This page is a summary of research conducted by the Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), which provides members (large companies such as Target, McDonald's, Pfizer, etc.) with access to research and peer communities to help them improve their productivity:

Have workers with disabilities and U.S. businesses benefited from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

• A University of Michigan study found that people with disabilities are more likely to be accommodated at work and are more likely to remain in the workforce since the passing of the ADA, but that since the launch of the legislation in 1992, there have been only modest increases.
• There is evidence that disabled persons are often paid less as a result of their accommodations.
• 26% of disabled Americans have a household income under $15,000 a year, compared to only 9% of people without disabilities (AARP Policy Institute).
• Of U.S. residents not in the labor force, 130,000 said this was due to illness or disability.

What is the government doing to help people with disabilities who want to work?

• In 2007, 2,000+ people registered with the U.S. Department of Labor to appear in a database for employers looking to hire disabled persons but didn't know where to look.
• There is a separate database, established earlier, for college students with disabilities.

What are corporations doing to help disabled workers?

• GM/United Auto Workers implemented a program called Adapt to relocate employees with disabilities to more suitable jobs within the company.
• American Express redesigned their Greensboro, NC cafeteria to allow wheelchair access to microwaves, and equipped the wheelchairs with the ability to carry trays. In addition, they also allowed disabled employees who use public transportation to work more flexible schedules.

What can your company do to accommodate employees with disabilities?

• 70% of disabled workers cost a company nothing extra, according toCalifornia Job Journal.
• Only about half had required physical altercation of a building or a piece of equipment in their workplace.
• 43% were given flexible scheduling; 18% were allowed to work at home.
• Assistive technology is often inexpensive.

• When a blind employee was hired at one company, the company simply added braille stickers to common devices (vending machines, microwaves, etc.) and provided a bedding area for the man's guide dog.

More information can be read at i4cp's TrendWatcher called "Beyond the ADA". i4cp also offers to its members research, trends, white papers and other information on disabilities in the workplace.