Employers in hiring mode should not discount workers with disabilities, according to business leaders attending a half-day summit hosted by the U.S. Chamber and the US Business Leadership Network® (USBLN®)

“Individuals with disabilities make great employees. In fact, employers report that the work ethic of disabled employees has a positive effect on the morale and production of other employees,” said U.S. Chamber President and CEO Tom Donohue. “Without a doubt, the employer community as a whole has made great progress in removing stereotypes and misperceptions and successfully implementing diversity and inclusion strategies.”

Still, many employers are not aware of the pool of qualified disabled workers, do not know how to reach them, and are concerned about the perceived cost and challenge of providing accommodations, Donohue said.

More than two-thirds of Americans with disabilities are without a job, and adults with disabilities are leaving the labor force during this recession at more than 10 times the rate of adults without disabilities, according to keynote speaker Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA). “This disturbing trend line has not received much attention from policymakers or the public,” Harkin said. “We need to recognize that it has a huge budgetary and social cost. For example, it has been accompanied by increases in applications for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, which have grown from an average of 200,000 new applications per month at the beginning of 2008 to an average of close to 250,000 per month by the end of 2010.”

Harkin called on CEOs and business owners in the audience to join him in his goal of increasing the number of disabled Americans in the workforce from 4.9 million today to 6 million in 2015. “Expanding the disability workforce by more than one million workers in four years is achievable if we get serious about making it happen.…I want your ideas and I am asking for your collaboration so that our policies are producing real results on the ground—real results that become jobs for people with disabilities and a strong, talented and loyal workforce for businesses.”

While businesses sometimes encounter serious challenges as they seek to implement inclusion strategies, many employers have overcome these hurdles with robust and creative practices. The Chamber and USBLN released a booklet, “Leading Practices on Disability Inclusion” highlighting successful successful strategies that can be used by businesses of all sizes to create a more inclusive workplace, marketplace, and supply chain. The booklet also includes an assessment tool to help companies initiate or enhance their disability-friendly corporate practices.

“The reality is that in the years to come, we face a significant worker shortage, and hiring disabled people won’t be a choice—it will be a requirement,” continued Donohue. “The companies that have the systems, the procedures, and the culture in place to tap the talents and skills of people with disabilities will be the winners in a human resource-scarce environment.”

The Chamber itself has played a role in cultivating a better hiring environment for the disabled. The Chamber was a leader in negotiations between the business groups and the disabled community that resulted in important amendments to the Americans With Disabilities Act in 2008. Those improvements create the right balance between protecting people with disabilities and clarifying the obligations and requirements of employers. In addition, the Chamber recently launched an initiative to host transition workshops and career opportunity days for disabled vets and their families.

“Leading Practices on Disability Inclusion” is available here: www.uschamber.com/reports/leading-practices-disability-inclusion