Are your hiring practices inclusive? Discover how to confidently interview job candidates with disabilities and let their talents shine.

Small Business BC connected with Melissa Lyon of Accessibility & Inclusion Matter Consulting to ask her expert tips on interviewing job candidates with disabilities.

“When considering disabled candidates, remember that having a disability isn’t always a negative thing,” said Melissa. “As people with disabilities have had to make their way in a world that is not always suited to them, they often acquire unique skills and experiences that others don’t have. People with disabilities have had to learn to advocate for themselves and often have to work harder at things than others do.”

“These experiences can help develop positive employment skills such as problem-solving, adaptability, resourcefulness, creativity, persistence, and a strong work ethic,” said Melissa. “Switch your mindset and consider the positives that may come with having a disability.”

How do I make my hiring processes more accessible?

“Look at all your hiring processes with an accessibility lens in mind,” said Melissa.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

• Does the job posting clearly outline the duties and qualifications, without adding unnecessary elements?
• Have we consulted with disabled people when creating job or interview postings?
• Do we have representation of people with disabilities on our hiring and interview teams
• Do we have formal accommodation and accessibility policies?
• Have we considered the accessibility of the interview and work locations, whether in-person or online?
• Have we considered offering choices in various areas of the hiring process?
• Do we have alternate formats available for all job postings?
• Have we used inclusive language in our job postings and communications?

Reflecting on these questions and implementing necessary changes will help you improve your hiring processes.

Tip: Download our Accessible Hiring Checklist to help you get started.

What changes can you make to interview processes that improve overall accessibility?

Accessible hiring basics

• Create a job posting with inclusive language.
• Ensure that the interview location is accessible, whether online or in person.
• Provide accessibility information in the interview invite.
• Check ahead of time to see if the interviewee has any needs that need to be accommodated.
• Provide choice and flexibility of location, time, and interview method to all candidates.
• Have a diverse interview team.
• Consider doing a working interview.

Crafting Interview Questions

Be sure to standardize interview questions for all candidates and consider sending them to the interviewees beforehand. This helps to limit biases during an interview.

“When creating interview questions, avoid hypothetical and broad open-ended questions, as they could easily overwhelm some candidates and provide an unnecessary advantage to candidates with strong interpersonal or speaking skills. Instead, try to provide questions that allow candidates to describe specific situations or examples,” said Melissa.

Inclusive Pre-screening

“When screening candidates, avoid automatic interview screening mechanisms as people with disabilities are often screened out ahead of time with this process. To ensure this doesn’t happen, don’t screen people out based on things like years of experience or gaps in employment,” said Melissa.

“If your job posting has been written inclusively, things like levels of education, the skill requirements needed, and travel for work will not cause someone with a disability to be screened out of the process before it even starts.”

How do you reduce bias before sharing a job posting?

“The biggest way to reduce biases is through education,” said Melissa. “Training could include facilitating discussions about unconscious and conscious biases and providing information about disability types and common barriers.”

Tip: You can take an Implicit Bias Test from Harvard to learn more about your implicit biases.

“As well, creating connections with disability-serving organizations will be useful should you have disability-related questions throughout the process,” said Melissa.

To help, Small Business BC offers plenty of free resources, from downloads and checklists to webinars and live education, on workplace accessibility topics that can help.

What should I do if a candidate mentions their disability?

“Firstly, presume competence. Always consider your assumptions and think about what a disabled person can do, rather than what they can’t do,” said Melissa.

“Secondly, be sure to ask how you can best support them and what accommodations they may need.”

Tip: Use the Job Accommodation Network, an encyclopedia of accommodation suggestions and disability information for various disabilities. 

“Thirdly, consider how you might customize a job for a person with a disability if necessary so that they can partake fully in your organization,” said Melissa. “Don’t be afraid to ask the person about their needs and preferences – showing that you care and understand is a great first step.”

What can employers ask, and cannot ask a candidate with a disability?

As outlined in Disability Alliance BC’s Disclosing Your Disability resource, during an interview, an employer may ask questions about a candidate’s ability to perform job duties such as one’s ability to work certain hours, one’s driving capabilities, or one’s ability to lift a certain amount of weight.

This resource also states that an employer’s questions must focus on the job function. Employers are not legally allowed to ask about a candidate’s diagnosis or treatment…If a candidate discloses that they have a disability, it is important to keep this confidential unless they have given you permission to share this information.

Continue your Accessibility Journey with SBBC

Small Business BC is a non-profit resource centre for BC-based small businesses. Our Workplace Accessibility Resources page is full of tips, tools, and more to support your next stage.

This article was developed in consultation with Melissa Lyon of Accessibility & Inclusion Matter Consulting.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Province of British Columbia through the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.