Barriers to Hiring and Accommodating People With Disabilities in Small and Medium Sized Businesses: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Research has found that small and medium sized businesses are less likely to hire, retain and offer job accommodations to people with disabilities than larger companies. Since small to midsize businesses employ almost half of the nation's workforce, this may be an underutilized source of employment for people with disabilities. A scoping literature review using Arksey and O'Malley's framework (Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. [2005]. Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8(1), 19–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/1364557032000119616) was used to investigate two questions: What are the barriers to hiring individuals with disabilities in small and medium sized businesses? And what are the barriers to job accommodations and retention of individuals with disabilities in small and medium sized businesses? Five themes emerged; cost associated with hiring and accommodating, stereotypes/stigma, employer policies and practices, engagement with rehabilitation service agencies, and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)/disability legislation. The findings uncovered several barriers. Small and medium sized businesses were more likely to be concerned about costs, less likely to engage in rehabilitation services, and have diversity policies in place and had less favorable attitudes toward people with disabilities and ADA legislation. Limitations, and implications for rehabilitation counseling, and future research are discussed.