Undertapped Talent Pool in U.S. Workforce.

• Position: EMPLOYEES WITH DISABILITIES

Far more people than expected have a disability: in the U.S., 30% of college-educated employees working full time in white-collar professions, indicates a study published by the Center for Talent Innovation NY in partnership with the U.S. Business Leadership Network, Alexandria, Va., as employees with disabilities make up an enormous global talent pool that employers often overlook.

The study also uncovered reasons that employees with disabilities have remained under the radar. Sixty-two percent of them have "invisible disabilities"--people cannot tell they have a disability upon meeting them. Millennials make up 44% of employees with mental-health conditions.

"From our interviews and focus groups, we learned that people with disabilities are particularly innovative. In order to navigate the world with a disability, they have to problem-solve each day. They can contribute this gift to their employers, but only if they know they will be recognized and rewarded for it," says Julia Kennedy, executive vice president and director of publications at CTI NY.

Adds Jenny Flurrie, chief accessibility officer at Microsoft: "How do we build great products and services with disability in mind? Disability is part of being human. We're creating products for humans. We need to find ways for all humans to use our technology to support their work every day."

The implications of the research for companies is clear: employers who want to elicit the best ideas...