How do you accommodate people with learning disabilities on your team?

Our reader poll today asks: How do you accommodate people with learning disabilities on your team?

• I’ve never dealt with someone with a learning disability: 40%
• I do all I can to accommodate their needs: 43%
• I sometimes accommodate but business goals are more important: 8%
• I don’t accommodate. If they can’t keep up, they need to find another role: 9%

Humanity over productivity. While many of you have never dealt with someone who has a learning disability, for those of you who have, almost 30% put business goals ahead of accommodations. Consider that position — a set of arbitrary business numbers is more important than accommodating the physical or mental disabilities of someone seeking gainful employment. Ask yourself how you’d feel if it was your child or sibling or parent who wasn’t being accommodated. What would you tell them if they felt left out or left behind because market share is more important than their role in society? I invite you to look at those with learning disabilities through a lens of helping them contribute with dignity. Help them belong. You may be surprised by how much their enthusiasm and other abilities contribute to your team.

Do you agree with these poll results? Let us know in the comments below!

– Mike Figliuolo at thoughtLEADERS, LLC

Did you enjoy this post?  If so, I highly encourage you to take about 30 seconds to become a regular subscriber to this blog.  It’s free, fun, practical, and only a few emails a week (I promise!).  SIGN UP HERE to get the thoughtLEADERS blog conveniently delivered right to your inbox!

These results were originally a SmartPulse poll in SmartBrief on Leadership which tracks feedback from more than 240,000 business leaders. Get smarter on leadership and sign up for the SmartBrief on Leadership e-newsletter.