Read full article at Military Hire.

There’s good news for veterans in the workforce these days. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), “the unemployment rate for veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time since September 2001-a group referred to as Gulf War-era II veterans-edged down to 4.5 percent in 2017.” That’s a statistic that has a major impact for the more than 20 million men and women who are veterans today.

And yet…Despite the massive media attention given to the benefits
and value of recruiting and hiring veterans, many companies still
struggle at every stage of the process-from recruitment, to
interviewing, to hire and, ultimately, to retention.

In fact, retention-what we’ll call the “sticking point” is one of the most significant challenges for employers.

Don’t Overlook Veterans with Disabilities

Veterans with disabilities have a tougher time finding, and keeping,
jobs than others. These veterans, of course, represent those who have
made significant sacrifices to protect our country and are particularly
deserving of opportunities to find gainful employment.

Assistive technology can be an aid here, both for veterans and their
employers. Making reasonable accommodations to make it possible for
veterans to take on a variety of jobs can help offer big benefits says
Dana Marlowe, principal partner with Accessibility Partners, LLC.
“I believe that seamless access to technology is imperative for the
success and retention of a veteran in the workplace,” says Marlowe.

“Assistive technology is frequently a technological device that helps
promote usage to another through adaptive means,” she says. For
instance, veterans with visual or hearing loss can benefit from
technology that can translate speech to text or text to speech.