Employers and policy makers can make a difference to the employment of persons with disabilities

The purpose of this article is to discuss what employers and policy makers can do to promote employment success for persons with disabilities. A study carried out in Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University, Ontario, Canada identified a number of themes, definitions of success and recommendations for change.

This article is a descriptive review of the study outcomes as well as a discussion of how the literature contributes to the position that employers and policy makers can do more to ensure that persons with disabilities achieve success in paid employment.

The author proposes strategies that employers and policy makers can use that have been recommended both in the study and other more recent documents.

Despite attempts to move the employment agenda for persons with disabilities forward, the results in both North America and Europe appear to be dismally low. There is evidence to suggest that employer activity in this regard is still minimal and that policy makers are not working together to ensure that there are opportunities for this population to succeed. Professionals working in this field need to be more actively involved with both employers and policy makers in order for the environment to change in a significant way.