Incentives of Companies to Hire People with Special Needs

People with Disabilities Can Help Fix Our Debt

source: https://www.uksmobility.co.uk

Something that is changing quicker than our technology is the acceptance of people with disabilities in the workforce. No longer will we be seeing people with disabilities at Jewel bagging our goods, but now working at large businesses managing the computers of the entire business. There are companies do not realize what kind of unique qualities people with special needs bring to the table. Some people fail to look past the physical differences that some disabled people obtain to see the knowledge that is inside them. Employers “are amazed to find that hiring these individuals amounts to far more than a feel-good gesture. It amounts to a smart business decision with enormous dividends.”

In an article by Carlos Slim Helu, second richest man in the world and billionaire industrialist, and Anthony K. Shriver, founder and chairman of Best Buddies International, called Pledging “I’m In To Hire” Individuals With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, tell the readers that “employing people with IDD has the potential to save the U.S government hundreds of billions of dollars on an annual basis.”

Knowing that after a 2012 calculation, “recipients with disabilities incurred the largest average Medicaid payment per person ($16,781) of any group of recipients,”  it has been a goal to get disabled people into the workforce. As people claimed disabled are working, they develop a salary at work, pay taxes, and contribute to the economy, causing a huge decrease in government funding towards these people with Medicaid.

As we continue to try and decrease the debt our country is in, hiring people with special needs certainly would help. Not only are companies hiring these people because they feel it is the right thing to do, but they are “rewarded with loyal employees with resilient work ethics and positive attitudes that are instilled into the entire team.” The ripple effect of these personalities and work ethics are translated across the business which creates happier employees and happier customers.

So, the incentive of these companies is that they now know that the benefits of hiring people with disabilities are endless to themselves, as the company, and in the bigger picture, the United States as a whole. Hiring people with disabilities causes less debt in the economy, more profit to the companies, and happier workers across the country.

The Benefits of Hiring Someone with Disabilities

source: http://ken-cdn.com/

Imagine you just finished shopping at Jewel and are in the checkout line. The lady in front of you is getting frustrating with the cashier because he accidentally typed the wrong amount for her bunch of bananas. After the situation gets settled, the bananas travel down the conveyor belt to the bagger. You smile when you realize that the bagger is clearly someone with special needs, but the lady in front of you does not even notice as she rips the bag out the bagger’s hand and storms out of the store.

Whether it was the cashier or the bagger, it does not matter the abilities either of them obtain because there will still be angry customers, so how could hiring people with special needs benefit the companies? An article from Huffington Post will answer this with support from big name companies.

Companies are not only looking to make extra money, but they truly believe that the abilities that people with special needs have can be very beneficial to their company.

The Executive Vice President and Chief Partner Resources Officer of Starbucks says that, “we challenge ourselves to look beyond traditional sources and typical profiles, to bring in people that share our values and our passion for service and community.”

Starbucks is not the only company who have the want from a stronger community. Back years and years ago when women were beginning to be hired by companies, there were companies that wanted women for their specific benefits. Young people who may have low-functioning autism will get discriminated because of the disorder the have.

Companies like Starbucks look past a disability and strictly focus on the abilities and talents they do have that will ultimately benefit the success of their company. It is said that “people with disabilities often have well-honed problem solving skills and a degree of adaptability that are especially valuable in today’s fast changing business environment.”

But what is it exactly that these special people have that provide benefits to the company?

“Employees with disabilities have higher retention rates, so for many businesses, there can be a real cost savings through reduced turnover.” Companies are saving money while hiring the people with disabilities being able to spend this money on new technology and products for their stores.

Not only are they saving money, but they are also making money because they are creating a better environment for the consumers. “Organizations employing people with disabilities have higher morale and employee engagement, which we know drives profitability.”

The incentive that companies have for hiring disabled people is not only driven by money, but also the type of environment that they are able create.

Future Research Questions: What kind of organizations are helping those with disability get equal opportunity in the workforce?

Does the government under-ride companies hiring people with special needs?

What does the future look like as we continue to improve the educational techniques for students with special needs?

Elimination of Academic Challenges Special-Need Students Face

SOURCE: http://atfored.com/

When you heard that the new iPhone 7 was coming out, you were jumping with joy, anxious to know what kind of new features were going to be included or even what it was going to look like. In today’s day and age, our lives are centralized around technology. Hearing about the new virtual reality devices or new gadgets available is something that the majority of people look forward to. But what about the kids who cannot use the virtual reality devices because they are blind? Or the children who cannot use the newest iPhone because they are physically incapable? Well, those people have other technologies that they look forward to in order to make their everyday lives easier.  

As Heather B Hayes analyzes the environment for these students in the article called How Technology is Helping Students with Special Needs Excel, she concludes after the implementation of technology that "the students in the back who wouldn't participate, who would have been considered either the shy introvert or the behavioral problem because they weren't able to effectively engage” are now the ones engaging the most in class due to the adamant effort technology companies have. Integration is so key for these students with special needs. It is too bad that they have been living such a secluded life in the shadows of all the “normal kids.”Thankfully as technology has been advancing day by day, integration is become more and more prevalent. This is solely because “what's available has expanded and improved by quantum leaps over the past five years as traditional assistive technologies have converged with consumer technologies.”

