Myths vs. Facts
Stay informed with the facts!
Read the Myth again
Myth
Employing people with disabilities could have a negative impact on the work environment and other employees.
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Fact
Employees who work on teams with people with disabilities are proud to work in an inclusive setting! 73% strongly agree that their co-workers with disabilities contribute as much as others (RWA, 2015).
Read the Myth again
Myth
Clients might perceive a business that employs people with intellectual disabilities or autism negatively.
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Fact
92% of people view companies hiring people with intellectual disabilities or autism more favorably than their competitors. 82% would prefer to to give their business to companies that practice inclusive hiring (Ready Willing & Able, 2015).
Read the Myth again
Myth
People with disabilities can be paid less than minimum wage.
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Fact
People with disabilities have a right to a standard wage and the few laws and exemptions that allow for exceptions to minimum wage are changing (CACL, 2012).
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Myth
People with disabilities are the only ones that need accommodations at work.
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Fact
Flexibility in the workplace in necessary for a changing and aging labor market, and makes the workplace better for everyone, not just people with disabilities (Feldblum 2010, as cited in Kiernan, Freeze, & Mank, 2011).
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Myth
People with disabilities don’t need income from employment because they have access to social assistance.
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Fact
Social assistance is not a living wage. 46% of adult Canadians with intellectual disabilities struggle to live on social assistance (CACL, 2012).
Read the Myth again
Myth
People with disabilities don’t have reliable attendance at work.
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Fact
86% of employees with a disability have average or above average attendance. This is a big deal because, in 2013, the Canadian economy lost an estimated 16.6 billion dollars due to absenteeism! (RWA, 2015).
Read the Myth again
Myth
There will always be a lot of extra costs to hiring a person with an intellectual disability or autism.
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Fact
There are many different estimates of what it costs to hire an employee with a disability but each estimate is quite reasonable. 57% of employers reported no additional costs, and 37% reported a one-time cost of under $500 (Job Accommodation Network, 2007, as cited in RWA, 2015). In another study, 72% of employers reported no direct accommodations costs (The Conference Board, 2013).
Read the Myth again
Myth
Employment is extracurricular for people with an intellectual disability or autism and is not an important part of identity.
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Fact
Employment is one of the main ways we define identity and a full life for all adults (Kiernan, Freeze, & Mank, 2011).
Read the Myth again
Myth
Work is not important to people with intellectual disabilities or autism.
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Fact
Groups of self-advocates tell us that the majority of people with disabilities want to work and are asking for valued and respected jobs (Self-Advocates Being Empowered, 2009).
This is a Fact Sheet
Learn the facts about how employees with disabilities benefit the workplace, and how meaningful employment benefits everyone.
