashtag #RespectTheAbility, the campaign shows the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.

“Many companies hire the best talent out there, no matter what package that talent comes in,” said Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi, president of RespectAbility. “Employers’ focus should be on the abilities an individual brings to the table to better the organization, not any disabilities the individual may have. It is time for all employers to look beyond the disability, and understand the true value of these employees.”

The #RespectTheAbility campaign began in 2014 by celebrating the success of Ernst & Young LLP as a case study and featured a conference call with Lori Golden, Abilities Strategy Leader from Ernst & Young, on “Disabilities to Diverse Abilities: Changing the Workplace Paradigm.” Arthur Young, co-founder of EY, was deaf and exceptionally talented.

Fully 343,483 more people with disabilities joined the American workforce in 2016. This compares to only 87,201 in the previous year. Said Philip Kahn-Paul, Policy and Practices Director of RespectAbility, “The four-times improvement in new jobs for people with disabilities comes from a variety of factors, especially that employers are starting to fully understand that people with disabilities offer companies innovation, loyalty, and valuable skills. Below are numerous success stories that illustrate what is happening across the country.”