It is quite common to hear employers say that hiring a person with disability will ‘not work’ as customers will complain or the person will not 'fit in' with co-workers. Neither statement is true and in most cases customer and co-worker acceptance comes with familiarity and the observation that workers with disability are competent and efficient in their jobs.
Furthermore, people with disability make up 20 per cent of the Australian population and the likelihood of customers and co-workers having a relative or friend with disability is therefore reasonably high. Employer initiatives in hiring people with disability can consequently have positive bottom line spin offs in the form of increased staff morale and community recognition as good corporate citizens.
The following link will take you to a page that contains a media clip of employer experiences. These experiences show how customers and co-workers have responded positively to people with disability in the workplace.