After uncovering and verifying the clients' contributions, the VRC meets with the employer to begin the discovery process on that end via the steps listed below.

Conduct Informational Interview

The VR professional conducts informational interviews with employers to build rapport, introduce business services, build disability understanding, and uncover unmet business needs. During the interviews, the VRC:

Forestall common employer objections by raising and responding to them before the employer does. Bill Santos, a job development expert with EMP Oakville, says that "the vast majority of objections are false assumptions." He adds that the easiest way to counter objections is to "forestall the objection" Doing so will positively influence the employers' perceptions and eliminate barriers.

For example, after introducing yourself and your services, you may raise and respond to common objections illustrated in the examples below:

• • • "Many employers think the ADA requires hiring people with disabilities but prevents them from firing them. The law prohibits discrimination against those qualified to do the job; it does not cover individuals with disabilities who are not qualified to do the job. Nor does it protect employees with disabilities who are not meeting the conduct and performance expectations of the job."
    • "Many employers think that accommodations are cost-prohibitive. The truth is that the majority of accommodations cost nothing. Rather, they may involve a simple schedule change that permits flexibility while ensuring the job gets done. The typical cost of accommodations will be a one-time cost of $500 or less."
    • "Many employers worry that people with disabilities will be absent more than those without disabilities, but our experience tells us that isn't so. People with disabilities miss work at the same rate or below that of their non-disabled peers."

Asks strategic questions to identify necessary work tasks, not behaviors. Many employment specialists may lead with these questions:

• • • Think of the best person you ever hired. What were their best attributes?
      
    • Think of the worst person you ever hired. What were their worst attributes?

In response, employers will likely provide a list of desirable behaviors (e.g., always on time, friendly, go-getter) and undesirable behaviors (e.g., always late, called in sick, didn't get along with others). While work behaviors are essential, we need a list of job tasks to make a good match. Toward that end, consider the following questions:

• • • What specific tasks does the grocery stocker do?
      
    • What does a typical day look like for a hospital laundry assistant?
    • What tasks are not getting done that you need to get done? What's getting in the way? What would help, do you think?
    • What would help you expand your customer base or better meet your customers' needs?

Uses OARS! That is, after asking the open-ended questions noted above, don't forget to follow up with:

• • • affirmation, offering positive feedback for their input
    • reflective listening, paraphrasing what was said to ensure understanding
    • summarizing what was said

Personalize the Message

The VR professional can encourage better understanding and cooperation by inquiring if the employer has any family or friends who live with disabilities. This question asks them to recall how opportunities have or have not been afforded to the people they know and love who live with disabilities. For any of us, this question encourages consideration: "How would I want my family or friends with disabilities to be treated in this situation?"

Arrange Work Experience

The VR professional arranges a work experience to clarify/verify the worker's job interests and abilities by observing the job seeker doing the job and identifying support needs.

Negotiate Customized Job Description

The VR professional negotiates a customized job description specifying the unmet or newly identified tasks. Your response to the employer's list of needs could sound like this: "So, if I could find an individual who could (list tasks), would you consider a hire?" If the employer remains hesitant, you could remind him/her of the free services including:

• • • Assistance completing incentive paperwork
    • Help identifying and procuring accommodations, if needed
    • Assistance onboarding and training the employee

Close the Pitch

The VR professional closes the pitch by educating the employers about the social and financial benefits of hiring people with disabilities. People with disabilities represent the world's largest minority. They are more inclined to support businesses that reflect the interests and needs of all customers, including those with disabilities. Moreover, people with disabilties have significant purchasing power. In their report, A Hidden Market: The Purchasing Power of Working-Age Adults with Disabilities, the authors (Yin, Shaewitz, Overton Smith, 2018) shared their key findings:

• • The total after-tax disposable income for working-age people with disabilities is about $490 billion, which is similar to that of other significant market segments, such as African Americans ($501 billion) and Hispanics ($582 billion).

• • Discretionary income for working-age people with disabilities is about $21 billion, which is greater than that of the African-American and Hispanic market segments combined.
  • Disposable and discretionary income varies by disability type and by state—information that can help business leaders as they make plans to access the disability market.

See the graphic below. For an accessible version of the graphic, click this link.