Researchers at Rutgers and Syracuse Universities have found that discrimination may be contributing to lower employment rates among well-qualified workers with disabilities.
In a recent study, applicants with disabilities received 26 percent fewer inquires from potential employers than those without disabilities. (Getty Images)
In a field experiment, the researchers submitted resumes and cover letters for 6,016 advertised accounting positions from well-qualified, fictitious candidates. One-third of applicants disclosed the presence of Asperger’s syndrome, one-third said they had a spinal cord injury, and one-third of applicants did not disclose a disability. Half of the applicants portrayed a novice accountant while half portrayed an experienced one.
The fictional applicants with disabilities received 26 percent fewer inquiries from potential employers than those without disabilities.
Bryan McCormack, an attorney at San Francisco-based law firm McCormack & Erlich, said the findings don’t surprise him “in the least.”
“Disabled workers have an uphill battle when competing with non-disabled workers for jobs,” McCormack told SFGATE. “It’s too bad that when people are honest and disclose a disability they are being discriminated against. They are not being afforded equal protection under the law and given a chance to prove themselves, which is really a shame.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 17.6 percent of persons with a disability were employed in 2013, in contrast to the employment-population ratio for those without a disability was 64.0 percent.
