Having a disability, visible or not, does not diminish a person's need or desire to have meaningful employment. Discouragement is common however for both those with the disability and those who would employee them. While the disabled person would just like to be given a fair opportunity to use their abilities and show their skills, often the person doing the hiring is motivated by fear of the unknown to deny them that chance. So with the utmost care to avoid the appearance of discrimination, the position will be filled by almost anyone other than the disabled applicant, or even in some cases the posting will be withdrawn. What are employers afraid of? Most of them are aware that under the Human Rights Legislation they have the duty to accomodate an employee with a disability, so they wonder what that will mean to their finances. If they offer group medical benefits, will disabled employees have a higher than average use ratio and adversely effect their premiums? They might also worry that if it ends up that the disabled employee's performance is lacking and a termination results, it will have a negative impact on their image or even worse end up at Human Rights as they try to prove their actions were fair and necessary. So, they might wonder, is it worth the extra effort and risk? Ironically, this is at the same time that they are implimenting complex advanced-planning agendas to prepare them for the approaching flood of retirees, as the famed baby-boomers reach that magic age and leave the workforce. Is there a solution? Ideally employers would just wake up and realize the potential of skilled and motivated applicants and give them the opportunity to prove themselves, just like they do every other applicant. Until that happens though both employers and disabled individuals should be reassured by the fact that they can access support from agencies in the community that specialize in working with individuals with disabilities in the workplace. These agencies can suggest simple, cost-effective accomodations where needed and often help make application for available government funding to cover the costs. They will work with employees and employers as a consultant, to develop strategies, do additional training if required, provide constructive feedback and answer questions. Or they might not be neccessary at all, as the individual may be completely qualified for the position, but at least the employer has that option. Who pays for this service? It is often funded by goverment grants that have specifically been designated for this, so even the smallest or most budget-conscious company can benefit by their services. As for the effect on benefits premiums, because the advantage of group premiums is that the rate is averaged with all employees at the company, often rate increases are not noticeable. So if you are an employer, do your research and access the support you need to convince you to welcome individuals with a disability to your workforce. And if you are that individual do not give up. Access the information on your own behalf and if you choose you can share it with prospective employers. Or you can go another route all together. Sometimes it is the rejection that motivates a disabled individual to pursue self-employment and that's when they find out that they are a great boss.

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