An Untapped Revenue Source: Those With Disabilities & How You Can Better Support Them

September 2, 2015

Disability, Disabled Customers, Retail, revenue, Small Business

An Untapped Revenue Source: Those With Disabilities & How You Can Better Support Them

In 2010, according to the U.S. Census, 56.7 million Americans identify as having some sort of disability—that is about 19 percent of the population. The disability population makes up the largest minority group in our country. It is the only minority group that we can all join at a moment’s notice, say via a car crash. Some reports confirm this group has a spending power close to 5x of Bill Gates; certainly a demographic that businesses would want to consider marketing to and making their online presence welcoming to…

Twenty-five years ago, America’s disabled citizens glimpsed a ray of hope when Congress approved the Americans with Disabilities Act. As in all landmark legislation, not all of ADA’s consequences were immediately apparent, but this much was clear: for the first time, addressing the disabled community’s needs and giving that community a federal law to back it up became a reality.

There has been progress, but within just a few years of ADA’s passage there came the worldwide Web, a new technological revolution that exploded from 1992-1995, and continues to transform itself almost on a daily basis.

For the disabled, the great thing about the on-going tech revolution is the same as it is for everyone else – all you have to do is get in front of computer or carry a smart phone to take part. We can use the Web to create the most level playing field possible for the disabled community.

For millions of our disabled neighbors, it is more than just about technology and its online shopping advantages. It is also means jobs being made accessible for qualified employees, it means financial impact on the economy, it means leveraging value from a talented pool of opportunity.

Under the ADA, employers are required to take reasonable steps for “qualified” people with disabilities to work. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s definition of a qualified, disabled worker is someone has work experience, education, or other prerequisites who can do the job.

Under the law employers must make a “reasonable accommodation” for such workers. What does that mean?

The EEOC’s definition of a reasonable accommodation is “any modification or adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions.”

A reasonable accommodation does not mean employers must grant special treatment.

In our ever-growing, technically advanced age, assistive technology works to fill the gaps between employer and disable employee by filling that reasonable accommodation need. Many adaptive technologies are pretty cheap software solutions – to magnify printed words on screens, or to create differences in contrasts or colors for those with impaired vision. It might mean enhanced volume or headphones for people with hearing disabilities. There are proof-reading programs, speech recognition programs and a blossoming number of apps for smart phones.

Another truth is adaptive or assistive technology does not just impact the lives of persons with disabilities, it impacts us all. Whether it is an advancement that makes shopping lines shorter or workers more efficient, we all benefit from the end result.

The term “assistive technology” has usually been applied to computer hardware and software and electronic devices. However, many tools are now available on the Internet. Here are some resources we recommend to people who call the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. Perhaps a few would be useful in your home or within your business to attract a new customer base: