When I turned 16-years-old, I could not wait to apply for a job and start working and earning my own money. Getting hired and earning a regular paycheck is a right of passage to independence and adulthood. It is essential to living, productivity, contributing to the community, and an important life and human experience. However, it is 2016, and 84 percent of adults with developmental disabilities do not have a paying job , and almost 43 percent of adults living with an intellectual or developmental disability are living below the poverty line.

For the three years I have been old enough to apply for and accept a job, I have worked for numerous businesses and for several different managers. Out of curiosity, I would sometimes ask my managers and supervisors about hiring individuals with disabilities as their employee. At my past job at a movie theater, one of the managers said, "Absolutely! Have them apply and I'll bring them in for an interview," as he continued to mention that he was more than willing to make any accommodations they may need pertaining to their disability. Whilst at a retail job when I made the same inquiry, the response I received was, "well, we can't not hire them." This is a more common response from business' stances on hiring individuals with disabilities, and it shouldn't be.

Employers too often assume having an employee with a disability in the workplace means they may not be able to keep up and need accommodations and extra training. Although through the Americans with Disabilities Act it is illegal not to hire those with disabilities, businesses don't want to. This is all very discriminatory, as hiring a person with a disability has infinite positive outcomes that businesses simply aren't seeing. Customers with disabilities, their family and friends, and a large portion of Americans say they prefer giving business to those that hire people with disabilities , which further expands their customer base and a wider audience, so doesn't this help businesses instead of setting them back?

People with disabilities add diversity and positivity to the workplace. They offer innovation, and bring uniqueness and different understanding to the work place. They work hard and persevere when given a job. They not only learn from the non-disabled people in the workplace, but the non-disabled employees learn from them. Employees with intellectual disabilities are extremely motivated, productive, and driven to give back to the community and be a part of a team, and that is what most businesses look for when hiring new people. Non-disabled employees get a chance to work with these individuals as well, when many of them probably have never had such an opportunity. They have been reported to have 89 percent dependability and an 84 percent attendance rate. Employees with disabilities get to bring home a paycheck they worked hard for, and to know they contributed to something greater than themselves brings them back to work every day with the same contagious positivism and perseverance.

Seventy-three percent of businesses who have hired an employee with a disability have reported having a positive experience, and 3/4 rated their employee with a disability good or very good based on performance factors. The qualities of employees with intellectual and developmental disabilities are key points of what any successful business and work environment would want to hire, so why aren't we? It's time to see the ability in disability.