Knowing that the deaf students now have computers in front of them translating what the teacher is saying into words, or that the “students with motor and mobility ­disabilities also can use speech recognition tools to turn speech into sharable text, e-books to eliminate page turning and ­portable eye-gaze devices that are powered by blinks” is almost unfathomable. And even better, “many technologies designed for mainstream use can be successfully repurposed to teach students with disabilities.” This ultimately allows these students to live a normal life when they walk through the doors of their schools.

           In short due to technological advancements, students with special needs are able to “achieve greater levels of independence” by having a device literally at their fingertips to assist them in their academic endeavors. It allows the students to”gain confidence” because now they are able to participate in class and displaying how they are “more willingly reach out to their teachers and peers to ask questions and collaborate” while about five years ago, this probably would not be the case.

Future Research Questions:
1.) What exactly are technology companies doing to improve the integration of students with special needs?
2.) How can companies guarantee success to each of the students with special needs?

The Availability of Technology to Student with Special Needs

source: http://techemergence.6pt2ple0ha5k4gsbf1.netdna-cdn.com/

    Every day each one of you use some kind of technology, whether it be a computer, a phone, or a television. Using these devices come very easy to you, for example, you can unlock your phone without even thinking about the numbers you are typing in for your passcode. But, unfortunately, there are kids our age that struggle with simple tasks like "sliding to unlock" their phone. There are students across the globe who struggle to type on an ordinary computer keyboard due to a physical disability they may have.

In the article from the Future of Children Organization, Use of Computer Technology to Help Students with Special Needs by Ted S. Hasselbring and Candyce H.Williams Glaser, they tell the readers about the different types of technology available to a student with special needs and how it makes their lives easier in the learning environment. It is unfair for these students to be at an even greater disadvantage than everyone else. With that being said, there is technology available for those who are unable to succeed with the same computers or iPhones as ordinary students in order to help them get the best education possible.

     “Approximately one of six students in schools across the United States cannot benefit fully from a traditional educational program because they have a disability that impairs their ability to participate in classroom activities." This is a mind-blowing fact to read. There are students that surround you that are unable to participate similarly to you in the classroom. Most students do not even realize what a disadvantage these people are at. It is most definitely unfair for students who have specials needs to be unable to participate with the class lesson even if they would like to. It is not like one in every five classes there is someone with a disability, but one in every six students! This is a large chunk of the population of students that do not deserve unfair standards.

“Technology has proven to be an effective method of giving such students opportunities to engage in basic drill and practice, simulations, exploratory, or communication activities that are matched to their individual needs and abilities.” Since it is more common to hear about the newest laptops available in the classroom than a special monitor for certain disabilities, it is great to know that the advancements in these certain technologies are being beneficial to the students.

So, let's talk devices and services.

What exactly are the types of technology that are being provided to the disabled students? For example, there is something called “descriptive video services (DVS), which provide narrative verbal descriptions of visual elements, have proven useful in helping students who are blind or have low vision to use educational programs in regular classrooms.” The benefit of this is normalizing these students to the rest of society to minimize the "outcast" aspect of their lives. If visually impaired students are now being able to "see" what is going on, then these students are going to feel more comfortable in the environment with other students who are not visually impaired.

In addition to DVS, there are also advances for those who are physically disabled. There are "basic keyboard adaptations that assist physically disabled students to use computers include replacing standard keys with larger keys that are easier to see and touch, reducing the number of keys on the keyboard, placing letter keys in alphabetical order, and providing keys that are brightly colored and easy to read.” Types of advances like these keyboard adaptations are remarkable due to the possible strides that special needs student would take. Students now are becoming more comfortable with computers because of the helpful color-coded keys. This is causing the retention these students can possess when they, if possible, transfer over to regular computer keyboards.

FUTURE RESEARCH QUESTIONS

What type of bigger and better technologies do we expect in the future to accommodate students with special needs?

Is it possible for technology to eliminate certain academic challenges that these students may face?

What are technology companies doing to benefit the disabled students?

Why Are Companies Creating Advances in Technology for Disabled Children?

source: http://tribune-intl.com/

KEY ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE I’M ADDRESSING:  People (usually) respond to incentives in predictable ways.

RESEARCH QUESTION THAT CONNECTS MY TOPIC TO THE ECONOMIC PRINCIPLE:

What incentives do companies & researchers have for developing the technology that assists children who are disabled?

SUB-QUESTIONS RELATING TO THE TOPIC:

• What technology is available to people who are disabled?
• How Do Special Education Students Benefit from Technology?
• Use of Computer Technology to Help Students with Special Needs
• What are up and coming technological advances for such children?
• Emerging Technologies and Their Impact on Disability
• Technology for Disabilities
• Technological Advances for the Disabled Benefit Everyone
• Is there a way that technology can eliminate certain academic challenges?
• How Technology is Helping Special-Needs Students Excel

• What are technology companies doing to benefit these children?
• How Tech Companies Are Making Their Apps More Accessible to the Disabled
• Tech Companies Team With Colleges To Make The Internet A Welcome Place For People With Disabilities