Recruiting members with disabilities can be a powerful win-win arrangement. Such an individual can bring a unique perspective and life experience to your team. In return, service can boost the member's self-esteem, provide valuable experience, and (in some cases) supplement a Social Security disability payment. Service can also be the gateway to long-term employment for people who have had difficulty breaking into the job market because of their disabilities.

Marea Hunter of Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation AmeriCorps (Incline Village, NV) advises programs that want to attract members with disabilities to:

• Be flexible and know up front what hours a disabled member may need to devote to therapy or medical appointments
• Realize that transportation to and from sites can be an issue
• Ask members (if they're willing) to share about their disabilities and the struggles they encounter
• Consider establishing a mentor program, pairing new and old members

Other successful programs offer the following advice:

Identifying potential members:
Often the best way to recruit members with disabilities is from agencies serving disabled clients. Some of these agencies may already be partner sites.

Click the play button to hear how Karen Zapp, director of Family Service Corps/AmeriCorps (Butler, PA), approaches sites.

Once these members are on board, you'll find that they are a great resource for recruiting additional individuals with disabilities from among their circle of friends and contacts.

Interviewing potential members:
It's important to remember that disabilities are visible and invisible; disclosed and nondisclosed; diagnosed and nondiagnosed. Zapp, stresses that you need to treat everyone with respect and resist making assumptions. When interviewing candidates, Zapp always asks if they need an accommodation.

Click the play button to learn how she frames the question in a nonjudgmental way.

Placing members with disabilities:
Making sure your workplace is accessible can be beneficial not only to members with physical handicaps, but to everyone. Sam Castello, of TWC Youth Service Corps (Silver City, NM), says "universal design" elements are important in both the environment and in how positions are structured.

Click the play button to hear him explain.

Both Castello and Zapp find that Corps members benefit greatly from serving in a diverse team and often need little, if any, coaching in how to interact with the disabled member. However, you may need to pave the way with staff at partner sites.

Click the play button to see how Zapp approaches this issue.

For additional tips on recruiting members with disabilities, check out the strategies of the National Service Inclusion Project.

Go back to Recruiting for Diversity