Selection of Employees with Disabilities – Has the Burden on the Employer Become too Heavy?
Author:Edna Rabenu and Aharon Tziner
JEL:J5, M1, M5
DOI:
Keywords:selection; equal opportunities; disabilities; learning disorders; ADHD.
Abstract:
Civil rights legislation regarding people with disabilities prohibits discrimination, and
guarantees that people with disabilities – including learning disorders or Attention Deficit
Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) – have the same opportunities as everyone else. The
employer is required to perform accommodations for them at the workplace such as
adjusting job application procedures.
It is our view that the legislation is important and necessary because it helps people with
disabilities to become integrated and to contribute at work and in society. Nevertheless, to a
degree, it ‘mistreats’ the employer by not requiring applicants to disclose the
accommodations that helped them with their scholastic or selection tests achievements.
Thus, the employer is denied the ability to make well-informed, realistic selection
decisions, and at the same time – it creates a high potential for job failure.
This paper includes suggestions how to create a fair and transparent selection culture that
benefits all parties – disabled applicants as well as employers.