On January 18^th, 2012 the Cornell RRTC on Employer Practices Related to Employment Outcomes Among Individuals With Disabilities and the Employer Assistance (Employer Practices RRTC) and Resource Network (EARN) co-sponsored the webinar:  “Disability Disclosure in the Workplace: What Employers Should Know—Results of a survey by the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).”

Response to this webinar was overwhelming with approximately 1,200 people registering and many in attendance.  The approximately hour long presentation based on the survey report “Emerging Employment Issues for People with Disabilities:  Disability Disclosure, Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation, and Use of Applicant Screeners” was presented by Sarah von Schrader, PhD (Assistant Director) and Susanne M. Bruyère, PhD, CRC (Director) of the Employment and Disability Institute.  This research was funded by the National Institute on Disability Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).  The presentation provided an overview on employment and disability; particularly the importance of disability disclosure by individuals with apparent and not apparent disability to employers.  Additionally, survey methods and findings on the perspectives of individuals with disabilities on disclosure and the implications for employers on improving workplace culture and inclusion were discussed.

The survey was the result of a joint effort between Employer Practices RRTC, the AAPD, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). AAPD and SAMHSA served as the primary dissemination point for the online survey through social media resources such as listservs, newsletters, Facebook, and Twitter.  To access the full text survey report “Emerging Employment Issues for People with Disabilities:  Disability Disclosure, Leave as a Reasonable Accommodation, and Use of Applicant Screeners” please visit digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/edicollect/1288.

For more information on the NIDRR-funded Employer Practices RRTC please visit www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi/p-emprrtc.cfm.  For more information on the AAPD and/or SAMHSA please visit www.aapd.com and/or www.samhsa.gov, respectively.

Additional Resources for Employers:

• Employer Resource and Assistance Network (EARN)
  askearn.org
• Employment and Disability Institute (EDI) – NIDRR-funded
  www.ilr.cornell.edu/edi
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
  askjan.org
• HR Tips
  hrtips.org
• National ADA Network Centers – NIDRR-funded
  adata.org