Imagine yourself in a wheelchair on your way to your first day at work. You come to an intersection and there are no curb cuts – it's a good thing that you know from experience that you need to leave an hour earlier than expected. You need to travel six blocks out of your way to reach your new job, but you're still on time!

Now imagine you have dyslexia. As part of the orientation for your new job, you're given an online technical manual that you need to study for a test. Good thing you know of an app to change the font so you can read the manual!

People with disabilities are naturally problem solvers, a major benefit for any employer. People with disabilities have a unique perspective on the world because of their lived personal experience. These perspectives coupled with a disposition to solve problems and overcome barriers make them an asset to their work teams.

Hiring people with disabilities creates an opportunity for an employer to create a lasting connection with their employees. When an employer is truly committed to diversity and accommodates employees and customers to better serve them, whatever their disability, people notice. According to Disability:IN and the American Institutes for Research, "the disability consumer market is worth $675 billion – equivalent to the size of the global beauty and cosmetics industry.

Accommodating an employee in the workplace can also result in higher retention rates because of increased satisfaction and loyalty. I worked with a nurse who was hard of hearing. Her employer installed a closed-captioned phone so she could hear instructions from doctors at the long-term care facility. Because communications were captioned and recorded, this nurse not only had no errors, but she also felt loyalty toward her employer who she felt went the extra mile for her.  What's more, everyone benefited from the accuracy of her work.

It can feel intimidating to think about hiring someone with a disability that you might not be familiar with, or if you have no experience setting up accommodations. The good news is that you don't have to do it alone: Minnesota Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) can be your partner! VRS has experts who can do everything from connecting you with the right talent to answering your questions about accommodations and how to fund them.

Join us in celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month and connect with VRS to fill your next vacancy and add value to your business.