Source: TapRecruit

Ableism can sneak its way into job descriptions without hiring teams being aware of it. That’s because ableism is one of the more subtle biases. And for most recruiters, it’s not always clear which requirements may deter qualified candidates.How do you address ableism?Addressing ableism comes down to two things. One, establishing what is an essential function for your job and what isn’t, and keeping requirements to the essentials. Two, providing reasonable accommodations that enable someone with a physical limitation to perform the job.

Establish what’s really essential to the job

Requirements are one area where job descriptions commonly go astray. It’s tempting to add some nice-to-haves to the requirements section of a job description. And that’s okay, as long as you emphasize that the nice-to-haves are just nice-to-haves and not absolute requirements. However, it’s important to keep an eye out for any requirement that may give disabled job seekers pause. Anything that isn’t truly essential to perform the job can be problematic.

Of the endless possibilities, here are some examples:

“Requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time.”

While most office workers sit at a desk during the day, it’s not actually essential. In fact, many people stand while they’re working just to mitigate the negative impact of sitting all day. Whether they have a physical impairment, old injury, or anything else.

"Must be able to hear the telephone in a crowded office.”

If answering the phones is part of the job, then knowing when the phone is ringing is essential. However, that doesn’t mean someone needs to be able to hear a telephone ringing clearly in a crowded office. There are other ways to address that.

“Ability to drive a vehicle.”

Is the job a driving position? If not, the ability to drive a vehicle may be a convenient bonus, but it’s not essential to the job.

“Must be able to lift 30 pounds.”

This is a common one…for office jobs, inexplicably. But how many office jobs really need someone to lift 30 pounds on a regular basis?

“Thrives in a bright, bustling, and energetic environment.”

This is a subtle one. It sounds reasonable on the surface, right? (Other than ‘bright, bustling, and energetic environment’ seeming like a euphemism for ‘noisy office.’) The problem is that kind of environment isn’t great for many people with unseen disabilities such as hearing loss or migraine headaches.

Provide reasonable accommodations for the job

The reasonable accommodation clause in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) addresses ableism in the workplace. Employers subject to the ADA must provide accommodations for otherwise qualified candidates. The only restriction is that the accommodation has to be ‘reasonable,’ meaning it doesn’t cause undue hardship for the employer. Here are some reasonable accommodations for our ableism examples above:

“Requires the ability to sit for extended periods of time.”