Why Hire Someone with Diverse Abilities?

Compromise – Usually when someone hears that word the next thought to pass through their mind is, “What will I have to give up?” As humans, that’s just how we tend to think. Our minds go straight to the negative side. And when employers consider hiring someone with a developmental disability they tend to think about the extra time and patience they’ll likely need to invest; the additional hassle. But what about all the advantages?

Truth be told, the workforce could benefit greatly from employing more people with developmental disabilities such as autism or down syndrome or you name it. I’m talking about benefits that employers most often cannot get with typical employees.

• Honesty
  Employers can find honest employees who don’t have developmental disabilities, right? It’s possible. But I’m talking about a level of honesty that supersedes pride and personal gain. There are many people with diverse abilities who are honest to a fault. That’s honesty.

  Lies have consequences. But the truth can have consequences too. Many people with developmental disabilities don’t consider the ramifications of each. They just tell it like it is. And that’s to their credit.

  My son, who is 14 and has autism, doesn’t know how to lie. He knows how to be obstinate and stubborn, but he doesn’t know how to lie. If you ask him something he’ll give you the truth. How much is that worth?

• Sincerity
  Not everyone says what they really mean these days. Maybe they don’t want to hurt someone’s feelings or they realize it’s to their advantage to sugar-coat something. People like my son don’t sugar-coat their words. He doesn’t have enough of a vocabulary to substitute synonyms, to soften the blow. My son doesn’t consider anyone’s emotional state when he talks. You want to know if that dress makes you look fat? Ask my son.

  You don’t have to try to figure out what my son is saying. He means what he says. He won’t agree with other people just to agree, to go along with the crowd. When he says he’s happy to see you, happy to be here, he is happy to see you and happy to be here!

  Imagine if Wal-Mart hired greeters with diverse abilities who are always happy and just LOVE to say hello and goodbye to everyone! I’ll bet people coming and going would be smiling regardless of how much money they spent!

• Punctuality
  It’s important to be to work on time and get things done on time. Deadlines exist. Some people with diverse abilities are known to fixate on punctuality. Everything has to be done on time. Their routines can be thrown off if their schedule is not strictly adhered to. This can be a tremendous advantage for an employer.

  And most people with developmental disabilities are not the party type. In fact, I know of absolutely ZERO who party. There’s no worry about a fifth of tequila from the night before making them late for work the next day. Hangovers are non-existant among those with developmental disabilities. They’re not going to call in sick when they’re not sick. See ‘honesty’ above.

• Detail-oriented
  There are lots of jobs out there that require employees to be detail-oriented. It should be no surprise that many people who have autism are real sticklers about detail. Perfection can become an obsession. If a certain job requires precision and exactness, perhaps that’s a great job for someone with autism because they can have an intense desire for perfection in everything they do.

  With my son things have to be just so, otherwise the Earth will fall off its axis, roll around the galaxy crashing into other planets and everything will be in a state of chaos.

• Embracing Repetitiveness
  Most of us hate to do the same thing over and over and over. I didn’t even like typing the word “over” three times just now! But the familiarity of repetitive tasks often comforts people with developmental disabilities. Keep it coming. Again and again. The same thing. Assembly line jobs might be a perfect fit here.
• Satisfaction with Status Quo
  Employees can get disgruntled, resentful and develop bad attitudes. Maybe someone else got the promotion. Maybe it came to light that Albert is making more money. Drama. Who needs it?

  People like my son could care less. They’re happy with things the way they are and really don’t care about trivial stuff. Unless you’re in Hollywood, less drama in the workplace is always good.

  My son isn’t concerned with climbing the corporate ladder or using an employer as a stepping stone for another job. If he likes the job, he likes the job. Just let him keep doing the same thing and he’s happy.

Again I’ll say it; compromise. It’s not a bad word. You give, but you also get. As an employer you get an employee who’s very likable, has several fantastic qualities and also has a lot to teach those around him.

Yes, training an employee who has a developmental disability may take longer. It may take more patience. But did you know the Dept. of Rehabilitation offers job coaches who will work side-by-side with your employee to get them trained? You don’t pay the job coaches.

By now hopefully we all realize that hiring someone with a diverse ability really isn’t a compromise at all. That employee will give, give, give. And they’ll do it happily.

Everyone has different qualities that make them right for a particular job. It’s no different with the “diverse abilities” community. So if you’re an employer looking to hire someone I have a message for you: Take that first step, be brave and hire someone with a diverse ability. You’ll be glad you did!  :-)