Recruiting the Overlooked: How to Reach Young Talent with Disabilities

College students and recent graduates are a common focus for employers looking to build their talent pipelines. But one group may be getting missed in the process: young people with disabilities.

A recent National Organization on Disability (NOD) webinar, “Recruiting College Talent with Disabilities: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why,” featured insights from Lorena Chelaru, human resources and operations manager at NOD in New York City, and Margaret Ling, senior partnerships manager at NOD in New York City. 

College students and recent graduates with disabilities are among the most overlooked talent pools, Chelaru said.  

But the problem is not necessarily a lack of interest on either side. Employers may want to reach candidates with disabilities but struggle to create accessible recruiting experiences or meaningful connections with them. At the same time, students themselves may not know what support is available as they transition from college into the workplace, according to NOD. 

“Accommodations don’t end when they leave their campus,” Margaret Ling said. Employers and recruiters should “be the bearer of good news for these students.” 

For employers, that means taking a closer look at the entire recruiting process — beginning well before the interview.

Toolkit: Developing an Accessible Workplace 

Start With the Job Description

A disability-inclusive hiring process starts with how the job itself is advertised. Chelaru recommended using inclusive language throughout recruiting materials and making sure career websites are accessible.

Job descriptions are particularly important. Employers should avoid overly restrictive requirements and focus on what is actually essential to performing the position, Chelaru said.

Ling similarly recommended “separating must-have qualifications with those that are preferred, or you can learn on the job.”

That approach is also consistent with federal guidance. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the key question is whether a qualified individual can perform those essential functions with or without reasonable accommodation. 

Requirements that have simply migrated from one job posting to another can unnecessarily shrink the applicant pool. Employers should therefore consider whether a particular degree, number of years of experience, physical requirement, or other qualification is genuinely necessary for the job.

HR Q&A: What are some common myths about hiring people with disabilities that impede disability recruiting initiatives? 

Rethink the Interview

The interview process can create another barrier, particularly when employers equate a candidate’s performance in a conventional interview with their ability to perform the job.

“There is a knowledge gap for employers,” Ling said. Employers should think about how the interview process can be more inclusive, she explained.

Employers can help by structuring interviews around the skills and abilities actually needed for the position and asking consistent, job-related questions. Concentrate on an applicant’s technical and professional knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience rather than focusing on a disability. 

Employers also need to understand the ADA’s boundaries. Before making a job offer, employers generally may not ask questions likely to reveal whether an applicant has a disability. They can, however, explain what the hiring process entails — such as an interview, timed test or job demonstration — and ask applicants whether they need a reasonable accommodation to participate.

Make Accommodations Easy to Access

Reasonable accommodations apply to the hiring process itself, not just to employees after they have been hired. Depending on the candidate, an accommodation might include providing materials in an accessible format, supplying a sign-language interpreter, modifying a test format, or holding an interview in an accessible location. 

Employers should make information about requesting accommodations easy to find and ensure recruiters and hiring managers know how to respond when a request is made. Importantly, accommodations are individualized; employers should not assume that two candidates with the same disability will need the same adjustment. 

Toolkit: Managing Disability Accommodations 

Legal compliance is only part of the equation. Employers also need to consider what their recruiting process communicates to candidates about the organization itself.

“It’s very important for employers to communicate that disability inclusion is part of your culture,” Ling said.

Chelaru suggested that “some simple but very impactful practices could include using inclusive language throughout the recruitment materials,” as well as making websites accessible.

Those signals can be particularly significant for students and recent graduates deciding whether they feel comfortable requesting an accommodation.

“Candidates zero in on how comfortable the employer is talking about disability inclusion and accommodations,” Ling said. “These moments really matter because they shape whether a candidate feels respected, and if they can fully participate in the hiring interview process.”

Ultimately, recruiting more students and recent graduates with disabilities does not necessarily require employers to build an entirely separate hiring system. Instead, it means examining whether the existing one is unnecessarily screening people out — and whether every qualified candidate has a genuine opportunity to demonstrate what they can do.